When we last left the heroines of the new literary comic Adler, Jane had just moved in with Irene Adler. She has become a sort of Dr. Watson to Adler’s Sherlock. After doing some initial digging and finding out about Irene’s rather colorful life as an opera singer and crime-solving socialite, Jane rushes out to meet with her new roommate. She is stopped by a group of ruffians. At the same time Marie Curie (yes, that Marie Curie) has asked Phineas Fogg to deliver papers to Ms. Adler by the next day. Outside her home, a band of Amazon warriors watch her movements. An orphan, named Annie, is offered a position by Marie Curie to ALSO send the papers to Ms. Adler. Annie is less likely to be stopped as she does not look suspicious. At the Opera, Irene prepares for a performance and is encountered by a former paramour asking for (that’s right) the papers. Moriarty watches on, but encounters a strange new foe.
Reader, I adore this comic. As an English Major I find myself gigging at random literary and pop culture references littered throughout the comic. Part of the fun of this comic is the hunt for familiar faces. Even if you’re not a major reader, the adventure of the comic itself is a delight. There’s intrigue and espionage, violence and gorgeous costume design. The comic is written by Lavie Tidhar, and the gorgeous (although admittedly sometimes a touch risque) art is done by Paul McCaffery.
Issue #2 of Adler is available today.
