“Mr. Murder” Proves Good Comics Aren’t Dead Yet

“Mr. Murder Is Dead”

Writer Victor Quinaz

Artist Brent Schoonover

Colors Mark Englert

[rating:4.5/5]

Today, you’re all likely moping about that one big thing by that one big company, but why? There are still plenty of great books by small press and indie publishers on the shelves, such as Mr. Murder Is Dead, which hits shelves today.

In short, imagine a comic strip, pulp detective akin to Dick Tracy. Now imagine he’s pushing 70, depressed, lonely, and usually drunk. You’ve got a rough image of the book’s star, Gould “The Spook”  Kane, a world-famous detective who’s fallen into obscurity following his retirement, unable to let go of the past.  But when his nemesis, the elusive Mr. Murder, shows up dead under mysterious circumstances, Kane stirs from retirement to find out just who killed his arch nemesis.

The book does evoke memories of Archaia’s previous noir outing, Tumor, but Mr. Murder Is Dead manages to differentiate itself with an almost twisted black humor and unique, vibrant art style, interjecting old style newspaper strip art with modern age jaunts. Schoonover’s art is truly amazing, complemented perfectly by Englert’s colors, giving everything a classic feel perfectly suited to the mood and mindset of the story, while Quinaz’s writing is dripping with sarcasm, each character given their own unique voice and motivations, creating a unique tale full of twists that will keep readers guessing up until the very last page. The creative team has nailed the decades spanning story in every regard, pulling all three together to tell a fantastic tale.

Archaia, teamed once again with Before The Door (who also did the equally great Lucid) have another clear hit on their hands, and in the wake of that controversial relaunch, wouldn’t you rather support an amazing indie book than sink more money into something you’re not sure of? Mr. Murder Is Dead, on shelves today, is for mature readers only.