Posted in: Comics, Mad Cave Studios | Tagged: joel meadows, sherlock holmes, tripwire

When Your Sherlock Holmes Comic Book Is A Lot Bigger Than You Expected

When Your Sherlock Holmes Comic Book Is A Lot Bigger Than You Expected.... it looks a bit like this.

Published Tue, 14 Apr 2026 05:58:10 -0500

Article Summary

Discover why the new Sherlock Holmes comic arrived in an unexpectedly giant 11 x 15 inch format
Sherlock Holmes and The Empire Builders blends sci-fi adventure with classic detective thrills
Includes a new introduction by JM DeMatteis and a wraparound cover by Laurence Campbell
Order now for the April 21 release; 176 pages in stunning black, white, and colour for $19.99

We all remember the moment when Spinal Tap are confronted with a model of Stonehenge that is eighteen inches high, not eighteen feet? Echoed in the Goes Wrong Show episode, A Trial To Watch? Well, sometimes it happens with comic books too, such as with Sherlock Holmes and The Empire Builders: The Gene Genie, published by Mad Cave Studios and Tripwire. Author and publisher Joel Meadows got his printer copies and discovered that, rather than the standard size edition of the collection they had expected (and paid for), it was… oversize. Still $19.99 coverprice, though the shipping costs may now be a little higher.

When Your Sherlock Holmes Comic Book Is A Lot Bigger Than You Expected — Joel Meadows by Joel Meadows

Joel tells me, "When I went to pick up copies of our Mad Cave co-published edition of Sherlock Holmes and The Empire Builders, the Gene Genie collection, I was expecting it to be the same size as our Tripwire individual editions. But when I opened the box, I got a massive surprise. The book is 11 x 15 inches so a much larger format. People can order this from Lunar and Simon & Schuster and their local comic shop or book shop now for publication on 21 April. $19.99, 176 pages black and white and colour interiors."

Sherlock Holmes and The Empire Builders: The Gene Genie: The Complete Collection Paperback by Joel Meadows, Andy Bennett
Sherlock Holmes and The Empire Builders is an epic alternate world sci fi adventure featuring the World's Greatest Detective as people have never seen him before. When Watson leaves Holmes to help Crick unravel the DNA helix and finds himself in the employ of England's most evil man, Holmes is forced to team up with an unlikely group to defeat this monstrous figure and return England to its status quo. But can he defeat the machinations of the man at the rudder of the country? Sherlock Holmes and The Empire Builders: The Gene Genie is perfect for fans of Michael Moorcock (Elric, Jerry Cornelius) and Bryan Talbot (The Adventures Of Luther Arkwright, Grandville). Winning a Comic Scene award for Best Crowdfunder in 2025, it has already garnered quite a following since its debut in 2020 as a short comic story in the pages of Tripwire. This complete collection features a brand new introduction by award-winning writer JM DeMatteis (Moonshadow, Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt), and a brand new wraparound cover by Eisner award-winning artist Laurence Campbell (Hellboy). April 21st 2026, Mad Cave Studios.