Holmes: Undead #1 crowdfunded successfully earlier this year.
In the issue, there’s lovely moody art as we get a quick summary of Holmes facing Moriarty at the Falls, narrated by Dr. John Watson, before we jump to modern day. Dr. Gionne Watson is being followed as she picks up a family legacy (a box of books, she thinks) and confronts her former team leader about being laid off from her job in cancer research.
Her landlord, calling himself Mr. Hudson, reveals some deductions about her, which creeps her out. He’s a help in the action scene, though, which also shows Watson’s fighting skills. This issue is a nice introduction to the characters and their motivations.
Issue #2 is now crowdfunding, with the goal already met. In it, we’re told, Gionne Watson will find out more about what happened to Sherlock Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls, during a trip the two take to the Sussex countryside.
I’m enjoying what little I’ve read of this series… and that’s the biggest problem. The first issue cost me $10; issue #2, with shipping, is $20. (The digital version of #2 is $10.) These are standard-sized issues, and the story is proceeding at a reasonable pace, although I still know more about the overall premise from the promotional copy than from what’s been on the page so far. Nothing wrong with a slow reveal, except for having to spend double the price of a comic I get at the local shop.
(And that’s the appeal of an established distribution system. The shipping cost doesn’t get pushed down to the end customer, as a retailer benefits from buying many products at once from the same source.)
There are also collectibles. The campaign for issue #2 includes a new “Deerstalker variant” cover for #1, where only Holmes’ hat has changed from the original cover shown above. Issue #2 also has two variant covers available (at slightly higher prices), an “embrace” cover by Andy Duggan
And a wraparound action figure cover, which is cute.
But maybe I should look on the bright side. The publisher set up as a dealer at 221B Con last year, and I hope they return this year. (I am one of the executive directors of 221B Con, which is why I wanted to mention it.) I can always see if I can buy it there — but waiting (and not preordering) increases the risk the series won’t continue, and I want to see more of it.
Still, the best thing is that the story so far is worth reading. Kudos to writer Thomas Pugh and artist Virgilio Calgagno for keeping the story familiar in all the right ways and still fresh.
English (US) · 