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Sherlock Holmes vs. Harry Houdini #1 John Cassaday cover
Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery are the creators of kill Shakespeare. Now, they’re taking on Sherlock Holmes vs. Harry Houdini at Dynamite. Westfield’s Roger Ash contacted Del Col and McCreery to learn a lot more about this upcoming series. The first issue is also available as a web incredibly special for 50% off! You can find it here!
Westfield: What attracted you to this project?
Anthony Del Col: When Nick and Juan from Dynamite approached us with this idea it took us all of a half-second to say “Yes! Yes! Yes!” to it. Holmes and Houdini are so well-known that they define entire realms (Holmes with respect to deduction and solving mysteries, Houdini with respect to magic and escape) that to be able to flesh them out in a new world was such a delicious thought.
Conor McCreery: getting the chance to work with (artist) Carlos Furuzono was a substantial part of the deal. He’d already worked in Dynamite’s Holmes universe (Moriarty Lives) and so knowing that he’d be part of the team made us much a lot more comfortable to tackle these icons.
Westfield: how much research did you do to prepare for the series?
McCreery: We read up on Houdini’s real-life past and read some of his writings, especially on how he saw other performers who he felt deceived their audiences. I also caught up on the BBC’s Sherlock – I like the awkward, big-headed version of Holmes and also went through a bunch of Holmes’ stories. Personally, I was rather angered by the notion of a Red-Headed League…
Del Col: I don’t like to give away my own research habits, but there’s a little known site called Wikipedia that I depend on implicitly… No, seriously, the greatest thing that I’ve took pleasure in is delving into research on the magic and illusions of the time. It’s a real eye-opener – these performers were/are so exceptionally smart in putting together their tricks for the crowds.
Sherlock Holmes vs. Harry Houdini #1 Aaron Campbell cover
Westfield: What can you tell us about the story and the characters we’ll be meeting?
Del Col: picture it: London, 1900. Sherlock Holmes is well-known through London as a top investigator and someone who is smarter and better at solving cased than the police and any individual else. He’s at the height of his powers but is letting something else (which we can’t reveal) distract him. and then enters the brash American Harry Houdini…
McCreery: Played by Estelle Getty! It’ll be a gender and time bending story like no other!
Wait, Estelle Getty is dead? Really? Hmmmm….
Alright then, I guess we’ll just stick to regular old Houdini the “master of the impossible.” Sigh, too bad he’s not an interesting character…
Westfield: how do you work together as co-writers?
McCreery: generally we just see who can yell the loudest. I’m invested very heavily into lemons, herbal teas and lozenges.
Del Col: A few years ago we had a wrestling cage built to help us clear up any arguments or creative differences. but considering that neither of us is very strong we both invested in inflatable sumo-wrestling suits… It’s also a terrific way to fight writer’s block…
McCreery: So far I’m 1-146-1 (the tie was on whether to spell “Shakespeare” with an “e” on the end.)
Sherlock Holmes vs. Harry Houdini #1 Colton Worley cover
Westfield: You’re working with artist Carlos Furuzono on the book. What can you say about his contribution?
Del Col: Carlos is a really strong up-and-coming artist. When we were trying to figure out who to work with on this series Dynamite suggested him and we right away thought he would be best for the series.
McCreery: I already gushed about him at the beginning of this interview, but Carlos being part of this book is absolutely crucial to making it work. He knows Holmes so well, and he’s such a creative artist. The way he lays out pages boggles the mind.
Westfield: any closing comments?
McCreery: LOUD NOISES! LOUD NOISES!
Del Col: Sorry, I’m too busy putting on my sumo wrestling suit to answer this question…
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Sherlock Holmes vs. Harry Houdini