Classic detective hero Sexton Blake will be returning to print thanks to publishing house Obverse Books.  The character has been around since 1893 and is often referred to as a “Poor man’s Sherlock Holmes”.  Despite a cult following, reprints of the detective’s adventures have been extremely scarce, and he has been long overdue a comeback.

Blake’s adventures have been told by many great writers over the years, including Anthony Skene, GH Teed, Gwyn Evans and Michael Moorcock. In the past, his exploits have been available as radio plays, comic books and even a TV series. Doctor Who novelist George Mann is to head up the revival, and his original novella Sexton Blake and the Vengeful Dead will be included in the first run of reprints.

George told Starburst Magazine “I fell in love with the saga of Sexton Blake many years ago, when I first happened upon ‘The House of the Hanging Sword’ by Gwyn Evans. Ever since reading that very first story I’ve known I wanted to write for this character, and hearing the outlandish tales of those who did, you could almost believe they were fictional characters in their own right. It’s a club I’m honoured to be able to join, and it’s a bit of a dream job to be the person charged with writing the first official issue of the Sexton Blake Library for almost 50 years. “

The novella promises to reunite Blake with his old comrades and put the good detective through the wringer. Given the enormous popularity of Sherlock Holmes, we have high hopes for the future of Sexton Blake.

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