Sherlock Holmes - Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Holmes!

After his terrifically successful collaborations with Martin Powell on the Sherlock Holmes canon, artist Seppo Makinen dived in one more time, this time with writer Steven Philip Jones, to offer up a speculation about what if the great detective had been involved in the sinister case of  Edward Hyde. This classic tale by Robert Louis Stevenson is the perfect fit for Holmes, especially a Holmes who isn't afraid to trade in the supernatural from time time.

What we have in The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Holmes, a 1994 Caliber Comics one-shot tale is the classic story of Jekyll and Hyde, but this time blended into the mix throughout is the deductive skill of Sherlock Holmes as well as his able comrade Dr.Watson. They are brought into the case early when the repulsive Edward Hyde presents a check from the esteemed Henry Jekyll to pay for the care of the young girl he had brutalized on the streets of London. After confirming the check was legit, Holmes takes up the case in earnest and for a time keeps tabs on Hyde hoping to discover the secret of this strange and clearly dangerous lout. Eventually the full horror is revealed, but not until a great deal more tragedy is unleashed. What makes this story so potent is that Holmes is perfectly grafted into the already known story of Jekyll and Hyde but nonetheless adds to the whole.

Makinen's art is not as robust this time as I liked in his previous Holmes outings. What he has gained in skill he to some extent has lost in energy, but then a sure-footed storyteller he was likely merely following the script he was given.

This story collected recently by IDW in a volume titled Curious Cases of Sherlock Holmes is worth checking out for fans of Scarlet in Gaslight and other Makinen Holmes efforts, but don't get your hopes up too high.

NOTE: This is a Dojo Revised Classic Post. 

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Sherlock Holmes - The Loch Ness Horror!

The final Sherlock Holmes collaboration between Martin Powell and Seppo Makinen appeared in serial form in the four issues of the Caliber Comics magazine Sherlock Holmes Reader. Titled "The Loch Ness Horror", the story is a sequel of sorts to Return of the Devil. Actually I think it's best to consider the latter as a prequel for the much more ambitious Loch Ness story which is surprisingly sprawling in its scope for a Sherlock Holmes yarn.

The story concerns itself with the "The Spear of Destiny" no less and begins as Holmes is called out of retirement in Sussex by the Pope no less to investigate how this relic has been taken from inside the Vatican itself. Holmes finds himself pitted against Aleister Crowley, the infamous Satanist called by some "The Beast". Crowley is trying to use the Spear to bring out the end of the world itself and has enlisted the aid of a veritable horde of demons to help him accomplish that bloody goal.

The story touches many familiar notes as much of it is set at Baskerville Hall and involves intimately Sir Henry Baskerville and his daughter Magdeline. Watson leaves his new wife Veronica to join Holmes in this epic quest to stave off doomsday. It's a true spectacle with monsters great, small, and historic on hand.

This story features some of Makinen's most vibrant and powerful artwork, as he is a much more assured and confident artist since those halcyon days of Scarlet in Gaslight. I"m not sure I'm totally satisfied with the ending of this tale, but there's little doubt that Powell left it all on the table when he put this one together. It's the duo's blockbuster for sure.

I read this story in Moonstone's Sherlock Holmes Mysteries Volume Two. Along with Return of the Devil, this story forms a vast story which makes for a solid Holmes experience, at least for those who don't mind the Great Detective pitting his wits against the supernatural.

NOTE: This is a Dojo Revised Classic Post. 

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Sherlock Holmes - Return Of The Devil!

Return of the Devil is a relatively short two-part tale from Martin Powell and Seppo Makinen, revisiting again the world of Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective Sherlock Holmes. This yarn follows on the success of Scarlet in Gaslight and A Case of Blind Fear.  In this one Watson and Holmes are nearing the end of their long partnership when word gets to Holmes that Irene Adler once again needs his assistance. It turns out it is not Adler directly but a colleague, a beautiful contralto named Violet Fortier who has been  hallucinating apparently and reveals that the Devil himself, in his horned and cloven-hoofed glory has visited her. Violet's sister Veronica appeals to Holmes for assistance and frankly just flat-out appeals to Watson who misses his late wife Mary terribly. Things get much more serious thought when Violet kills herself. Later Holmes himself is suffering from delusions, or at least he thinks they must be since he sees his old enemy Moriarty seemingly returned from his death so many years before.

