Rick Leonardi

The art in this book was amazing, but the violence was so over the top that it was hard to put myself in the story. This modern version puts Watson and Holmes as Black men in Harlem. Holmes is still a private eye, but one willing and likely to use a gun and get in street fights. He still uses his mind but comes off more brute than brain. Watson is just a medical intern, and he has lost his heart. He is an Afghanistan war veteran with PTSD who feels pulled to Holmes. However, the friendship between the two does not feel real. It feels more like hero worship. Watson seems more inclined to find action like his military duty, while Holmes is not so much about showing and learning, as bragging and snobbery. I wanted to like this but didn’t. However, I think the main problem is I am the wrong audience. I have never lived in Harlem or neighborhoods like it. I have never had to deal with the issues and hardships of inner-city life. So, to someone else, this book is probably amazing, and I think libraries should carry it, but for me, it just was not my thing.… (more)

Getting prepped for the upcoming TV series for this, I figured I'd better also catch up with my friends, too... and what did I find?

Cool and stark dichotomies.

I mean, the story is simple as hell and the dialogue is nearly as simple, pure standard comic trade for an origin story, but what really stands out in this is the dichotomies. Light/Dark is obvious, as is peace/obsession, and let's not forget wealth/poverty or justice/law. All these are laid out bare for us, and while such big story ideas can sometimes feel heavy-handed, I don't think that's the case here. Stark and simple actually helps to highlight the potentials.

That being said, it's an 80's comic and it's not my favorite time period for comics. By a long shot. But I still liked these a lot more than I thought I would. Very much so, on a purely conceptual side, and I didn't even need to go all weird with Moore. :) :)… (more)