SHERLOCK HOLMES VS. HARRY HOUDINI #1 Review

What will happen when these two egomaniacs clash? Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

The world’s most famous detective meets the world’s most famous magician… and death ensues! Famed detective Sherlock Holmes and brash showman Harry Houdini must combine forces to defeat a mysterious mystic dedicated to destroying Houdini’s career and killing anyone who gets in his way. A new five-issue series by Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery, the Harvey Award-nominated creators of Kill Shakespeare.

Sherlock Holmes may have faced the likes of Arsène Lupin and Jack the Ripper in the Frogwares video game series, but to be pitted against magician Harry Houdini is something completely different. Utilising the deductive skills of Holmes, and the master illusions skills of Houdini, this opening issue manages to pit these two egomaniacs against each other in a superb way, with a supernatural additive giving more mystery to this title.

Kill Shakespeare creators Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery helm the script for this unique pairing of legends, creating an opening script that’ll appeal to both Sherlock Holmes and Harry Houdini fans. Though Holmes seems slightly out of character near the start, the choice to explore another vice for the master detective proves a rather intriguing one, with the duo not shying away from the subject matter. Additionally the duo also show Houdini as a calculative egomaniac, with the interaction between him and his wife adding drama. Despite all this I did question the supernatural twist, as though Holmes is no stranger to the land of the weird, this does bring a lot of expectations with it.

The art on this series proves very fluid, and dynamic, as though it initially doesn’t capture the eye, it certainly does so before the end of the issue. Behind these striking visuals is Carlos Furuzono, with the artist doing a much better job here than he did on the last two issues of Sherlock Holmes: Moriarty Lives. The main thing that I enjoyed about Furuzono’s art was the unique layouts, with it giving a fancy flair to the issue. The colours did however leave me pondering my thoughts, as though Aikau Oliva does a brilliant job, the use of tone is sometimes that powerful that it takes over the art.

Sherlock Holmes vs. Harry Houdini gets off to a terrific start. Showing the deductive skills of Holmes, and the magical acts of Houdini, whilst having some enticing dialogue, this is something that fans of both legends will love. Highly recommended.