A huge twist is hidden right in plain sight too, though I suspect the most hardcore Holmes fans might have guessed it from the beginning. The writing also captures the elegance expected from both of these masters. The illustrations pay tribute to the styles of both Conan Doyle and Lovecraft, being practical in the paneling, but with a sense of underlying unease in the atmosphere. The mystery revolves around what happened to one of these Cthulu-type monsters, but to say anymore would completely spoil the ingenious way that Gaiman plays with the original Study in Scarlet -the role reversals he uses, and how he incorporates Lovecraftian elements.

In this alternate retelling, the old gods have returned and they have quite the say in people's lives. Readers familiar with the Sherlock Holmes canon will be lulled into a sense of security by the standard opening, before realizing that this is not the same story. A member who is both far more and far less than human. One day they are called by Inspector Lestrade to assist with the investigation of the gruesome murder of a member of the Royal Family. Through a mutual acquaintance, he becomes flatmates with a brilliant if unorthodox consulting detective. Roughly following the plot of “A Study in Scarlet”, the novel is narrated by a British soldier newly returned home after being injured in a war in Afghanistan. Probably about what you would expect from Neil Gaiman in terms of the weirdness - and I mean this in the best and most adoring way possible! I'm a big fan of the original Sherlock Holmes stories and Neil Gaiman, so “A Study in Emerald” was an exciting discovery for me! It’s a spooky, strange, and very exciting take on a Holmes story. *That is an INCREDIBLY obscure Saved by the Bell reference, and I award eleventy-billion points to anyone who picks up on it. If you’re a traditionalist, it’s a little out there, but if you’re open to a little bit of weird with your Victorian sleuthing, it’s well worth checking out. And, the concluding twist would makes the kiwi in Lisa Turtle’s favorite beverage* look like a sapsucker. The artwork is solid, the pacing brisk, and the tentacles ubiquitous. I mean, come on-someone was either intentionally trying to coin a term to describe a particularly tricky (and aqueous) sex act or completely clueless my money is on the former.)Įnter Gaiman, adapting his 2004 award-winning short story of the same name, an intriguing mashup of the world of Holmes and the twisted oeuvre of H.P. (Another reason to say forget Pokémon? Squirtle. Forget Pokémon-it’s my mission in life to catch all Holmesian graphic novels, particularly those that are not adaptations of canonical stories, but rather additions to it (bonus points if the art is so stellar that I can get completely immersed in Victorian London or if there are supernatural overtones (or even just a hint of the supernatural, a la Hound of the Baskervilles)).

A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman