There are several of us in the head of Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts come together in their thousands in society around the world. A science was even created in Holmes' honor: Holmesology, which consists of establishing a chronology on the adventures of their favorite character. The publisher Ankama delights enthusiasts of the tenant of 221b Baker street by releasing a box set which contains the first volume of the series “In the head of Sherlock Holmes by Benoît Dahan and Cyril Lieron” as well as an Unlock! Short Adventure directly inspired by this graphic universe.

Inside the head of Sherlock Holmes

The comic strip Inside the head of Sherlock Holmes by Benoît Dahan and Cyril Lieron is a vibrant tribute to the famous detective imagined by Arthur Conan Doyle. With great talent, they manage to faithfully restore the personality of Sherlock Holmes that we imagine through reading the novels.

Doctor Fowler was found wandering and suffering from amnesia on a London street. Traces of a suspicious powder on the victim's clothes as well as the presence in one of his pockets of a very special show ticket lead Sherlock Holmes to think that the patient taken care of by Watson is not the sole victim of a large-scale conspiracy.

It would indeed seem that the strange disappearance of Londoners finds its explanation in the representations of a Chinese magician. Other tickets found confirm the detective's suspicions… “Elementary, my dear Watson! »

You know Sherlock Holmes, but have you ever imagined what happens in the convolutions of this brilliant mind? This album immerses you in the world of his brilliant mind thanks to ingenious graphic construction and cutaway views that reveal his inner world.

I recently learned in a France Culture program that Sherlock Holmes is inspired by a real person: Conan Doyle's professor of medicine, whose deductive skills particularly impressed the writer.

In the 1870s, the young Arthur Conan Doyle entered the University of Edinburgh to study medicine. There, he meets a teacher who will have a profound impact on his life.

“I had an old professor, his name was Joseph Bell, who was extraordinarily brilliant at deductive work. He looked at the patient, he barely allowed him to open his mouth before he established the diagnosis of the disease. He also very often found the nationality of the patient and his profession (…), entirely through his art of observation. So I said to myself, “A man as scientific as him should be a detective.” He wouldn't have done these things by chance. He obtained these answers by constructing them, scientifically.

The realism of this fictional character will even end up deceiving the public.

“Many people around the world were completely convinced for years that Sherlock was a real human being. I even received letters addressed to him. Others asking for his autograph, or even some addressed to his stupid friend Watson. (Arthur Conan Doyle, 1927)

Thanks to the graphic originality of Benoît Dahan and Cyril Lieron, we dive into the mental journey of Sherlock Holmes: his deductions take shape and the clues combine before our eyes…

The common thread of his reasoning guides us across the map of London and the very structure of Holmes' thought draws on every corner of his prodigious intellect.

Visually, late 19th century London is brilliantly rendered. A success both aesthetically and narratively!

Inside the head of Sherlock Holmes by Benoît Dahan and Cyril Lieron published by Ankama

Unlock! Short Adventure 10: In the head of Sherlock Holmes

Imagined by Cyril Demaegd, the new Unlock! Short Adventure offers a unique adventure in the world of Benoît Dahan.

Sherlock Holmes and his faithful companion Watson attend a juggernaut act in Covent Garden, when suddenly, a fire-eater named Amara drops dead!

We follow the detective's thought process, illustrated by a red thread which materializes Holmes' reasoning, while allowing us to interact with his senses. This main thread of the investigation brings together the numbered clues collected by the characters and appears on the cards, leading us from one lead to another until the final enigma.

At the end of the game, when Sherlock Holmes invites you to do so, you use the famous red thread to answer a series of questions, thus confirming your understanding of the mechanics of the investigation. Note that here, unlike the majority of investigations in the Unlock! range, there is no race against time.

Visually, it's a delight. Each card is a real gem, adorned with meticulous details that transport us to the Victorian atmosphere of Covent Garden.

Unlock! Short Adventure 10: In the head of Sherlock Holmes by Cyril Demaegd, illustrated by Benoît Daha and published by Space Cowboys.