"Mycroft Holmes and the Apocalypse Handbook" #1 Review

"Mycroft Holmes and the Apocalypse Handbook" #1 from Titan Comics -

     It is 1874 in London, and someone has just destroyed the British Museum, obliterating thousands of years of artwork and proof of human achievement, as well as ending many innocent lives - all with a tiny, unassuming piece of technology. But at Cambridge University, one ne'er-do-well, is carrying on business as usual. Mycroft Holmes is easily the most brilliant student in Cambridge's history, and he'd be well beloved if he weren't so purely a scoundrel. Aloof, confident, tough, and wildly intelligent, Holmes is content to pass his days as a student, avoiding the callihng of real life, constantly at odds with his professors, and always in trouble with the Disciplinary Committee. His only advocate, one Professor Hirsch, a brilliant man in his own right, seeks to help Mycroft hone his mind and guide him toward something useful. But Professor Hirsch is more than he seems. When Mycroft is kidnapped by men with advanced technology after being caught in bed with one of his professors' wives, it looks like it's curtains for our favorite rogue; however, what it turns out to be is the beginning of an adventure far above anything Mycroft could ever have imagined, a mission to save Queen and Country...One tailor-made for an intelligent, resourceful scoundrel. 

   Sherlock's big brother gets the comicbook treatment by none other than basketball legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, six-time NBA champ, and Raymond Obstfeld! Abdul-Jabbar and Obstfeld do a pretty stellar job of taking us back to England at the latter part of the 19th century, the height of the Victorian Age. Abdul-Jabbar's and Obstfeld's Mycroft Holmes is a deliciously clever rogue - from the the way he talks, to the way he sits, to the way he effortlessly makes a fool out of everyone about him - Holmes is just the guy you love to hate, and that you hate to love. This makes him a huge amount of fun on the page. This book is almost entirely exposition, so we get to watch Mycroft work his magic, and even have a little brotherly battle of wits with Sherlock. We really get a sense of who Mycroft is, how he sees his world, and how he relates to it, including his not-yet-famous little brother. The start of the adventure is on the fringes of the story; you get a taste at the beginning, and a nice gut-punch entrance into it at the end for our protagonist. Joshua Cassara's art is pretty dynamic here, really taking us back in time to Victorian-Age England, with flashes of VERY cool advanced tech that is sure to make your jaw drop. "Mycroft Holmes and the Apocalypse Handbook" is a fast-paced, naughty romp with a wildly entertaining scoundrel - this book is PURE enjoyment. Definitely a great look, and a strong first outing for this series. I can't wait for more!!

  RATING: 8.5 out of 10! 

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