August 30, 2026 Johanna Mysteries Leave a comment

Solve-It-Yourself Mysteries: Can You Solve the Murder?, Who Killed Harlowe Thrombey?, and More

I’ve noticed a flock of interactive, solve-it-yourself mysteries, so I thought I’d tell you about them. Note that I’m not talking about mystery puzzle books, like Murdle or Murdoku. They’re fun, but they’re logic puzzles with some mystery wrapping. The following are variations on mysteries where you play the detective. Let’s start with a classic: Who Killed Harlowe Thrombey? by Edward Packard was recently re-released. Originally published in 1981, it was the ninth book in the popular Choose Your Own […]

August 30, 2026 Johanna Other 4 comments

I Ate at Simpson’s-in-the-Strand!

(This post is likely only of interest to people who find traditional, historical English restaurants interesting and/or Sherlockians.) “I think that something nutritious at Simpson’s would not be out of place,” said Sherlock Holmes at the end of “The Adventure of the Dying Detective.” Watson and Holmes also have dinner there together in “The Adventure of the Illustrious Client.” When I was in London a couple of weeks ago, the friend I was traveling with was kind enough to indulge […]

August 13, 2026 Johanna HarperCollins Leave a comment

Millie of the Manor

Millie of the Manor manages to combine three well-respected graphic novel genres — mystery, making friends, and mental health (specifically, coping with anxiety) — successfully. It sounds like a difficult goal, but Karina Evans and Andrea Bell make lead character Amy understandable and sympathetic from the get-go. She likes mysteries, and she’s socially awkward. It’s easy to tell when she gets lost in her head, as she remains in full color while the rest of the world around her goes […]

August 12, 2026 Johanna First Second Leave a comment

Science Comics: Computers: How Digital Hardware Works

I wondered about having a dinosaur (and a Victorian-dressed one, at that) narrate a volume on computers, but as soon as Science Comics: Computers: How Digital Hardware Works opened with her talking about this being her second choice (the first was the Science Comics: Dinosaurs book, duh), I was won over. Then she started breaking down and eating (!) a laptop, as she explained the components to us, and I was hooked. As written by Perry E. Metzger & Penelope […]

August 9, 2026 Johanna Other Prose Leave a comment

Consider the Consequences

Consider the Consequences, originally published in 1930, is thought to be the first gamebook, a genre which you might know better as a “choose your own path” book, or “a choice-based branching narrative”, or interactive fiction. It was written by Doris Webster & Mary Alden Hopkins, and I found out about it because Pushkin Press reprinted it last year. I had a blast with it. There are three stories included, with lead characters that appear in the other plots. One […]

July 21, 2026 Johanna Other Publishers Leave a comment

The Science of Affection

Kitten-Kin‘s 181-post Sherlock fancomic, The Science of Affection, is now available in print-on-demand paperback. (It’s also available as a pay-what-you-want PDF download.) It ran from 2018 to 2025. It started as a doodle about a sleepy John accidentally kissing Sherlock, who was feeding John’s daughter Rosie. From that grew a story about how the three became a family. In addition to the Johnlock, there’s also a little bit of side Mystrade (Mycroft Holmes/Inspector Lestrade). The whole thing becomes a story, […]

July 19, 2026 Johanna Other Publishers Leave a comment

Watson v. Holmes #1

Watson v. Holmes launches a 12-issue series with plenty of horror intrigue. It’s written by Jon Santana (story co-written with Rafael Santana), illustrated by Jordan Rodriguez, and published by Iron Age Comics. I hadn’t heard of them before, but they apparently publish via crowdfunding. Which is where I found an excellent summary of the series premise. In short, Sherlock Holmes is presumed dead after Reichenbach. Watson has a daughter, Scarlett, who’s been framed for the murder of her fiancee Lila. […]

July 18, 2026 Johanna Other Publishers Leave a comment

Sherlock Roach and the Case of the Crunchy Crumb

Sherlock Roach and the Case of the Crunchy Crumb is billed as a chapter book, but it’s a comic. And an adorable one! It’s written by Joe McGee and illustrated by Jannie Ho. Sherlock Roach and his partner Dr. Wormston live at 221B Bedbug Street and solve crimes for the insects that live in Bugopolis. Lucille the Ladybug wants them to find out who stole her delicious crunchy crumb. Dr. Wormston, true to his character, is outraged on her behalf. […]

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