Hound of the Baskervilles Graphic Novel Reborn as Pop-Up Book

When I found out someone had done a Hound of the Baskervilles pop-up book, I had to get one. (A common reaction, as everyone I’ve shown it to has gone out and ordered one for themselves — since I’ve been showing it to other Sherlock Holmes fans.) I thought it would be fun, but I didn’t expect such impressive...

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The Great British Bump-Off

The Great British Bump-Off is an ideal high concept, and one right up my alley: a murder mystery set during a baking show. And it’s by John Allison, whose Giant Days I loved, and illustrated by his collaborator on that series, Max Sarin. I was trying to read it issue by issue, earlier this year, but...

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Fangirl Volume 3

I hadn’t expected to have much to say about the third volume of Fangirl. It’s part 3 of 4, after all, so it’s supposed to just be getting the characters in place for the upcoming conclusion, right? Certainly, everything’s going wrong for Cath, fanfic writer and new college student. She isn’t sure whether...

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Reading Holmes! Available Now – I’m in It!

Reading Holmes! is a collection of essays about different ways and methods of reading about Sherlock Holmes. I talked a bit about it when the crowdfunding campaign was running; my essay is on “what makes a good Sherlock Holmes comic” and how general expectations about the format contrast with what we...

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Public Anchovy #1

I enjoyed the third in the Deep Dish Mystery series by Mindy Quigley, Public Anchovy #1, the most so far — because it involved a mixed group of people, some unpleasant, trapped in a mansion overnight. That’s a genre trope that makes it easy to combine drama and mystery and suspense, and the result is...

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Canine Detective Chris Volume 1: The Shiba Inu Detective Tracks Down the Stolen Jewels!

I at first thought Canine Detective Chris Volume 1: The Shiba Inu Detective Tracks Down the Stolen Jewels! was a manga, given the cute cover. I was wrong — it’s a light novel, an easy read aimed at kids with a double handful of illustrations. It’s written by Tomoko Tabe, illustrated by KeG, and translated...

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Death by Silver

Being a Sherlock Holmes fan means I read a lot of things I wouldn’t otherwise just for the loosest connection. Such as Death by Silver by Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold. I don’t normally read fantasy, as I have plenty of mysteries and comics to catch up on, but the idea of two men with a troubled friendship...

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Sherlock and the Sea Devils

This article originally appeared in Sherlock Holmes magazine issue #13, Summer 23. The final episode of Sherlock, the third of season 4, was not received positively. (Well, final so far. Hope springs eternal in some hearts, with show creators still being asked “will there be a Sherlock season 5?”) Many...

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Sherlock Holmes: The Spider’s Web

Who would have thought mixing a traditional Sherlock Holmes pastiche with Oscar Wilde’s characters would work so well? Philip Purser-Hallard, that’s who. I picked up Sherlock Holmes: The Spider’s Web because I’d read and enjoyed some of Purser-Hallard’s writings on Doctor Who. I was pleasantly surprised...

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The Great Gatsby, Illustrated by Robert Nippoldt

As The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald entered the public domain a couple of years ago, it’s no surprise to see new editions released. I was surprised, though, by how attractive and compelling this Andrews McMeel version, illustrated by Robert Nippoldt, was. As the contents of books become easier...

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Superman vs. Meshi Volume 1

In Superman vs. Meshi by Satoshi Miyagawa and Kai Kitago, Superman loves the food in Japanese chain restaurants. He uses his powers to jaunt around the world to get lunch and still get back to work at the Daily Planet an hour later. This is the kind of superhero comic I can get behind! I know the genre...

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Book Review Philosophy Found in a Continuation Novel

I’ve been reading Thrones, Dominations, by Jill Paton Walsh, although I don’t enjoy it. It’s one of those continuation novels, adding to Dorothy Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey series long after her death. I love the character and the series, and I’d love to have more, but this, although based on notes Sayers...

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