There is an answer to all this, a somewhat mundane answer after it's all said and done, but this story introduces Alestair Crowley to the scene, a character who will play a much larger role in the next Powell-Makinen Holmes story, their last. More on that later.

I originally read Return of the Devil in its two-issue format years ago from Malibu's black and white Adventure Comics brand. I have never found the collected edition from Caliber's Tome Press seen above. But I feel fortunate to have the story in the second volume of Moonstone's Sherlock Holmes Mysteries.

NOTE: This is a Dojo Revised Classic Post. 

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Sherlock Holmes - A Case Of Blind Fear!

Following on the success of Scarlet in Gaslight which dramatically pitted Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes against Bram Stoker's Dracula, Martin Powell and Seppo Makinen teamed up once again to take Doyle's great detective in a slightly different direction. This time the antagonist was plucked from the broad  and vivid canon of H.G. Wells, specifically his villainous creation, "The Invisible Man".

A Case of Blind Fear (outstanding title) actually works better as a Sherlock Holmes story than did the earlier Scarlet in Gaslight (which I still adore nonetheless). The super-scientific base for the murderous Griffin is challenging but somewhat less shocking to the 221B Baker Street milieu than the supernatural undead of Bram Stoker. The universe of Wells mingles better with the super-rational universe of Doyle.

Also unlike Scarlet in Gaslight, Holmes this time is in full command of his wits, save for those which are slightly blunted by the confusing absence of Dr. John Watson and the untimely arrival of "The Woman" herself, the beautiful and distracting Irene Adler. In fact it is the personal story of Watson and his wife Mary which is the center of attention this time out, as Watson's old life comes back to literally haunt him. 

Powell's writing is at his usual excellent standard here, if anything firmer and more nimble with loads of echoes from the classic Holmes canon. Makinen's artistic storytelling is improved since the earlier effort, reading cleanly and doing a wonderful job of rendering the hardest thing imaginable, the unseen itself. Making an invisible man a threat can be more difficult in the broad comic book world, but it is accomplished with gusto here. The story also makes superb use of vintage Holmes villain Captain Moran, making him something truly vile and repulsive. The villainy is ripe and potent in this one.

Hard to find, but worth the effort, I heartily recommend A Case of Blind Fear. Here are the covers for the original Eternity Comics limited series (Malibu's black and white brand).

And here's a striking cover for the Caliber Comics 1996 collected version of the tale.

I read this story in Volume One of Moonstone's Sherlock Holmes Mysteries which collects the Powell-Makinen stories. There is a second volume in this set, and I'll be attending to that soon.

NOTE: This is a Dojo Revised Classic Post. 

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Sherlock Holmes - Scarlet In Gaslight!

Where and exactly when I picked up Scarlet in Gaslight I don't recollect. But this masterful story of Sherlock Holmes facing off against Dracula made a huge impression. I first read the story as a collection from Malibu Comics from 1988. This slightly smaller version of the tale does some injustice to Seppo Makinen's elegant and vibrant artwork but the tale remains intact.

There have been many stories written pitting Arthur Conan Doyle's supremely logical consulting detective against Bram Stoker's supremely evil lord of the undead, but in this comics telling Martin Powell gives adds a flavorful dash of humanity to Holmes and oddly enough to Dracula too. Both are rich personalities with specific motivations and particular worldviews. In the case of Holmes, his confrontation with the startling reality of the undead rocks his world of reason and carefully groomed intellect and his mind falls into disorder. In the case of Dracula, his craving for control is frustrated by evil folks who seek use him as a weapon in their battle against a peaceful world. Both of our protagonists overcome their conflicts and that makes this story hum so effectively.
 

