And so it begins.
Yes, I knew I was really going to miss going to 221B Con in Atlanta this year, thanks to an unforeseeable combination of events. No big deal, I miss a lot of things. Symposia, Holmes Birthday weekends, various banquet-ish events . . . the mind has a way of minimizing negative things like pain in one's memory.
And then the tweets and photos started to show up in social media. And it's only Friday night.
Oh, the energy!
Oh, the fresh ideas!
Oh, the beautiful cosplay!
Nothing in the Sherlockian world was ever like 221B Con before 221B Con. Yes, there have been some wild and wonderful weekends in my Sherlockian life in places like Minneapolis, Kansas City, or even Dubuque, Iowa over the years, but nothing was ever quite the same as 221B Con. Nothing. That isn't John Bennett Shaw spinning in his grave you're hearing, that's him fighting to get out, resurrect, and get down to Atlanta. He would have loved this.
And did I really just see a picture of Playboy bunnies re-enacting the Reichenbach fall? Be still, my beating heart!
The most satisfying part for me, even at a distance, is seeing more classic Sherlockians headed that way this year. Last year, the handful of us old world Holmes fans walking into 221B Con seemed at first like a small expeditionary force landing on an undiscovered planet full of Sherlockian glamazons. Eventually we all found that "We are them, they are us, and this was Earth all along," and I look forward to others amongst our legion making that discovery as well.
At some point during the last day or so, I saw a preview for a movie called "Heaven Is Real." It didn't mention 221B Con, focussing on some kid who supposedly died, came back, and talked about his grandpa. But I know what my version of the movie would feature prominently . . . and I even saw a Winglock there last year.
Sherlockian heaven is real. But this year, I'm grounded. Heavy sigh.
The ongoing investigation of Sherlock Holmes, reported from the Peoria, Illinois outpost of Baker Street's dirtiest half a dozen.
Please explain what is Winglock, what its connection is to Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and, pray tell, how it is more Sherlockian than "Elementary"?
ReplyDeleteWinglock is the product of an enthusiasm for Sherlock Holmes inspired from the heart, the way all things truly Sherlockian are. CBS's Elementary remains a commissioned product created by hirelings by those who sought to mine a vein discovered elsewhere by more creative souls. Give it up, sir, the South has lost the war.
ReplyDelete"CBS's Elementary remains a commissioned product created by hirelings by those who sought to mine a vein discovered elsewhere by more creative souls. Give it up, sir, the South has lost the war."
ReplyDeleteTHAT. That is what I've been trying to find the words to express for a very long time.
After a decade of dealing with some rather grim family matters, contemplating jumping back into the Sherlockian world I used to love... and realizing maybe I won't because, quite simply, I'm not a glamazon anymore. I do know my Canon... after all, I honed my bad puns and acerbic snark in the company of John Bennett Shaw himself. But will my Brett/Gillette history be out of place in this time of Cumberbatch and Miller?
Yes. Heavy sigh indeed.
Never fear, there is still a lot of Brett/Gillette love out there. In fact, the explosion of the Sherlockian world of the last few years has actually opened it up in a way. Sure, none of us previous gen Sherlockians can keep up with the massive outpouring of youthful energies in a thousand different directions, but the days of "you have to do this, this, and this to be recognized in the mainstream hobby of Holmes" seem to be disappearing. It's the wild, wild West out on the internet in a way, and finding your niche can be a lot of fun.
Delete
ReplyDeleteHeh. I have played The Game for many years, but not sure I've followed The Rules. As the co-creator of Hamhock Holmes and Billy Joe-Bob "Bubba" Watson, I certainly enjoy flouting them now and again.
Not sure I want to. Fangirls screaming over Benedict's cuteness and arguing over "ships" won't be screaming forever.
But in my world it'll always be 1895.
Life is good.