For several months, newborn infants have been found in trash dumpsters around New York City’s five boroughs. Is it mere coincidence…? A sinister, deeper pattern…? And if it happens to be either case, why are Watson and Holmes the only ones to realize it’s even happening in the first place? Don’t miss the latest installment in the saga of Watson And Holmes.

Writer Karl Bollers returns for this single-issue story, the roots of which were introduced in the original ark of the series (see my reviews here, here, here, and here), it is instantly accessible for any new readers.

I can’t say too much about the story without spoiling it, and I definitely don’t want to do that. It starts off seeming like a standard criminal case, infants found in dumpsters, the latest one doesn’t survive, Watson and Holmes try to find the individual responsible for this. But the story and the trail take a couple of twists and turns, just when our duo (and the readers) think the case has been solved, it moves into another direction. And then another. And one of the things I like best about the way Bollers writes these characters is that he doesn’t take any easy route here in laying out the case. It could be easy to just have Holmes solve the crime and leave everyone in astonishment as to how he did it, but in the end he’ll have Holmes reveal each clue that lead him to the truth, so you could read the story again and be like “Oh, right, that makes sense.”

On top of the main story, Bollers also gives us plenty of scenes to flesh out the characters, in this issue in particular we get more insight into Watson’s life. We see him spending time with his young son Omare, who seems a bit wiser than his years, and interacting with his wife Marie, from whom he is separated (a situation which neither Omare or Watson is too happy about). The Baker Street Irregulars also make a return appearance here, helping Watson move into Holmes’ apartment. And, most excitedly for me and I’m sure longtime Sherlock Holmes fans, the name MORIARITY is briefly mentioned. But I won’t say in what context. You have to buy this issue yourself. And you should, because it’s awesome.

The guest artist on this issue is the one and only Larry Stroman, who does an excellent job filling in for regular artist Rick Leornadi. While Stroman’s unique style is noticeably different from Leornadi, he manages to capture to the tone of the story just as well, so it’s not a jarring change at all. WHile I hope for Leornadi’s continued work on this title, if they HAVE to schedule a fill-in artist once and while, you certainly can’t go wrong calling on Mr. And having enjoyed his artwork from way back in X-Factor (& Tribes!), you can see that no only has he not missed a step, but I believe he has just gotten better over the years.

Again, even if you haven’t read any of the previous issues, you could still pick this one up and get a satisfying story with a beginning, middle, and end, all in one issue for just $1.99. Watson and Holmes #5 gets a Chacebook rating of FIVE STARS

Available on Comixology