Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil #1
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: David Rubin
Colourist: Dave Stewart
Publisher: Dark Horse
A review by Josh Rose
Fine, I admit it! I picked this up because of the name. But how can you not, considering that the world’s greatest detective’s name is Sherlock Holmes and the world’s foremost evil scientist is Dr. Frankenstein? So naturally a super-villain by the name of Sherlock Frankenstein is going to pique my interest at least a little bit. Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil #1 sees the daughter of famed hero, the Black Hammer, and journalist Lucy Weber investigating the disappearance of the heroes after they fought the Anti-God. Who better to ask what happened to superheroes than super-villains, or better yet the baddest of all the bad guys: Sherlock Frankenstein! Now, Lucy just has to find him too.
Jeff Lemire has created a very interesting world that is similar to other Marvel universes. And Lucy Weber reminds me of Lois Lane: a strong, stubborn journalist with a close connection to a superhero. Lemire does a great job introducing readers to this world, giving very little away about the plot, and leaving us with a huge cliffhanger. What I really love about this issue is that from the beginning Sherlock Frankenstein is a mysterious character. And the more we read about him, the more questions we are left with.
The colours in Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil #1 by Dave Stewart really suits the mood of the story, giving off that dark and weird kind of vibe. The world of Black Hammer is one where the heroes and villains are all either dead or retired. Without knowing what really happened to the heroes that fought the Anti-God, the world is a darker place. The panel layout for the most part is simple and easy to follow. There is one page where the panels are laid out in such a way that you need to follow the arrows around the page toward the centre. Its really quite a neat page.
The Verdict: Buy it!
Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil #1 is a dark mystery about the disappearance of the world’s greatest heroes. Featuring a compelling, stubborn journalist, this issue is a perfect jumping on point for readers that haven’t read any of Lemire’s Black Hammer work. This book is very intriguing and I can’t wait to see how Lucy finds everyone.
