Sherlock Holmes: The Trial of Sherlock Holmes

Dynamite Entertainment's series Sherlock Holmes: The Trial of Sherlock Holmes, came to a close with the recent publication of issue 5. The story arc saw Sherlock Holmes caught in a locked room mystery with himself (being the only one on the premises) as the prime suspect of murdering a former high ranking policeman. Intertwined with Holmes' predicaments are assassination attempts on the life of a visiting German dignitary keeping Inspector Lestrade busy. The final issue sees Holmes, who has surrendered to the police in issue 4, in the docks, where he - obviously - solves the mystery for the jury and the readers alike. The very last page then reveals the link between Holmes' problems and the assassination attempts, in what turns out to be a plot within a plot worthy of Macchiavelli.

The five issue story arc makes for very good reading; the plot retains its suspense until the very end. The characterisation of the major personalities is very good, both in the writing and in the art. Aaron Campbell's art is detailed and moody, with a good feel for the period and the place, without resorting to too many stereotypes. There are a few blunders in the first issues, such as the East End being depicted as a suburb rather than the oppressive slum area that it was. The last issue features some impressive massive crowd scenes, and some well handled action scenes rendered in parallel to the court room proceedings.

A few blunders exist in the writing as well, such as some occasional dialogues using a really horrendous pseudo-period British English. The colours are overall solid and adequate, but resort a tad too much to highlighting, which gives the panels a 'plasticy' look.

Overall, a well done, very entertaining series. For those who missed the early issues, Dynamite Entertainment has already announced the publication of a hard cover edition.

Rating: 4 out of 5.