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Sherlock Holmes & le Necronomicon #1
Sherlock Holmes y el Necronomicón
Intégrale T1 et T2
96 pages, Hardcover
First published August 24, 2011
2 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
Sylvain Cordurié
119 books12 followersSylvain Cordurié is a French comic book writer who usually works in the science fiction and fantasy genres.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
November 8, 2017
There are those who would suggest that mixing Sherlock Holmes with the supernatural is like having a peanut butter and turkey sandwich—two great tastes that maybe don’t go so great together.
As someone whose love for Sherlock is deep and abiding and for whom Dracula was a formative reading experience at the age of 8, however, I say slather as much peanut butter on that turkey as you can, serve it up on some whole grain bread, and shove that thing in my mouth. When it comes to Holmesian pastiche, I’m not even a little opposed to the idea of mixing ghouls and specters with our favorite detective duo—when doing so, however, I’d very much like it if Holmes and Watson are actually, you know, involved with the story.
In this Cordurié/Laci collaboration, Watson is altogether absent, and Sherlock narrates the story for his dear friend; but, rather than sleuthing in his inimitable manner, Sherlock is largely acted upon in the story, an inert vessel and plot device for the supernatural shenanigans going on around him. The story in and of itself is fine, but if I wanted to read about people doing strange and unnatural things to Holmes, I’d poke around the darkest corners of the interwebs for some Benedict Cumberbatch slash fanfic, right?
So, as a Holmes story, we’ll give it 3 stars. That said, Laci’s art alone is worth the price of admission and an extra star—it’s absolutely perfect for the setting and tone of the story. You could fill in every dialogue balloon with “Fluffy Buttcheeks” (the name of a villainous character my son, inspired by reading Captain Underpants non-stop lately, recently came up with) and I’d still flip through this book just to look at those pretty pictures.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: anytime Laci wants to draw a graphic novel adaptation of The Camelot Shadow, I’m in.
As someone whose love for Sherlock is deep and abiding and for whom Dracula was a formative reading experience at the age of 8, however, I say slather as much peanut butter on that turkey as you can, serve it up on some whole grain bread, and shove that thing in my mouth. When it comes to Holmesian pastiche, I’m not even a little opposed to the idea of mixing ghouls and specters with our favorite detective duo—when doing so, however, I’d very much like it if Holmes and Watson are actually, you know, involved with the story.
In this Cordurié/Laci collaboration, Watson is altogether absent, and Sherlock narrates the story for his dear friend; but, rather than sleuthing in his inimitable manner, Sherlock is largely acted upon in the story, an inert vessel and plot device for the supernatural shenanigans going on around him. The story in and of itself is fine, but if I wanted to read about people doing strange and unnatural things to Holmes, I’d poke around the darkest corners of the interwebs for some Benedict Cumberbatch slash fanfic, right?
So, as a Holmes story, we’ll give it 3 stars. That said, Laci’s art alone is worth the price of admission and an extra star—it’s absolutely perfect for the setting and tone of the story. You could fill in every dialogue balloon with “Fluffy Buttcheeks” (the name of a villainous character my son, inspired by reading Captain Underpants non-stop lately, recently came up with) and I’d still flip through this book just to look at those pretty pictures.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: anytime Laci wants to draw a graphic novel adaptation of The Camelot Shadow, I’m in.
November 30, 2015
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle meets H. P. Lovecraft! Yeah, that line taken from the blurb quite summarize this graphic novel pretty good. Sherlock Holmes is on an Arctic expedition after everything that happened in the last volume with the vampire Selymes (A volume that I sadly haven't read). But something is calling him back to London, can it be that an old foe is back...from the dead? And what has the Necronomicon to do with it?
I do have a deep love for everything paranormal, and reading a Sherlock Holmes story with paranormal aspects like the Necronomicon was marvelous. And the art is superb. Just look at the details of London. This is the kind of art I want to enjoy when I read anything that has to do with the Victorian era. Although I had one problem...
I took my forever to get used to how Sherlock Holmes was drawn. I mean he is drawn just fine, that is just not how I picture him....
