Scan barcode
sbsenpai's review against another edition
5.0
Sherlock Holmes and Dr Jon Watson as you’ve never seen them before.
Set in modern Harlem, we see the duo rebooted as black men, still solving crimes.
Watson here is a intern at a hospital newly divorced and a father. It’s something we rarely see in other Holmes stories and adds a new sense of depth to the character. Holmes is the master of deduction, but I will say that this is the most empathetic I’ve ever seen him done, which is great because the “rude genius” trope is over played and needs to die. Watching him care for others doesn’t hinder his intelligence or his ability to catch criminals, so this was a nice change of pace.
Out of all the Holmes stories out there, this was probably the most realistic, since they made good use of Harlem by showing its rough crime, but also the good sense of community with the neighbors. Doesn’t hold back any punches either by having one case be about babies in dumpsters.
One thing I really love is how Holmes, Watson, Mycroft, and Mrs. Hudson are all here and while their race has been changed, they’re personalities are affected due to the circumstances of both race and location, but they’re over core character traits are still the same as they’ve been in over 100 years. Watson still has strong morality, Holmes is still clever, Mrs. Hudson is still the kind landlady, and Mycroft is the smartest person in the room. Unfortunately this has only one other book, but this is great if you want to read a different yet familiar Holmes.
Set in modern Harlem, we see the duo rebooted as black men, still solving crimes.
Watson here is a intern at a hospital newly divorced and a father. It’s something we rarely see in other Holmes stories and adds a new sense of depth to the character. Holmes is the master of deduction, but I will say that this is the most empathetic I’ve ever seen him done, which is great because the “rude genius” trope is over played and needs to die. Watching him care for others doesn’t hinder his intelligence or his ability to catch criminals, so this was a nice change of pace.
Out of all the Holmes stories out there, this was probably the most realistic, since they made good use of Harlem by showing its rough crime, but also the good sense of community with the neighbors. Doesn’t hold back any punches either by having one case be about babies in dumpsters.
One thing I really love is how Holmes, Watson, Mycroft, and Mrs. Hudson are all here and while their race has been changed, they’re personalities are affected due to the circumstances of both race and location, but they’re over core character traits are still the same as they’ve been in over 100 years. Watson still has strong morality, Holmes is still clever, Mrs. Hudson is still the kind landlady, and Mycroft is the smartest person in the room. Unfortunately this has only one other book, but this is great if you want to read a different yet familiar Holmes.
devannm's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really fun modern Sherlock Holmes adaptation. I thought both Holmes and Watson were very in character [unlike certain other adaptations that shall remain nameless] but also fit well into the modern world. This volume shows us how Holmes and Watson first met and solved their first case together. I will definitely be checking out volume 2 and would probably recommend this to people who like Elementary and other adaptations of that vein.
babsidi's review against another edition
2.0
The premise was really cool, the story wasn't bad, and the art was pretty solid; I loved some of the character designs, particularly Detective Straud and Jon Watson. Something in the characters' dialogue, though, just was off-putting. While I'm no expert on AAVE, much of this book seemed to jump at random between classic Sherlockian English and stereotypical Black English words like 'bro and 'kat.' It felt like someone trying to affect a Black accent, and struggling with it.
Again, I am no expert. Heck, I barely have enough linguistics to qualify my minor in, and I grew up in Whitey McWhitesville. The dialogue in this just felt weird to me, thus the lower rating.
Again, I am no expert. Heck, I barely have enough linguistics to qualify my minor in, and I grew up in Whitey McWhitesville. The dialogue in this just felt weird to me, thus the lower rating.
bibliovermis's review against another edition
3.0
Not enough of a mystery or enough of a solution. It was a bit disappointing.
poorcate's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
julesleigh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This felt like modern Batman tried to be 1800s Sherlock Holmes. I thought this sounded great, but the art was very dated and the story was fine, but not all that interesting. The dynamics between Holmes and Watson just wasn't there. Doubt I'll be reading the rest of the series.
foofers1622's review against another edition
4.0
An fun re-imagining of Holmes and Watson in modern times Harlem. This be great as a show!
mindfulbanter's review against another edition
4.0
I had to read this for a class, but I felt like it was a pretty fair adaptation of the original characters. The story featured elements that I'm familiar with (mostly from seeing my family interact with each other and old classmates), but kept the overall idea of Holmes and Watson intact. There were -some- things I didn't particularly care for (mostly word/spelling choice for the colloquial terms) but this kept me entertained for a little while.