Creative Staff:
Story: Jeff Lemire
Art: David Rubin
Colors: Dave Stewart
What They Say:
Lou Kamiski was just a regular ol’ Spiral City plumber when one day he was plunged into the horrific world of the great Old Ones to become CTHU-LOU! Witness the origin story of how a mild-mannered handyman turned into an emissary for a cosmic god and one of Black Hammer’s most feared opponents.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The opening installment of Sherlock Frankenstein definitely made for a good bit of fun as we saw Lucy discovering things about her dad and his secret lair. While I’ve been mixed about Jeff Lemire’s work previously within the Big Two with what I ended up reading, his original works have been strong and this one is no exception as it builds off the Black Hammer property. It’s also a strong book for me simply because I get more David Rubin artwork and frankly I can’t get enough of that. He really seems to be producing some fantastic material here in conjunction with Lemire when it comes to creativity and having Dave Stewart on the color work to bring it further to life just means this is a visual treat from start to finish.
Lucy’s attempts and trying to find Sherlock makes a lot of sense and there are going to be a lot of clues to deal with, even if she can’t get a hold of most of the villains from the days of yore. This installment focuses on Cthu-Lou, a plumber who quite some time ago ended up hearing the calling of the elder god in the sewers and was transformed into his emissary. Lucy’s meeting with him in the present is fun but getting to see how he was mostly just a thief as the emissary and never hurt anyone shows how Lou retained a good part of himself for this as he never wanted to be a villain. It’s a little more frustrating for his wife, and very much so for his daughter who looks like a Cthulhu spawn, but Lou’s story itself is certainly interesting and engaging enough that like the other villains you can imagine at least a full miniseries to explore.
Lucy’s time with him does net her some new information because even though he was a low-level kind of villain, especially being the second emissary that had little motivation, he did have some connections to others in this world. What becomes intriguing is having him talking about how Sherlock held a meeting just before the Anti-God showed up with a range of villains, one that Lou did not attend nor got an invite for, but he heard about it from the Metal Minotaur. This new sliver of a clue means something was afoot, though she instinctively thinks it must have been for villainy, and that gives her a new path to follow. Of course, you know it’s going to circle back on her quickly and does just that in this issue but it’s the right kind of thing in showing that she’s slowly getting closer and closer to things.
In Summary:
As I’m digging Black Hammer immensely for a range of reasons, it really is no surprise that I’m enjoying Sherlock Frankenstein & the Legion of Evil. Even with the title character not showing up in this book. Lucy’s digging into things like a proper journalist and pursuing whatever avenues she can and even if they don’t lead to a specific thing it helps to build a bigger picture. The time with Cthu-Lou is spot on fun with the right kind of humor and creepiness but also ties to the larger narrative. I really liked Lou and wish he had a better family situation and I really like what we get out of Lucy as this progresses. Lemire’s nailing the characterizations perfectly and I cannot get enough of what Rubin and Stewart are doing here with the artwork. The settings are rich and engaging, the quirky bits of Lou’s initial transformation to his more laid back later look, and the way Louise looks? It’s all just so hauntingly perfect.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: November 22nd, 2017
MSRP: $3.99