I just think that I'm a bit influenced by the original drawings of Sherlock Holmes. But after a while I started to warm up to his looks. I mean, he is a fictional character, everyone picture him differently. I sure as hell picture him more like Jeremy Brett than Benedict Cumberbatch. But that doesn't mean that the Cumberbatch series isn't any good (Love that series)...
So, I liked this volume. The story was good, not fantastical good, but I enjoyed reading it. I do admit that the art pushed up the rating to 4 stars. I mean the story was good, but I wasn't totally engrossed with it. But I liked that Dr. Watson wasn't in it. He sometimes has a tendency to ruin the enjoyment for me, depending on how stupid the author makes him...or the scriptwriter. I think the best part of the book was towards the end when everything started to come together and Sherlock Holmes had to do anything to stop his enemy from winning. And look at that art...beautiful!
I do felt that reading it on my Ipad took way some of the enjoyment because it shrunk everything so everything was a bit small, especially the text. But that is a minor problem.
Thanks to Dark Horse Books and Edelweiss for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I do have a deep love for everything paranormal, and reading a Sherlock Holmes story with paranormal aspects like the Necronomicon was marvelous. And the art is superb. Just look at the details of London. This is the kind of art I want to enjoy when I read anything that has to do with the Victorian era. Although I had one problem...
I took my forever to get used to how Sherlock Holmes was drawn. I mean he is drawn just fine, that is just not how I picture him....
I just think that I'm a bit influenced by the original drawings of Sherlock Holmes. But after a while I started to warm up to his looks. I mean, he is a fictional character, everyone picture him differently. I sure as hell picture him more like Jeremy Brett than Benedict Cumberbatch. But that doesn't mean that the Cumberbatch series isn't any good (Love that series)...
So, I liked this volume. The story was good, not fantastical good, but I enjoyed reading it. I do admit that the art pushed up the rating to 4 stars. I mean the story was good, but I wasn't totally engrossed with it. But I liked that Dr. Watson wasn't in it. He sometimes has a tendency to ruin the enjoyment for me, depending on how stupid the author makes him...or the scriptwriter. I think the best part of the book was towards the end when everything started to come together and Sherlock Holmes had to do anything to stop his enemy from winning. And look at that art...beautiful!
I do felt that reading it on my Ipad took way some of the enjoyment because it shrunk everything so everything was a bit small, especially the text. But that is a minor problem.
Thanks to Dark Horse Books and Edelweiss for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
January 1, 2016
This book uniquely forces the question of the different criteria with rating a book vs. a graphic novel. You don't read a graphic novel the same way as you read a book. A graphic novel must be rated on
a) its story and its telling
b) its art
c) use of its art in its story telling.
It is a herculean undertaking and challenge to write a story in the shadows of two literary giants: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and H. P. Lovecraft. But also is the interesting characters and universes these two 'mythos' potentially bring to the table.
However, there was no unsolvable Sherlock-Holmes-like mystery to unravel.
There was no 'pulling back the veil', revealing the cosmic horror of a truly Lovecraftian reality. Unfortunately this story fails both its titanic influences.
The Necronomicon was misused (abused?) as an entity in itself. Its origin and its obscure and brief 3-page flashback to what I can only assume to be the Mad Arab, Abdul Alhazred, was a missed opportunity in both story telling and graphic art medium. Assuming this graphic novel is a complete and self-contained story, it left something to be desired.
Which brings us to a point worth making note of. Unlike traditional books or literary pieces, graphic novels need special consideration with a few extra criteria. Like traditional books, the graphic novel's story itself is important as is its telling. I would give this story only one star. (*)
However, the graphic novel has access to a completely different medium in both art and story telling! The art in and of itself was disciplined, clean, and accurate! (Pay close attention to the backgrounds, buildings, details, and architecture!) The art is worthy of 4 stars! (****)
However, the use of a graphic medium to tell this story (especially with the potential of Lovecraft's plethora of Great Old Ones and monsters) was a painfully missed opportunity.
Graphic medium to tell a story: One star (*)
Sadly, I would have to rate “Sherlock Holmes and the Necronomicon” overall as only two stars (**).
a) its story and its telling
b) its art
c) use of its art in its story telling.
