Review: Newbury & Hobbes - The Undying #1 (of 4)

This may not be strictly based on fact, but I find somethingÂ quintessentially British about steampunk as a genre and before someone mentions Gotham by Gaslight, please note, that the original graphic novel was by no means a steampunk venture.Â With my feelings about the genre being as they are, who better than to delveÂ into this mix and match genre than Titan Comics, who are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the titular characters novels with this mini series.

Sir Maurice Newbury is a gentleman investigator for the Crown.Â Think of him as a fully licenced by the state version of Sherlock Holmes, withoutÂ the fiddle and the cannabis.Â The Watson to Newbury is Veronica Hobbes who is a feisty assistant.Â As the book opens the pair are up to their top hat and bustles in trouble, facing down an automata before being led to a new case at the behest of an old friend which in turn gives cause for concern as the Queen herself has also requested Newbury’s presence.Â Still, it’s not long until the game is fully afoot.

George Mann has written a number of Newbury & Hobbes books as well as penning a Sherlock Holmes audio book and a couple of Doctor Who books.Â With such a resume then, it’s not surprising that there are so many familiar elements in the story; be it the automata, the stance of the police, the underlying suspicion of the long known colleague and the Queen, who would not be out-of-place in an episode of Doctor Who.Â If Mark Twain was right and you should only “write what you know”, then Mann seems to be going out to prove that point!Â Set in Victorian England, the reader should pretty much know what to expect; the characters, or should that be caricatures, sound like you would expect, with the monologue being provided by Hobbes, giving the reader a certain world view, hinting at what we should and shouldn’t class as vital to the story.

The art is provided by Dan Boultwood, a LondonerÂ with his own experience with the Doctor.Â Here, there is a certain crazy pace to everything; even during the conversational pieces there seems to be a kinetic energy in place, which makes me feel a little rushed as I go through the book.Â The characters also have an odd relationship with their backgrounds, many of which are blurred.Â This seems to have been done in an attempt to make the characters pop from the page.Â It may also have been needed due to the loud color scheme used.Â For the most part, everything is bold and bright.Â A selective process, using different textures may have allowed for the same “pop” effect without sacrificing the quality of the work of the backgrounds, given as they as much as anything need to show the mix/match nature of steampunk.Â Rob Stern provides the letters, adding a typeface to locations, demonstrating the Victorian influence.

There is no doubting the talent on show in this comic book, as equally there is no doubting the various influences that are obviously on show.Â Fans of either the novels, the Doctor or Holmes should find enough going on in here to quench their thirst.Â For others, the similarities to the influences may just cause a little bit of disillusionment or disappointment.Â The latter feelings would beÂ a shame as it is clear that Mann and Boultwood enjoy this genre so much.

Writing – 3.5 Stars
Art & Colors – 3.5

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Written by; George Mann
Art & Colors by; Dan Boultwood
Letters by; Rob Stern
Published by; Titan Comics

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network