Mycroft Holmes & The Apocalpyse Handbook

September 18, 2017
Basketball legend and Sherlock Holmes enthusiast Abdul-Jabbar and frequent collaborator Obstfeld up the steampunk quotient in this graphic novel set in the world of Abdul-Jabbar’s 2015 novel, Mycroft Holmes. Brother Mycroft is the classic ne’er-do-well, a carousing womanizer, boozer, and gambler who seems to be wasting his considerable mental gifts. He soon becomes involved in a government effort, helmed by Queen Victoria, to recover plans for weapons of mass destruction and save the world. This mission takes him on a romp to the United States, where he teams up with a formidable woman bounty hunter. This is not a sober incarnation of the Holmes universe, but an over-the-top, visually bombastic action potboiler peppered with pithy dialogue and saucy set-ups. Drawing in a somewhat generic adventure comics style, artist Cassara (The Falcon) manages to capture the weird details with flair, although the storytelling is often flat. If the adventure is in danger of becoming too glib, the smooth writing and Abdul-Jabbar’s knowledge of the material save the day, adding believable human depths to the seemingly shallow Mycroft.

June 1, 2017

It's Victorian London, and the British Museum collapses in a explosion triggered by mysterious inventions--a madman wants to hold the whole world for ransom. Forced by Queen Victoria to defuse the threat and find the blueprints, playboy Mycroft Holmes signs on as reluctant good guy, picking up dirty-handed accomplices en route: outlaw Jesse James, bounty hunter Lark Adler, and an unnamed girl whose aunt mysteriously dropped dead. NBA superstar author Abdul-Jabbar (Writings on the Wall), with writer Obstfeld (What Color Is My World?) cleverly crafts Mycroft as a brilliant scoundrel, far more interesting than his scorned brother Sherlock, introducing wonderful women characters who draw slyly on canonical regulars. And, yes, Moriarty turns up, but not as you'd expect. Cassara's (The Troop) detailed steampunk-inspired art renders the story with zest, abetted by Luis Guerrero's dark and rugged colors. VERDICT If Sherlock was a hero for his era, perhaps Mycroft better suits today's attitudes. This picaresque prequel will attract fans of Abdul-Jabbar's Mycroft Holmes novel and lovers of Holmes spin-offs.--MC

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 1, 2018

It's Victorian London, and the British Museum collapses in an explosion caused by mysterious inventions. Forced by Queen Victoria to defuse the threat and steal the blueprints for the devices, playboy Mycroft Holmes signs on as reluctant good guy, picking up dirty-handed accomplices en route. NBA superstar author Abdul-Jabbar cleverly crafts Mycroft as a brilliant scoundrel more interesting than Sherlock, who meets his match in fearless bounty hunter Lark Adler. Steampunk-inspired art with rugged, gleaming coloring. (LJ 6/1/17)

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.