Watson's Sketchbook: Volume 2

by Lee Knox Ostertag

The second volume of an ongoing adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, told through comics, sketches, and the occasional essay on late Victorian queerness. This covers the story from A SCANDAL IN BOHEMIA to THE FINAL PROBLEM.

Genres: Queer, Romance, Graphic Novels Comics

194 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2025

About the author

I grew up in the forests of upstate New York, where I spent the first half of my childhood reading about fantastical adventures and the second half acting them out with foam swords at a live action roleplaying camp . I graduated in 2014 from the School of Visual Arts, where I studied cartooning and illustration, and I currently live in Los Angeles. My artistic interests include women in fiction, fantasy and sci fi, superheroes, and history.

I illustrate a twice weekly webcomic called Strong Female Protagonist with co-creator Brennan Lee Mulligan, which was listed as one of io9's Best New and Short Webcomics when it launched in 2012. I ran a successful Kickstarter in the summer of 2014 to print the first volume, which was distributed by Top Shelf comics and is now available in stores and online.

I'm currently working on a graphic novel with First Second named Shattered Warrior, coming out in Spring 2017.

Reviews

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly delightful. Can’t wait for Volume 3!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHOS CUTTING ONIONS IN HERE

[Chachi Tchotchke · Rating 5 out of 5]

God, I'm glad I still have my complete works of Sherlock Holmes book. Somehow, it survived the last time I sold a bunch of my books that sat for ages, so I can (re)read the stories alongside this comic. I just these old men to be happy and stay happy

(If I had a nickel for each time I'd fallen in love with a queer comic book retelling of classic Victorian characters at its second volume to be concluded with its third, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but its still weird that it's happened twice, right?)

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another delightful book exploring the possible scenes not captured in the canon Sherlock Holmes stories. I just really enjoy seeing Watson and Holmes together as a couple, and I love these illustrations of their relationship.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series so much!!

[Mimsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic companion to the canon ACD works, best read alongside the original 60 works.

[Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

somehow even better than the last, loved it!

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Sherlock Holmes, but I absolutely love this LGBTQ+ interpretation of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stories by a trans author.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Print quality issues from Vol 1 totally resolved here - looks beautiful!

[Fynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lee Knox Ostertag single-handedly dragging me back into my Holmes obsession with this lol. I love seeing the art improve over time, and how the story progresses so naturally and beautifully!