An engaging and very enjoyable Sherlock Holmes mash-up. Dr Watson, sorting his life after the death of his wife has visitors from France. The new managers of the Paris opera are having a problem with the Ghost of the Opera and the Compte De Chagny is concerned about his brother, concerns tied directly to the Opera. In the absence of Sherlock Holmes , Dr Watson travels to France where he is witness to a very strange scene and is lucky to survive it. Sherlock Holmes who had been investigating the case from a different angle joins again with Dr Watson as the pursue the Ghost to his home beneath the Opera. The story is very well set up and and the action is suitably operatic, the conclusion is both a credit to Holmes and to Watson.
Steven P. Jones gets a number of critical elements exactly right in this story, he maintains the balance between Sherlock Holmes and the Ghost of the Opera without undermining either. He gets the essential aspect of any follow on Sherlock Holmes story perfectly, Dr Watson is pitch perfect, he is crucial to the story without ever taking anything from Sherlock Holmes, he provides an essential context for the story. The Opera Ghost is given due room to be someone, he is brilliant and demented and also fatally in love. He is given enough space and consideration to become someone other than the Ghost, the conclusion does him sad justice.
Aldin Baroza’s scratchy black and white art is very engaging, it suggests details with shadows and outlines and when required delivers action and tension. The cast are very well defined and move through the context with confident assurance, the principals, Sherlock Holmes and the Ghost are both given classic looks that they wear very nicely. The scenes set below the opera are superb, the sense of a separate kingdom blow the floorboards is created, big enough and wild enough to be suitable for an operatic Ghost and mastermind.
I have a very strong dislike of lettering designed to mimic handwriting such as Aldin Borza uses here. This time it does have the virtue of being more readily legible than it often is. I do understand why it would be used, any Sherlock Holmes story is supposed to be from the journals of Dr Watson and the handwritten style of lettering draws on that. I find it distracting to read, it takes too much effort and pulls me out of the story rather that allowing me to sink into it. In this comic it worked reasonably well, my reservation remain.
This is a smart, enjoyable Sherlock Holmes story, well worth reading.
