Somerset Holmes was a deliberate attempt to create a comics property that could then be sold to Hollywood as a movie, and the storyline, panel arrangements and scene angles were consciously cinematic.

The series was optioned by producer Ed Pressman, who considered musician Annie Lennox for the lead before offering it to Jamie Lee Curtis, but the project would slide into development hell and would not be made.

Heidi MacDonald focused on reviewing the opening issues in The Comics Journal #93, noting the Alfred Hitchcock-style cinematic influences and stylings but also arguing that the series used elements which only worked as a comic, referring to the hybrid of styles as "Comicsmatics" - while also gently ribbing a sequence where a character prepares to dry their face with a towel despite still having soap on it.

[10] The latter scene was also picked up on by Lars Ingebrigtsen, who broadly enjoyed the comic but felt there was a notable drop in quality between the Pacific and Eclipse issues.

[9] In a retrospective review for Slings & Arrows, Frank Plowright gave the collected edition full marks, calling it "among the best crime-themed graphic novels published in the USA".