It is a herculean undertaking and challenge to write a story in the shadows of two literary giants: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and H. P. Lovecraft. But also is the interesting characters and universes these two 'mythos' potentially bring to the table.
However, there was no unsolvable Sherlock-Holmes-like mystery to unravel.
There was no 'pulling back the veil', revealing the cosmic horror of a truly Lovecraftian reality. Unfortunately this story fails both its titanic influences.
The Necronomicon was misused (abused?) as an entity in itself. Its origin and its obscure and brief 3-page flashback to what I can only assume to be the Mad Arab, Abdul Alhazred, was a missed opportunity in both story telling and graphic art medium. Assuming this graphic novel is a complete and self-contained story, it left something to be desired.
Which brings us to a point worth making note of. Unlike traditional books or literary pieces, graphic novels need special consideration with a few extra criteria. Like traditional books, the graphic novel's story itself is important as is its telling. I would give this story only one star. (*)
However, the graphic novel has access to a completely different medium in both art and story telling! The art in and of itself was disciplined, clean, and accurate! (Pay close attention to the backgrounds, buildings, details, and architecture!) The art is worthy of 4 stars! (****)
However, the use of a graphic medium to tell this story (especially with the potential of Lovecraft's plethora of Great Old Ones and monsters) was a painfully missed opportunity.
Graphic medium to tell a story: One star (*)
Sadly, I would have to rate “Sherlock Holmes and the Necronomicon” overall as only two stars (**).
November 25, 2015
I received this from Edelweiss and Dark Horse Comics in exchange for an honest review.
I really liked this one. The story was compelling, of course. I mean, the return of Moriarty (after the duel at Reichenback Falls) tied into this, and he's using the Necronomicon? Gimme more!
The artwork was very good, too, and fit the style of the storyline very well.
I really liked this one. The story was compelling, of course. I mean, the return of Moriarty (after the duel at Reichenback Falls) tied into this, and he's using the Necronomicon? Gimme more!
The artwork was very good, too, and fit the style of the storyline very well.
March 21, 2021
Bellissimi disegni, ma storia molto noiosa.
November 17, 2017
Not as good as the original books
January 25, 2016
Sherlock Holmes and the Necronomicon is a simply marvelous graphic novel. This Soleil-Dark Horse joint production combines exquisitely detailed art with a thrilling supernatural plot. Sylvain Cordurie is a French writer and artist known for his tales pitting the classic detective against various nefarious supernatural creatures menacing London.
The one weakness it has is due to its length and format, if is difficult to portray Sherlock’s eye for detail and his superior reasoning ability. What places Sherlock Holmes in the story is his conflict with Moriarty, who has returned from the dead. Moriarty needs Sherlock in order to return to his former self. Moriarty is the pawn of a man desiring the Necronomicon. The writer makes use of the reader’s background knowledge of the Sherlock Holmes, his conflict with Moriarty, and the results of Reichenbach Falls to his advantage. Whether more of Holmes’s deductive capabilities will be put to use in other volumes has yet to be seen.
Viewed in its entirety Sherlock Holmes and the Necronomicon is an imaginative, beautifully illustrated graphic novel. It is a fitting tribute to both Lovecraft and Doyle. I look forward to reading future volumes.
4/5
I received a copy of Sherlock Holmes and the Necronomicon from Dark Horse in exchange for an honest review.
—Crittermom
The one weakness it has is due to its length and format, if is difficult to portray Sherlock’s eye for detail and his superior reasoning ability. What places Sherlock Holmes in the story is his conflict with Moriarty, who has returned from the dead. Moriarty needs Sherlock in order to return to his former self. Moriarty is the pawn of a man desiring the Necronomicon. The writer makes use of the reader’s background knowledge of the Sherlock Holmes, his conflict with Moriarty, and the results of Reichenbach Falls to his advantage. Whether more of Holmes’s deductive capabilities will be put to use in other volumes has yet to be seen.
Viewed in its entirety Sherlock Holmes and the Necronomicon is an imaginative, beautifully illustrated graphic novel. It is a fitting tribute to both Lovecraft and Doyle. I look forward to reading future volumes.
