One thing about Holmes’ canon characterization I’m not super crazy about is the idea that, in addition to being an intellectual genius and an expert at social skills when he needs to be, he’s ALSO a total badass with his singlestick and baritsu skillz. Partly because it makes him a bit too much of a Mary Sue; partly because I prefer the dynamic in e.g. Howard Holmes where Holmes and Watson have complementary skills as the brains and brawn rather than Holmes being brilliant at everything and Watson nearly superfluous; and on top of that Watson even admits in canon that it makes no sense for Holmes to be super fit given his lifestyle.
I do appreciate, though, that ACD at least lets him be badass in a pretty ordinary sort of way rather than making him out to be physically superhuman. Like it’s pretty common in adventure-story type media (including not a few pastiches) that the hero can take on half a dozen guys at once and beat them single-handed; but Holmes in canon consistently loses when he tries to fight two guys at once (e.g. Gruner’s goons in ILLU, or the Cunninghams in REIG), or even one guy who’s unusually strong (Moran in EMPT, Patrick Cairns in BLAC).
Fights Holmes actually wins:
- the “slogging ruffian” in SOLI
- the “rough with a bludgeon” in FINA
- Moriarty in FINA
- Joseph Harrison in NAVA (admittedly this guy is armed with a knife, and Holmes beats him unarmed; but we’re not told whether Harrison has any particular experience or skill in combat)
Are there any others I’m missing??
YES. This.
I feel like it’s a point that ACD is inconsistent on (when isn’t he?), but I always had the impression that Holmes was a horrible shot with a gun. He misses in SIGN, I think? And HOUN? Memory gets fuzzy (time for a re-read), but the moments that stick out to me are when both he and Watson both fire shots, there’s sort of a nebulous implication one shot lands and one misses by a mile (and I’m guessing it’s not the army-trained surgeon major who misses..).
Yeah, it’s not really clear in canon how good of a shot Holmes is supposed to be – there are occasions in both SIGN and HOUN where Holmes and Watson fire at the same time and it’s not clear which of them hits the target. Holmes is the one who ends up shooting the hound to death but it’s implied to be from pretty close range. Maybe that “VR” is the best indication that he does know how to shoot, at least at a non-moving target. Like you, though, I prefer to headcanon that he’s a pretty lousy shot, at least compared to Watson. :P