The Blind Banker reaches its thrilling climax, as Sherlock and John face a deadly confrontation with the Black Lotus! Following a date (joined by Sherlock!) to the Yellow Dragon Circus, John and Sarah have been attacked and abducted by members of the Black Lotus crime syndicate. Shortly afterwards, Sherlock deciphers the symbols used by the smugglers – but it may be too late for John and Sarah…

This is a slightly shorter issue than previous ones (containing 22 pages of strip) as we reach the concluding act of The Blind Banker. Dramatically, though, Jay. has picked just the right demarcation point for this final chapter, with John and his date Sarah facing grave peril.

You need to have been paying close attention during the preceding issues (re-read them before embarking upon this one if it’s been a while since you last looked at them), because this episode pays off on a number of previous incidents, which may or may not have seemed important at the time. These include John’s earlier mockery of Sherlock – “I am Sherlock Holmes and I always work alone, because no one else can compete with my massive intellect!” – his looking after a cheque for said detective, and the nature of the act performed by the Yellow Dragon Circus last time.

A downside of Steve Thompson’s plot at this point (which Jay.’s faithful adaptation can do nothing to remedy) is the fact that the character of Sarah is reduced to a mere damsel in distress.

On the upside, the conclusion of this case sets things up nicely for the introduction of a certain arch nemesis in the next story…

7

Richard McGinlay