4/5
I received a copy of Sherlock Holmes and the Necronomicon from Dark Horse in exchange for an honest review.
—Crittermom
June 19, 2016
Graphic novel. The graphics were nicely done in support of the story.
The story wasn't bad, but there wasn't any Sherlock Holmes there. In other words, if I had replaced the character called Sherlock Holmes and called him John Bloodnock, there would scarcely have been any way to indicate the story was written as a Sherlock Holmes story. In the same way, the story uses Professor Moriarty without any real use of the character as developed by Doyle. In fact, both of these two main characters end up being pawns for other characters in the story, not what I would expect for a book with this title.
The story wasn't bad, but there wasn't any Sherlock Holmes there. In other words, if I had replaced the character called Sherlock Holmes and called him John Bloodnock, there would scarcely have been any way to indicate the story was written as a Sherlock Holmes story. In the same way, the story uses Professor Moriarty without any real use of the character as developed by Doyle. In fact, both of these two main characters end up being pawns for other characters in the story, not what I would expect for a book with this title.
March 7, 2024
I'm not a Sherlock Holmes fan, but I wanted to enjoy this book. It had a lot going for it, with a human detective facing all-powerful forces he doesn't understand. The main issue I have is that the book should have been longer and explored the concept more. This would have opened a world of possibility. But instead, a lot of the book is just people talking as if a dangerous man isn't trying to summon god-like powers. I found it pretty boring since there weren't many stakes either. I enjoy the art and the time that was put into it, but the story was a bit weak for me.
March 4, 2022
At least this time around, there was a better explanation behind all the supernatural stuff going on with Sherlock Holmes. With Queen Victoria as well, though honestly her being chill with all the supernatural stuff is easier to believe than Sherlock Holmes. The writer even brings it up in the book, how strange Holmes is just going with the flow of all the strange things he is now in the middle of.
The art is still the best part of this story.
The art is still the best part of this story.
November 3, 2022
Sherlock Holmes and the Necronomican
No suggestion of Sherlock’s deductive reasoning and skillset at identifying facts. Not at all a representation of ACD’s Sherlock of literature. Awesome illustrations. **
#1 – “I was exploring this desolate land with my Swedish companion and two other scientists, when the strange event took place.” (p11)
#2 – “One more word, and I will put a gag in your mouth, Holmes! Am I clear?”
No suggestion of Sherlock’s deductive reasoning and skillset at identifying facts. Not at all a representation of ACD’s Sherlock of literature. Awesome illustrations. **
#1 – “I was exploring this desolate land with my Swedish companion and two other scientists, when the strange event took place.” (p11)
#2 – “One more word, and I will put a gag in your mouth, Holmes! Am I clear?”
February 5, 2024
Read the first third. Really didn’t like it.
Read about a third more, and liked it even less.
Abandoned.
If you want a proper Sherlock/Cthulhu mashup, I recommend you pick up Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows instead.
Read about a third more, and liked it even less.
Abandoned.
If you want a proper Sherlock/Cthulhu mashup, I recommend you pick up Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows instead.
January 5, 2020
Když už jedu Lovecrafta, narazil jsem na tuhle zajímavou kombinaci. Bohužel je to totální slátanina, kde si musí pomáhat telepaty (sic!), aby příběh vůbec fungoval. Holmes mi přišel strašně out of character (je tam jakési zdůvodnění, ale je divné) a Necronomicon dělá věci, který Cordurié zrovna potřebuje. Všechno špatně.
May 13, 2019
Dnf 75% not for me. I love SH and I love Lovecraft but this mix does not work for me. It is not of a pace or quality - neither in writing or art work -that I have any interest in spending any more juice on it
July 27, 2017
3.5
Another fun and fine effort from Cordurie , with a mystical twist and lots of hints of more to come perhaps?
Another fun and fine effort from Cordurie , with a mystical twist and lots of hints of more to come perhaps?
May 4, 2019
Absolutely brilliant. Great writing and art. Many Powerful moments. Felt like it was really happening.
