The Baker Street Four
by Olivier Legrand (Author), J.B. Djian (Author), David Etien (Illustrator)
Based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, The Baker Street Four provides an inside look behind the infamous Baker Street Irregulars. Billy, Charlie, and Tom are inseparable, and for good reason. Filled with con men and scoundrels, London’s East End is not a place that is easily survived alone. Fortunately, these three boys can count on the protection of Sherlock Holmes, for whom they sometimes act as spies. When Tom’s girlfriend is kidnapped, the heroes will have to use their budding sleuthing skills to find her. Along the way, they unexpectedly add a fourth member to the team and ultimately become the youngest detectives of the Victorian era.
The graphics were obviously the first thing that pulled me in. They are so detailed and truly recreated the essence of 1800s London’s East End. The children are these adorable scamps that looked like something out of Oliver Twist. I think Doyle would be proud actually at how well this time period of England and his characters were captured in a graphic novel format.
The story was well plotted and interesting. I felt the authors did a great job encapsulating the characterizations of the Baker Street Irregulars within these pages.
The dialogue was well written and seemed appropriate for the time period. I think the old English style phrases and sentence structure might be a little hard for the average person to understand but if you stick with it the story is actually good. Have to admit coming from an Irish family I was a little annoyed at the derogatory uses towards the Irish but when it comes to British stories, especially during this time period, it comes with the territory so you have to let it go and realize the authors are being true towards historical facts and not racist. In that vein they created believable characters for the Baker Streets to interact with for their story.
This is a unique idea focusing on the Irregulars because when it comes to Holmes his story has been told so often and in so many different variations but rarely with any emphasis on this adorable group of mini-spies.
Thank you to Netgalley and Insight Comics for allowing me to review this book.
*synopsis and pic from amazon.com