Review by Ian Keogh
Between 2018 and 2023 four volumes of The Clockwork Empire appeared in France telling a complete story, and with the publication of the conclusion Titan issued this English translation combining the opening two books.
Sherlock Holmes isn’t mentioned in the title, but make no mistake, this is a Sherlock Holmes story. He’s seen at the start unmasking a card playing automaton fleecing the rich and influential, and no sooner has he identified the mechanisms as originating in the factories of the deceased Alfred Nobel then he’s also asked to investigate the disappearance of one Doctor Jekyll.
While it’s long been established that Holmes likes the sound of his own voice, co-writers Fred Duval and Jean-Pierre Pécaud are still very heavy on the dialogue as they attempt to incorporate an assortment of both real life and fictional characters of the late Victorian era. To that they add steampunk technology, and of course, there’s a complex mystery to be solved. As the title obliquely suggests, Moriarty is involved, but didn’t he die at the Reichenbach Falls several years previously? Both mystery and background are well conceived and engaging despite the sometimes overwhelming amount of dialogue.
Stevan Subic is the artist bringing it all to life, and he’s phenomenal. Over the opening volume he rarely uses fewer than eight panels a page, and frequently more, yet every single panel is richly detailed and dripping with atmosphere. That also applies to what follows, when Subic manages to employ fewer panels, meaning his shadowy figures amid exquisitely rendered backgrounds impress even more. When all hell breaks loose halfway through, Subic hits his peak.
Duval and Pécaud take some time to proceed from conjecture and deduction to terror and destruction, with the heart of the British Empire under threat. Once there, though, they induce a credible desperation that everything might crumble. It’s a thrilling ride and exceptionally well drawn. Let’s hope a translation of the conclusion is also on the agenda.
