Enter the Detective

Emma Bishop works to both help and protect her investigative partner, Simon Archard, as they look into the connection between a dockman's death and a shipment of a mysterious narcotic powder, leading them to newcomer Miranda Cross.

Nominated for five Eisner Awards, this addition to CrossGen's burgeoning line is a typically slick and high-concept package Sherlock Holmes meets the X-Files but great fun, too. The Holmes character is Simon Archard, more studly than Conan Doyle's original, but equally brilliant and arrogant. In place of Dr. Watson, we have Emma Bishop, a pert, sarcastic blonde. Since Emma narrates their adventures, she has ample opportunities for wry commentary on Simon and the off-kilter Victorian England they inhabit (e.g., instead of riding in pursuit of foxes, rich people go on gargoyle hunts). Simon is several steps ahead of everyone else as he solves ever more bizarre crimes; Emma, meanwhile, humanizes him by deflating his misanthropy. This volume collects the first five issues of the magazine, most of which is taken up by Simon and Emma's struggle against the enigmatic Miranda Cross, who is out to seize control of the city by dosing public officials with a mind-control drug. Though Simon and Emma solve mysteries in a series of self-contained episodes, most major plot threads are left dangling, to be woven into future installments. Emma, for instance, has superhuman powers that she carefully conceals, as does Miranda, although the latter behaves much more flamboyantly. The full-color art pencils by Butch Guice, inking by Mike Perkins, color by Laura DePuy is high-end representational illustration that's both technically polished and lovingly researched. But the real star here is Waid's droll but exciting scripts; he's certainly earned his Eisner nomination as Best Writer.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 7-12. Part Sherlock Holmes, part X-Files, and part occult magic, Waid's graphic novel zeroes in on master detective Simon Archard and his assistant, Emma Bishop, who secretly has the power to stop time. The action is set in an alternate universe remarkably similar to Earth in the 1800s, where scientists and engineers are revered for their intelligence and resourcefulness. In the first volume, comprising six issues of the original comic, a bored Archard takes on a new case when a beautiful, mysterious stranger proves to be a magical menace. The developing partnership between Simon and Emma is as charming as any of the classic matchups in the comic world: Simon is the highly effective, emotionless sleuth; Emma is Simon's sorceress-Watson. The noir-inspired artwork is terrific, even though it's a bit hard to follow at times. Despite the occasional confusion, this is a thoroughly enjoyable visual take on the detective genre, with action that pays homage to Hong Kong cinema. Carlos Orellana
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