With Sherlock Holmes being all the rage these days, it's hard to judge if WildStorm's Victorian Undead is a well-timed cash-in on Guy Ritchie's Arthur Conan Doyle film adaptation, but I think it's safe to say that it's a different beast entirely. Zombies and military suppression of secrets are key factors in this Sherlock Holmes tale, after all, quite a ways away from Jude Law.
Much like the debut issue (read our review of Victorian Undead #1), writer Ian Edginton and artist Davide Fabbri string together a solid read from a genre that has seen more than its fair share of exposure over the last five years. The success of this issue in particular comes with a more significant focus on Holmes and Watson, instead of the undead menace they are currently facing. Their bromance is obviously the stuff of legend, but Edginton is able to nail it spot on, with witty dialog and a very real sense of lightheartedness between the two, despite their decidedly dire situation.
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Edginton puts forth some very cool concepts in terms of the explanation of the undead, particularly in the way he seems to be leaning towards tying in the history of London. More interesting to me than even the zombies is the introduction of the military, using such force as grenade launchers and chain guns, in 1800's London. No, not historically accurate, but badass as hell and mind you, this is a zombie book we are dealing with, despite its roots in classic literature.
Fabbri delivers another great issue here, and he gets a chance to stretch out into some different areas instead of the monster movie/creature focused work of issue #1. While all of those elements are still present, Fabbri gets to play with atmosphere a bit more when Holmes and Watson explore the underbelly of London, and also gets to stretch his action muscles a bit with the exciting scenes of military destruction.
I don't think fans of Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes are going to be flocking to Victorian Undead as a supplement for more Robert Downey Jr. Holmes, but comics fans that may have soured on the zombie genre as of late should give it a test run. I think you'll find that there can be more to zombies than huge guns and brain eating. Specifically, intellect.
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