Seppo Makinen's artwork in these stories has a real flavor to it. Unlike so much of the comic art produced in the modern day, there is a real style and whimsy to Makinen's supple lines. The artwork improves as the story progresses, suggesting that Makinen gains his footing a bit through the tale, and by the end he is in full control of the storytelling and the textures. This is a black and white story, produced originally for Malibu's black and white "Eternity Comics" brand in waning days of what we now dub the "Black and White Boom". It's a story best told in black and white, not only to preserve Makinen's lush linework, but to retain the frosty atmosphere the story so successfully develops.

The story has proven a success and has been reprinted a number of times over the intervening years by several publishers.

I most recently read the tale in the Moonstone version of Sherlock Holmes story by Powell and Makinen. There are two volumes in this handsome set despite the rather mundane and uninspired cover artwork. Building on the critical success of Scarlet in Gaslight, the two did several more Holmes stories pitting the detective against some very odd foes. I'll have more to say on those at a later date.

But I give Scarlet in Gaslight my highest recommendation. If you have not yet read this stunning tale of reason versus madness then seek it out and give it a go. It's one of the best stories of Sherlock Holmes not written by Doyle and one of the best stories produced in the comic book format ever.

NOTE: This is a Dojo Revised Classic Post. 

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The Adventures Of The Extraordinary Gentlemen!

The Dojo closes out the year focusing on two great writers. There's no doubt that Alan Moore is one of the great literary talents of our generation. He's even achieved this level of notoriety by writing comic books. Hie works are no small part of the reason that comics have an elevated status in the United States, a status they have long had in Europe and elsewhere. He a distinctive figure, a shaggy looming ogre of a man who comes across as a mad Merlin. But there's no denying his output. I'm very slow to the Moore temple of worship, but I did hop aboard for his The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen adventures, and I've always had a soft spot for the anti-fascist epic V for Vendetta. (Just read it again this past November 5th, and might make that an annual tradition, just to keep my head on straight.) I did a deep dive into his groundbreaking Swamp Thing work in 2021 and as 2022 nears its end, I want to do the same for a few other Moore series. 

This month is also dedicated to the recently departed Kevin O'Neill, Moore's partner on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen books which were published DC and then later by Top Shelf. Regardless of who published them, O'Neill's distinctive art guaranteed the reader he or she was getting the pure stuff. The League stories form a sprawling saga which incorporates elements of no less than all of English popular literature and other entertainments to form its narrative. Any character who has drifted into public domain (and many who are not though in disguise) is on the table for inclusion into this comic book variation of Philip Farmer's Wold Newton gimmick. My plan is to read these books in order of their publication, and many of the later ones I have never read before. I'm eager to dive in. 

And then there's Lost Girls, a book written by Moore and drawn in a delightful style by Melinda Gebbe. This is a yarn that includes adult versions of Alice from the Wonderland books, Dorothy from the Wizard of OZ books, and Wendy from Peter Pan and puts them in a European hotel as the First World War is about to break out. Somewhat isolated from reality the three women explore a wide range of sexual experiences. This work depicts sexual activity with frank clarity, but I wouldn't call it pornography in the strict sense because it is about more than just depicting the sex acts themselves. 

From Hell is the epic exploration by Moore and artist Eddie Campbell of the sundry theories about Jack the Ripper. I did gather up some of these when they were being released in the early 90's, but reading them all together in a collection, despite its mammoth size is the best way to experience them. 

Now turning to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes and Professor Edward Challenger. I'll be also taking fresh ganders at classic Dojo items featuring Sherlock Holmes, especially those written by Martin Powell and drawn by Seppo Makinen such as the utterly exquisite Scarlet by Gaslight and the very upsetting A Case of Blind Fear among others. Sherlock Holmes battled Dracula, the Invisible Man, and the Devil himself in these comics and elsewhere. These early 80's and 90's comics while preceding them are very much in the spirit of Moore's League, crossing over iconic characters from different writers. 