Want to read
March 29, 2021Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
November 15, 2015
Well Plotted, Reasonably Entertaining, and Exceptionally Well Drawn
You know, Sherlock Holmes must be one of the most widely used and abused fictional characters in the public domain. (There's even a new book out that's based on the premise that Mrs. Hudson was the real brains behind Holmes and Watson.) So, a mashup of Holmes and the Necronomicon just struck me as possibly a bridge too far. Well, guess what? I'm an idiot. This book was a clever and entertaining variation on the Holmes canon.
This is Holmes' second involvement with the supernatural, following on after "Sherlock Holmes and the Vampires of London". Again, Sherlock is in hiding and, again, the story is told in the first person by Holmes, (supposedly writing a missive to Watson). It's mostly an actioner without much in the way of mystery solving or deducing, and to that extent it does stray from the usual Holmes tale. (In fact, there are a lot of pretty convenient unHolmesian hunches and implausible leaps in understanding that often save the day.) On the other hand we do get a decent, if superficial, sense of being in Holmes' head, and that is probably the book's greatest appeal.
That said, I don't know if I would have cared that much for this effort had it been just a prose novel. This is one of those cases in which the graphic aspect is a major positive feature of the experience. The illustrator has drawn an interesting Holmes - older, a bit thicker around the middle, and rather severe. All of the characters are very expressive and drawn to faithfully project actual emotions. This is not a "cartoonish" effort. That effect is enhanced by some very detailed and immersive large panels setting out and back-dropping many of the action sequences. It's not arty or photorealistic, but the drawing, while mutely colored, is expansive, detailed and rich.
As to the Lovecraft angle, well, there is a lot of mishegoss involving a copy of the "Necronomicon", but that serves mostly just as a magical thingy and there's never any connection made to the Cthulhu mythos or other aspects of the Lovecraft canon. I'm open to such references, but if you're a Lovecraft fan looking for a real mashup, this will disappoint. There are lots of oblique references to deeper conspiracies, other magicks, and all sorts of supernatural shenanigans to come in later volumes, but none of the hints seemed that tempting. (Although deadpan semi-sorceress Queen Victoria is sort of a hoot.)
The real appeal, to me, was that this was just an accomplished and entertaining take on Holmes dealing with the supernatural, and his thoughtful, restrained and rigorous approach to things that really go bump in the night was, for want of a better word, fun.
Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
You know, Sherlock Holmes must be one of the most widely used and abused fictional characters in the public domain. (There's even a new book out that's based on the premise that Mrs. Hudson was the real brains behind Holmes and Watson.) So, a mashup of Holmes and the Necronomicon just struck me as possibly a bridge too far. Well, guess what? I'm an idiot. This book was a clever and entertaining variation on the Holmes canon.
This is Holmes' second involvement with the supernatural, following on after "Sherlock Holmes and the Vampires of London". Again, Sherlock is in hiding and, again, the story is told in the first person by Holmes, (supposedly writing a missive to Watson). It's mostly an actioner without much in the way of mystery solving or deducing, and to that extent it does stray from the usual Holmes tale. (In fact, there are a lot of pretty convenient unHolmesian hunches and implausible leaps in understanding that often save the day.) On the other hand we do get a decent, if superficial, sense of being in Holmes' head, and that is probably the book's greatest appeal.
That said, I don't know if I would have cared that much for this effort had it been just a prose novel. This is one of those cases in which the graphic aspect is a major positive feature of the experience. The illustrator has drawn an interesting Holmes - older, a bit thicker around the middle, and rather severe. All of the characters are very expressive and drawn to faithfully project actual emotions. This is not a "cartoonish" effort. That effect is enhanced by some very detailed and immersive large panels setting out and back-dropping many of the action sequences. It's not arty or photorealistic, but the drawing, while mutely colored, is expansive, detailed and rich.
