A Study in Emerald is a comic book adaptation of Neil Gaiman's alternate-history Cthulhu Mythos short story of the same name.
Synopsis[]
A man identified only as "The Detective" investigates the brutal murder of one of the German ruling family in an alternative Victorian England, which has been ruled in the name of the Great Old Ones for seven hundred years. Taking his housemate, a man referred to as "The Major", along for the ride, he discovers the identity of the killers of the inhuman royal, men who belong to a group dedicated to reclaiming mankind's destiny. However, the killers, one of whom is later named as a John or James Watson, outwit both the Detective and the police, and are never caught.
Characters[]
- The Detective: a brilliant investigator, and London’s only detective-for-hire.
- The Major: a former army soldier who bears the scars of a terrible tour of duty in Afghanistan. His initials are revealed to be S. M.
- Inspector Lestrade: a loyal and diligent, if somewhat unimaginative, police officer.
- "Sherry Vernet"/"Rache": a member of the radical humanist movement "The Restorationists" posing as theatre player.
- John/James Watson: a former army surgeon and Restorationist.
Behind the Mythos[]
The final revelation that one of the Restorationists was in fact Watson implies that "Rache," who managed to outwit the Detective, is actually Sherlock Holmes. From this, and a statement made in a letter by Rache to the Detective in which he calls him "a worthy adversary," it may be inferred that the Detective was James Moriarty.
Publication History[]
A Study in Emerald was adapted into the comic book format by Rafael Scavone, Rafael Albuquerque and Dave Stewart. It was published by Dark Horse Comics in June 2018.