Stuff I Read This Week Episode 19 or It's Only A Matter of Time Before Tom Sawyer Comes to Harlem

Watson and Holmes #1: I suppose it was inevitable that somewhere along the way, someone would decide Sherlock Holmes should be black. So, I shouldn't have been amazed when I saw the cover of the first issue of Watson and Holmes and found two brothers ready for action. I picked it up skeptical at first because, honestly (and I'm bracing myself for the internet backlash here), despite what the message boards think, I just don't feel every character needs a more ethnic counterpart (even though half-black Spider-Man is awesome). However, I was left with a smile on my face at the result. This incarnation places the "consulting detective" in Harlem with Watson as a medical intern and confident army veteran from a tour in Afghanistan, unafraid to throw himself into the action. His narration feels familiar yet also gives the reader a sense of being introduced to something completely new....which leads me to my issue with the book.

The problem with trying to modernize Sherlock Holmes is everything around the character tends to get modernized more than the character himself (modern day London, Watson as an Asian woman, grittier Victorian-era London, etc...). Sure, it takes place in Harlem and, yeah, Watson is working his way through medical school and, okay, Sherlock Holmes has locs now....but there's not much different about Holmes aside from that. On one hand, it's good to preserve the essence of what we love about a character, but he doesn't have to be hermetically sealed, either. To attach a different exterior to the same interior is akin to putting Pocahontas in space, painting her blue and casting Sam Worthington as John Smith. Oh, wait....

This copout of sorts in innovation is annoying, but it's kind of unfair to lay at this particular book's doorstep when it seems to do enough things right. The story could probably stand to offer a mystery that makes better use of Holmes' deductive abilities. What's always been so intriguing about this character is he breaks seemingly impossible circumstances down to their most basic parts and reveal the ruse. The conflict here in this book comes across as a child's puzzle the legendary sleuth could solve in his sleep. Still, the book gets off to enough of a very well-meaning start that we can appreciate what we've been given and feel optimistic about what's to come.

Bottom Line: A decent start for a modernization that's been long overdue. Hopefully, the conflicts become more challenging for a hero of this caliber. 7.5 out of 10

Superior Carnage #1: As "Superior Spider Month" (I call it "Please Don't Give Up On This Horseshit....It'll Be Over Soon") continues whether we like it or not, we're given yet another title about Carnage. Let me just say that I have NEVER understood the allure of this character. He's basically Venom except he stabs people. He's like this relic of the 90's that hasn't realized his irrelevance in time to fade away with dignity like Ricki Lake or Snoop Dogg/Lion/Tiger/Bear/OhMyWhateverTheFuckHeIsNow.

The book opens up narrated through the eyes of a white collar inmate being transferred to a supervillain prison, dreading the idea of being in close quarters with a brain dead Cletus Kasady. To the shock of NO ONE, Carnage will find the possibility of freedom through unexpected means in the form of C-list baddie, the Wizard. Kevin Shinick's take on this character is pretty paint-by-numbers. Nothing about this book is a huge shock. "Carnage is an evil uncontrollable monster....someone wants to control him....he'll probably kill everyone in the book sooner or later." We're supposed to believe that, with the alien symbiote in complete control of the host body, Carnage will be more dangerous than ever before now that he has no singular goal, but the truth is he NEVER had a real point or purpose outside of stabbing people. Stephen Segovia's artwork is servicable, but leaves something to be desired in terms of pulling the characters off of the page and giving a feeling of actual movement as opposed to a general storyboard of what's going to happen. If anything, this title is a cautionary tale about how there are some lingering relics of the 90's that deserve to be left there like Limp Bizkit and Carnage.

Bottom Line: If you actually like Carnage, by all means, buy this book. If you're not a fan but you want to see people stabbed, buy a Wolverine titles. There's so many to choose from and they're ALL better than this. 5.5 out of 10


Batman #22: If there's one thing you have to know about DC Comics, it's that they will squeeze every red cent available out of Batman. They would readily gag him, tie him to a tree and beat him with Old Testament resolve if someone told the dollar bills would gush from his guts. This means that we, the readers, are occasionally subjected to an unnecessary "event" like Zero Year. 

This story arc comes as a double edged sword for readers, retreading familiar territory but with a trademark panache that only Scott Snyder can pull off. This book comes across as more of Bruce Wayne's beta test for his quest to save Gotham City than Year One did. We see a less calcuated, more improvisational hero taking on the Red Hood gang as their crime spree on the city seems to go relatively unchallenged by the authorities.

Snyder wisely glazes over flashbacks to Bruce's childhood without stopping to harp on things most readers probably already knew.We also see a familiar ideological dialogue between Bruce and Alfred that ends on a satisfying note we don't often see with these particular characters. Two issues in and his one man war against the Red Hoods, while still fun, may be starting to grow a bit stale. Hopefully, a rising subplot will lead away from that for a bit to delve into reimaginings of other characters. Another high point is Greg Capullo's art which isn't surprising to anyone who has followed the series up to this issue. The particular highlight of this issue is the puzzle-like dialogue between Bruce and Edward Nygma that was so interesting to look at. This is one of those moments that could only be pulled off in comics and reminds you why this is still an innovative medium that all others can learn something from.

Bottom Line: This is a story arc that SHOULD be beyond stale by now, but fortunately, Scott Snyder is the star of the show. 8 out of 10.