Mycroft Holmes and the Apocalypse Handbook #1 is the start of a new series written by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld about the older brother of Sherlock Holmes in his younger years when he’s recruited into service by the Queen. This issue opens up at the British Museum in London in 1874 where a teacher is taking his students through the various exhibits. While he’s explaining the Rosetta Stone to them and how the British came into possession of it, 2 of the students observe a man leave a mysterious orb near one of the artifacts. When they pick it up they start examining it, curious as to its nature.  The teacher takes it from them while scolding them for not paying attention to his lecture but he becomes just as curious about the device. Suddenly it activates triggering a reaction that results in the teacher exploding. Soon the entire museum starts to collapse with the device at the center of the destruction and bloodshed. Once it’s all over, the mysterious man returns to the scene to recover the device. Meanwhile, Mycroft Holmes is up to his old tricks of antagonizing his professors and sleeping with married women. Can he truly be the one to help protect the kingdom during this time?

The opening sequence resulting with the attack on the British museum set the tone early.  It was mature with its visuals, informative/educational with its content and entertaining with its use of the students and teacher. It became equally as terrifying with the way the attack was coldly calculated, and the loss of life including the children was felt. The motive wasn’t clear but what was clear was that it would require extraordinary skill, deductive abilities and a certain commitment to unravel this mystery and stop such an individual. So by immediately jumping to Mycroft right after this showed a sharp contrast between who he currently was and what he needed to be which displayed the character’s potential growth. Thankfully the discussion in Mycroft’s philosophy class was well-written so it was enjoyable and easy to see that even though he understood the dilemma the professor posed unlike the other students, he still took too much joy in antagonizing all of them.

SUMMARY

Mycroft Holmes and the Apocalypse Handbook #1 is a sensational start to the series combining an intriguing story setup with entertaining character development and action. It’s an engrossing issue from the first page to the last due to the smooth writing and beautiful visuals. The way the attack on the British museum unfolds sets the tone early, and the focus on Mycroft’s behavior makes him feel like a unique character while leaving room for some serious growth. I know it’s only one issue but at this rate this series could easily become one of my favorites. I highly recommend it.