Where the Body Was

I was excited when I found out Net Galley would provide me with a copy of this comic. Author Ed Brubaker writes awesome stories and this one is no different. The story takes place in Summer 1984 in an abandoned boarding house on Pelican Road that junkies have taken over. 

The story opens with an introduction to the boarding house. We meet the couple who were the original owners as well as their neighbors. After they pass on the boarding house falls into disrepair and junkies and other criminals move in. A girl who thinks she is a superhero, wearing a mask and a cape, has a crush on Palmer who is doing drugs with a woman he is sleeping with, Toni. In order to get cash for their fix, the couple burglarize homes. She threatens him with going to the cops if he doesn’t stop. Palmer tells everyone that he is a cop and flashes a badge at anyone whose behavior he does not like. Despite this, I found him to be a sympathetic character. Another character that I liked was Ranko. He is a homeless man who sees everything happens on the street even though no one sees him.

There were alot of characters introduced in the beginning and I didn't even try to remember who was who. I knew I would get them straight during my read which I did. Each of these characters get to narrate their own chapters and the reader begins to see the well crafted plot through their eyes. The body was not introduced in the book until the halfway point. 

Normally I would complain about this but the story was so absorbing that I didn't even notice its absence. 

Where the Body Was is an entertaining mystery that satisfies. Comic fans will want to read this one. 5 out of 5 stars.

Wicked Things

Wicked Things 1 and 2 is the story of teen sleuth Charlotte Grote.  It was written by John Allison of Giant Days fame.  Part 3 will be published on July 22, 2020 and I can't wait.  This is a humorous comic where the tables are turned on Grote as the child detective becomes the suspect in a homicide.

The story opens with Grote planning to leave home for college.  While going through her belongings Grote discovers that she was nominated in National Solver Magazine for Teen Detective of the Year for ages 16 through 18.  After traveling to London's Savoy Hotel where the festivities are being held, Grote attends a party for the nominees.  There she is invited to a private dinner with her toughest competitor, Kendo Miyamoto, whom she is enamored with.  However, after entering his room Grote finds his dead body.  She is assumed to be the killer because she was the person who found him.

I chuckled at the artwork that detailed the physical attributes all women try to hide, i.e., wide hips, stomach rolls and big thighs.  It made me think that a woman did the illustration of the book but I was wrong.  Max Sarin is the penciller and Whitney Cogar is the colorist.  Sarin previously worked with the author on Giant Days.

Wicked Things is the perfect murder mystery book but written in graphic novel format.  It has all of the elements of a classic mystery and with its colorful drawings the book is a fun, fast read.  I highly recommend it.  5 out of 5 stars.