always1895:

Baker Street Bits, the scrappy younger brother of Scott Monty and friends’ venerable Baker Street Blog, draws its (younger) reader’s attention to the Editor’s Gas-Lamp from the Spring 2012 (Vol. 62, No. 1) issue of the Baker Street Journal [1895-Note: still patiently waiting for my copy to arrive…]. First off, brilliant move Mr Monty in starting a sub-blog for the BSB on tumblr (Tumblr: home of over 1 zillion BBC Sherlock/#BelieveInSherlock fansites and potential breeding ground for the future of Sherlockian culture). Furthermore, current Baker Street Journal editor Mr Steven Rothman crafted what I firmly believe will go down in Sherlockian history as one of the most relevant and forward thinking BSJ editorials in this venerable magazine’s history! Do I dabble in hyperbole? Not this time! Though I don’t have the time/space to properly flesh out my point much further in a Mid-Week Links post, please see my extended post ‘The Editor’s Gas-Lamp (that should be) Read Round the World’ for my predictions regarding why a ‘welcome letter’ at this time is so very important. For the full text, see BSJ’s Facebook page.

[Vehicle of what I believe to be one of the most prophetic and important Editor’s Gas-Lamps of all Sherlockian time. Good show indeed Mr Steven Rothman!]

Baker Street Babes for Episode 25 of their increasingly popular podcast interview the minds behind the Steampunk Holmes Project: “Producer Richard Monson-Haefel, author P.C. Martin, and artist Daniel Cortes talk about how the idea of mashing Sherlock Holmes and steampunk together came to life. Holmes rides a steampunk motorcycle with sidecar! Watson has a bionic arm! Mycroft is a female! How cool is that?!?” There’s a great YouTube video that’s part plea for funds, part explanation of what their grand vision for Steampunk Holmes is all about. You can support Steampunk Holmes via Kickstarter here. So besides a cyborg (though hopefully still pawky) Watson, what makes Steampunk Holmes a project worth checking out? For starters, the narrative is seven books published across multiple channels and the first book in the series, Steampunk Holmes: Legacy of the Nautilus takes place in “an alternative Steampunk universe (c. 1885), [where] the plans for Captain Nemo’s mysterious Nautilus submarine have been stolen from the British Secret Service. There is only one man who can solve the case, Sherlock Holmes. With his bionic side-kick Doctor Watson, and his brilliant and lethal sister, Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock unravels a mystery that will shake the foundation of the British Empire.” Almost feels like “The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans” if events in BRUC got really out of control!

[Steampunk Holmes: Legacy of the Nautilus.]

Holmesosis notes that the “121st anniversary of that fateful plunge into The Reichenbach Falls (or leap off of St. Bart’s) is approaching. May 4, 1891 is widely recognized as the date Professor Moriarty met his demise and Sherlock Holmes vanished, leaving his trusty comrade behind (source). Follow the Reichenbach Problem for angst-ridden posts and support from your fellow Sherlockians. As we head into the week leading up to the ‘death’ of the world’s only consulting detective feel free to share your Reichenbach story, art or fics that we may all prepare for The Final Problem.” (note: emphasis mine) Though the celebration of Baring-Gould approved canonical dates is always a good thing plus the graphic related to their project is cute, I do want to ask something: how/why is the experience of BBC Sherlock’s ‘The Reichenbach Fall” so traumatic/angst-ridden? Sherlock Holmes makes a Kobayashi Maru-style ‘un-winnable’ decision immediately after dropping a myriad of vague and opaque statements to people like Molly Hooper (scenes which will inevitably serve as book ends to ‘what the camera forgot to capture the first time around’ explanations, cf. Doctor Who’s deus ex machina EXTREME robot look alike), only to appear unambiguously alive watching over his grieving friend in the graveyard. After all, this isn’t exactly Season 6 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or even, as the writer on Reichenbach Problem pointed out, the original wait time between “The Final Problem” (1891) and “The Empty House” (1901); or as I like to call it - but then I’d have to shoot myself in the face - “The STRANDom that waited!” - *sigh* but I posted it below anyway….

[My contribution to BBC Sherlock #BelieveInSherlock and such: “The Strandom that waited….”]

Quick Sherlock Links:

Well-Read Sherlockian’s Elspeth Ford posted another delightful ‘Ten Questions with’ blog post - this time with one of my personal favorite Holmesian (being a British citizen and all) writers, twitterers, bloggers and all around ACD-enthusiasts Alistair Duncan. I really hope that Ms Ford continues posting occasional ten question interviews with various Sherlock Holmes-enthusiasts of all stripes.

Sherlock PBS has recruited @LyndsayFaye, @bakerstbabes, @bakerstreetblog & @lklinger to live tweet BBC Sherlock for the first 3 Sundays in May w/@masterpiecepbs on #SherlockPBS.

Kieran McMullen picks Dr Dawson/Val Bettin - Watson from Disney’s The Great Mouse Detective -  for his ‘The Many Watsons’ series. Interesting historical sidebar: playing Dawson ”moved Bettin over into the voice-over arena and he was in constant demand. Bettin has done voices for Aladdin, Gargoyles, Tarzan and Shrek to name a few.”

Dan Andriacco posted ‘Occupy Baker Street’, a rather funny video from the recently convened Gathering of Southern Sherlockians 2012. I thought I recognized the GSS banner in the background and then remembered Strictly Sherlock attended in 2011.

Thoughts from Baker Street admits that though she doesn’t know a lot about the #SaveUndershaw movement, there “should be more care taken with things from the past, especially when they’ve housed such creative minds.” Here, here!

Altamarkings, the blog of @raywilcockson, established an “aide memoire to [Jeremy] Brett’s career before Sherlock Holmes and to the location of films and clips for internet viewing” with a generous sampling of JB at his absolute best, mostly in pre-Granada Holmes days. 

Wear Sherlock re-announced their Save Undershaw Montage Project contest with prizes and ideas for pictures to set yourself apart. May 6 2012 is the deadline. Undershaw is the cause. Your face could be a winner! I kind of really want to win a H.O.U.N.D. shirt.

[I need to get an entry in ASAP so I can win this shirt.]