There is a plethora of Sherlock Holmes adaptations and spin-offs to read, but is there a best Sherlock Holmes graphic novel? The fictional super-detective, Sherlock Holmes and real-life serial killer, Jack the Ripper, have often met in fiction, like Lindsay Faye‘s novel Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson, Ellery Queen‘s novella, A Study In Terror, and the film Murder By Decree, which was adapted from Jack the Ripper: Final Solution. Movie and television characters are based on Sherlock Holmes, like Fox Mulder from the X-Files, Doctor Sherlock from House, Macgyver from Macgyver, Doctor Who from Doctor Who, and more.
Holmes is so revered, people would assume he actually used to exist. Who better to capture a serial killer that’s never been caught before than the crime and mystery-solving genius Sherlock? His lackadaisical brother, Mycroft Holmes, who is more intelligent, could solve crimes in Mycroft Holmes and the Apocalypse Handbook by (former NBA player) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Originally, in 1891, Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories were illustrated by Sidney Edward Paget in The Strand Magazine. Any physical drawing of Sidney’s is rare; his original gouache and watercolor drawing for Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes story The Adventure of Silver Blaze is worth a jaw-dropping $112,500. This is no longer the Victorian era, and due to Holmes’s popularity, you can reread novels, such as The Sign of Four (first published in Lippincott’s Monthly magazine) and A Study In Scarlet (the first Sherlock Holmes book to be published, in 1887). What exactly are some must-read Sherlock Holmes graphic novels?
5. Watson and Holmes: A Study in Black by Karl Bollers
In 182 pages of amusement, Watson (an Afghanistan war vet, who works in an inner-city clinic) and Holmes (a local private investigator who takes unusual crimes) are no longer British. Instead, they are reimagined as African Americans in 21st-century New York City’s famous Harlem district. The unlikely duo meets over an unidentified body, begging them to find a woman named Trina.
Holmes wearing dreadlocks and a fedora can take time to get used to, but it appears to be a decent experimental project. If the African American version of Holmes was in movies, there are viewers who will pay to see that. Holmes is a computer programmer with an impressive photographic memory. There’s conspiracy, guns, and gangs showcased in Watson and Holmes: A Study in Black. From a trauma patient in Watson’s ER to a young female hostage and several brutal murders, this graphic novel is enhanced by dead-on art, fine writing, and moody coloring. What more could you ask for?
4. Sherlock: The Great Game Vol. 3 by Mark Gatiss and Stephen Moffat
Sherlock: The Great Game Vol. 3 is a Manga adaptation of the third Sherlock BBC episode. When a mysterious villain is causing chaos for Holmes and Watson, there is a series of clues for them to solve. Their expertise in solving the clues can save an innocent life. Not only does the duo have to solve the mysteries, but they also have to avoid becoming victims themselves.
3. Sherlock Holmes: The Retired Detective by Gary Reed
Retirement is something that affects most of us and even an elderly Sherlock Holmes. A news reporter is curious about the rumors at the University. The news reporter is determined to find out about the disappearance of Holmes in his retirement years, only to find out that his new passion involves corpses. Sherlock and Doctor Watson have to solve a maze set up by Lewis Carroll and the maze master, Mr. Townsend. Also, Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Case of Identity is included.
2. A Scandal in Bohemia – A Sherlock Holmes Graphic Novel by Petr Kopl
In 2013, A Scandal in Bohemia – A Sherlock Holmes Graphic Novel was voted comic book of the year in the Czech Republic. Being the first of four Sherlock Holmes graphic novels by Petr Kopl, one of the cases that Holmes solves is The Speckled Band. When Holmes and Watson are hired by the hereditary king of Bohemia, they have to prevent the king’s ex-lover, opera singer Irene Adler from wrecking his engagement.
What may strike you about A Scandal in Bohemia is that it’s a fast-paced read and you cannot get enough of the sheer magnificence. There is actually an 1891 short story version of A Scandal in Bohemia following the novels A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four.
1. Sherlock Holmes: Year One Vol. 1 by Scott Beatty and Daniel Indro
Dynamite Entertainment’s Sherlock Holmes: Year One Vol. 1 is a 6-issue series in one volume written by Scott Beatty and art by Daniel Indro. Plus, Sherlock Holmes: Year One Vol. 1 has bonus material and a complete cover gallery, timed to coincide with Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law). A young Sherlock explores the sleuth’s untold origins and you’ll realize exactly how he rose to become the world’s most famous detective.
Are you a fan of Sherlock Holmes graphic novels? If so, what are your favorites? Let us know in the comments below.
