Review by Karl Verhoven
The Case of the Scandalous Ticket opens with a bored Sherlock Holmes again indulging in narcotics before the arrival of Dr. Watson’s friend Dr. Herbert Fowler in a dishevelled and oddly dressed state sparks his imagination.
As the sample art shows, the title is explored literally by the creative team of Benoît Dahan and Cyril Liéron, who show the inner workings of Holmes’ mind via little visuals and his connecting clues via the thread running from page to page throughout. These are generally constructed via Dahan’s impressively drawn spreads, often with a central image to which surrounding panels are connected. Other visual innovations include Holmes inhabiting the body of Herbert during a flashback sequence, items mentioned in the dialogue keyed to a chart, and art superimposed on a map tracking Holmes and Watson across London. A couple of even more clever gimmicks are incorporated further in, making for greater than usual engagement with the physical book.
The impressive art would mean little if not accompanied by an equally intriguing plot, and Dahan and Liéron concoct a mystery that grabs the attention from Fowler’s first appearance. Events are planned to show Holmes’ incisive mind, and he turns up a set of clues that seem trivial, if exotic, to piece together the solution. The key is the different forms of ticket allocated to attendees of a magic show. The dialogue matches that of the late Victorian era intonation of the Conan-Doyle stories, complete with touches of suspense such as “So even at this moment let us be extra vigilant Watson, because a Chinese acrobat is tailing us”. Translator Christopher Pope deserves mention for the effort applied in making this read so well.
The contrast between the precision with which Dahan draws buildings such as the Albert Hall and the off-key people is noticeable and effective. Holmes is angular and emaciated, while Watson bears a prodigious chin. Others are slightly demented, but appealingly so. The page designs, impressive in the opening section, are even more ambitious in what was the second of the two French volumes combined for this English edition. The encompassing illustrations include an industrial steamworks constructed as a face to accompany the puffing of a pipe, and ever more visual delights are packed into the pages.
When all is revealed the solution is possibly a little too outrageously sensational, although makes some salient points about the saintly British Empire, but that’s secondary to the artistry throughout. This is a clever visual tour de force accompanying a very serviceable mystery.