Expect a closer look at his interactions with some nasty Martians as well. I'm planning on watching a number of Sherlock Holmes movies and television efforts as this final month of 2022 marches towards its inevitable conclusion. Expect classic as well as new posts on those too.  

And while I'm spending time at 221 B Baker Street, it's a nifty moment to revisit one of my favorite television series of the 21st century -- BBC's Sherlock starring Doctor Strange and Bilbo Baggins. 

And if time permits, I want to finally get through all the episodes of Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century, an animated take on the great detective. It's not some flavor for a cartoon of its era. There are several clever takes on the classic tales. I hope some of this strikes your fancy.  

Oh, and there will be a few holiday items as well. Enjoy the finale to 2022!

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Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Holmes!

After his terrifically successful collaborations with Martin Powell on the Sherlock Holmes canon, artist Seppo Makinen dived in one more time, this time with writer Steven Philip Jones, to offer up a speculation about what if the great detective had been involved in the sinister case of  Edward Hyde. This classic tale by Robert Louis Stevenson is the perfect fit for Holmes, especially a Holmes who isn't afraid to trade in the supernatural from time time.

What we have in The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Holmes, a 1994 Caliber Comics one-shot tale is the classic story of Jekyll and Hyde, but this time blended into the mix throughout is the deductive skill of Sherlock Holmes as well as his able comrade Dr.Watson. They are brought into the case early when the repulsive Edward Hyde presents a check from the esteemed Henry Jekyll to pay for the care of the young girl he had brutalized on the streets of London. After confirming the check was legit, Holmes takes up the case in earnest and for a time keeps tabs on Hyde hoping to discover the secret of this strange and clearly dangerous lout. Eventually the full horror is revealed, but not until a great deal more tragedy is unleashed. What makes this story so potent is that Holmes is perfectly grafted into the already known story of Jekyll and Hyde but nonetheless adds to the whole.

Makinen's art is not as robust this time as I liked in his previous Holmes outings. What he has gained in skill he to some extent has lost in energy, but then a sure-footed storyteller he was likely merely following the script he was given.

This story collected recently by IDW in a volume titled Curious Cases of Sherlock Holmes is worth checking out for fans of Scarlet in Gaslight and other Makinen Holmes efforts, but don't get your hopes up too high.

Rip Off

The Loch Ness Horror!

The final Sherlock Holmes collaboration between Martin Powell and Seppo Makinen appeared in serial form in the four issues of the Caliber Comics magazine Sherlock Holmes Reader. Titled "The Loch Ness Horror", the story is a sequel of sorts to Return of the Devil. Actually I think it's best to consider the latter as a prequel for the much more ambitious Loch Ness story which is surprisingly sprawling in its scope for a Sherlock Holmes yarn.

The story concerns itself with the "The Spear of Destiny" no less and begins as Holmes is called out of retirement in Sussex by the Pope no less to investigate how this relic has been taken from inside the Vatican itself. Holmes finds himself pitted against Aleister Crowley, the infamous Satanist called by some "The Beast". Crowley is trying to use the Spear to bring out the end of the world itself and has enlisted the aid of a veritable horde of demons to help him accomplish that bloody goal.

The story touches many familiar notes as much of it is set at Baskerville Hall and involves intimately Sir Henry Baskerville and his daughter Magdeline. Watson leaves his new wife Veronica to join Holmes in this epic quest to stave off doomsday. It's a true spectacle with monsters great, small, and historic on hand.

This story features some of Makinen's most vibrant and powerful artwork, as he is a much more assured and confident artist since those halcyon days of Scarlet in Gaslight. I"m not sure I'm totally satisfied with the ending of this tale, but there's little doubt that Powell left it all on the table when he put this one together. It's the duo's blockbuster for sure.

I read this story in Moonstone's Sherlock Holmes Mysteries Volume Two. Along with Return of the Devil, this story forms a vast story which makes for a solid Holmes experience, at least for those who don't mind the Great Detective pitting his wits against the supernatural.

Rip Off