Sherlock Holmes vs Harry Houdini 3 & 4

The improbable has become the impossible! With magician Harry Houdini arrested after a blood bath that has left his wife at the edge of death, detective Sherlock Holmes must overcome his suspicions - and his demons - to free Houdini and overcome a powerful enemy that commands the unholy powers of the spirits.

Writer:

Anthony Del Col

Conor McCreery

Art:

Carlos Furuzono

Publisher:

Dynamite

The third and fourth installment of the series carries on the high benchmark set by the first two issues – as our mystery deepens and our two leads are put to the test as they face off against a mighty Russian menace with supposed supernatural powers.

Whilst this is the main thrust of the issue, it’s really an exploration of two men of their time (yes, I’m aware Holmes is fictional, but this comic treats the two as if they lived during the same time period) and the various flaws of their character that they have to overcome to solve the case. Both are raging egomaniacs and think they know the correct solution to every scenario. Holmes’ addiction to drugs is one well know, whereas Houdini’s desire never to back down from a challenge, regardless of the cost, is explored also.

They both make compelling protagonists due to their struggles and their often tempestuous relationship with their friends and (in this comic) one another. It’s this slow realisation that is the crux of the two issues, as Holmes fails to resist his vices and Houdini learns that even his actions can have unexpected consequences.

The only real misstep of the issue I suppose, (and this completely my own very selective opinion) other than the art which continues to boldly stride the line of average, is that this focus on the two central leads comes at the expense of any of the other characters.

It would have been nice to see a bit more of Watson or Lestrade, or Houdini’s wife. Though their lives are well developed, thanks to the many years they have been in public consciousness, they are left very unexplored here. To the point that, when they are put under danger in #4 it’s very hard to actually care much about their plight.

Holmes himself doesn’t really seem to even regard them as existing, merely being objects as part of his own personal desire to best the villain of the series. In fact, we’re you to remove anyone but Holmes, Houdini, the Villain of the series and his multiple goons, you really wouldn’t notice their absence.

Despite my own personal gripes, it’s still a very good miniseries that I’m enjoying a lot. The action scenes help bridge the two protagonists investigations and meant that I never felt a sense of the issue flagging in pace.

With one issue to go, it’s all to play for, especially as this issue ends with a literal Bang! I look forward to seeing how it resolves.

Cover image courtesy of Dynamite! Entertainment

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.