As to the Lovecraft angle, well, there is a lot of mishegoss involving a copy of the "Necronomicon", but that serves mostly just as a magical thingy and there's never any connection made to the Cthulhu mythos or other aspects of the Lovecraft canon. I'm open to such references, but if you're a Lovecraft fan looking for a real mashup, this will disappoint. There are lots of oblique references to deeper conspiracies, other magicks, and all sorts of supernatural shenanigans to come in later volumes, but none of the hints seemed that tempting. (Although deadpan semi-sorceress Queen Victoria is sort of a hoot.)
The real appeal, to me, was that this was just an accomplished and entertaining take on Holmes dealing with the supernatural, and his thoughtful, restrained and rigorous approach to things that really go bump in the night was, for want of a better word, fun.
Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
September 27, 2016
Aunque la premisa pueda parecer muy interesante (Holmes y los Mitos), no se aprovechan las potencialidades de enfrentar la racionalidad del personaje de Doyle con la locura de los horrores lovecraftianos.
March 29, 2016
Entertaining Sherlock Holmes adventure with the added spice of Mr. Lovecraft's horrible book making a appearance. A sequel to Sherlock Holmes and the Vampires of London, Holmes again(both volumes are set during his missing years) returns to London to face the darkest of magic, aided by agents of Queen Victoria, a lovely telepath and his own powers of logic. The bad guys are not surprise, but what is the creeping menace of Queen Victorica and her supernatural henchman-The High Lord.
A lot of Lovecrafts's cliches are never used, no decaying New England towns, no fainting heroes, no long list of forgotten lore , but a Mad Arab does make a appearance.
The artwork is so based in reality-London, its graveyards, mansions and a hidden library-when magic does appear it hits home.
I am hoping for third volume to see Holmes again fight the good fight.
A lot of Lovecrafts's cliches are never used, no decaying New England towns, no fainting heroes, no long list of forgotten lore , but a Mad Arab does make a appearance.
The artwork is so based in reality-London, its graveyards, mansions and a hidden library-when magic does appear it hits home.
I am hoping for third volume to see Holmes again fight the good fight.
December 24, 2015
This takes place after "Vampires of London", referencing it but is not really necessary to have read that first. Holmes talks more openly about his acceptance of the paranormal throughout this comic and while I didn't buy into it in "Vampires", I was more comfortable with this new Holmes by now. This is a fun story and a mix between Indiana Jones and a Buffy plot-line than anything to be found in a real Sherlock story. Set just after the Reichenbach Falls episode, this is Holmes vs Moriarty vs the paranormal world with Queen Victoria working mysteriously behind the scenes. Outrageous camp in a "Hammer Films" horror way with great French comic book art. Fun as long as you like don't mind some cheese with your Holmes.
February 9, 2017
Qualche spunto e idea interessante, ma nel complesso l'albo è facilmente dimenticabile.
August 1, 2016
A solid story featuring Sherlock Holmes talking on the forces of darkness from Lovecraft. Moriarty is back and unknowingly working for the Dark Lords. The first half of the book is very slow. He goes to Antarctica but nothing happens. It would have been the perfect opportunity for Sherlock to visit the lost city, R'lyeh, found in "The Call of Cthulhu". The second half shows Sherlock being consistently outwitted by Moriarty until the end.
Received an advance copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Received an advance copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
January 9, 2016
art was solid and realistic for horror comic very drag colours for the settings which fitted. Story was a bit boring, seemed to not really lead anywhere to me but I liked the characterisation of Holmes and I like Megan who really needed a bigger part of you ask me
December 14, 2015
Reviewed at Brunner's Bookshelf
January 1, 2016
Sherlock Holmes going all freaky. Beautiful art.
March 16, 2016
Brilliantly written with outstanding artwork, letting the life of Holmes carry on yet with a good amount of imagination which doesn't overkill the story.
February 6, 2017
Pastiche holmesiano que añade los Mitos de Cthulhu al mundo de Sherlock. No es la idea más original del mundo, pero cumple su función y resulta una lectura muy agradable y entretenida.
July 10, 2018
un final insípido Holmes y sobrenatural no se llevan.
December 18, 2021
Hat mir sehr gut gefallen! Auch wenn ich den Nachfolgeband (Die Zeiteisenden) zuerst gelsen hatte, tat dies der Spannung und der Geschichte keinen Abbruch.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews