cover image Watson and Holmes, Vol. 2

Watson and Holmes, Vol. 2

Brandon Easton et al.. New Paradigm Studios, $8.99 e-book (107p) ISBN 978-1-9395160-5-3

Perlow and Mendoza's crowdfunded "racebent" update of Doyle's beloved sleuths transports the crime-solving duo to present-day Harlem, where, as expected, they solve mysteries for both the police and private clients. This second volume introduces new versions of classic antagonists: Moriarty is now a mass-media conglomerate, and Irene Adler%E2%80%94now Adlero%E2%80%94becomes a streetwise musician with an axe to grind. This collection features two chapters plotted by Lyndsay Faye (Dust and Shadow), whose experience with Holmes canon serves this series well, supported by solid, thematically apropos art from N. Steven Harris and Eli Powell. Not every chapter lives up to its namesake; the lead story by Easton (Roboy), a socially conscious tale of transgender sex workers, has noble goals but abandons all Holmesian tropes in the process, while Steven Grant (2 Guns) and Hannibal Tabu's exploration of suicides in the armed forces is clunky and hard to follow. This anthology is as uneven as it is ambitious. (Dec.)