I'll be honest... seeing Ben Caldwell's name on the front of this book didn't do much for me. His covers for Justice League Unlimited haven't been to my liking. The characters are exaggerated to the point of distortion... and distraction. With this creator-owned project, he reigns that in a little, and he's free to develop and use his own designs. The result is a charming all-ages action book that's full of energy and personality, one that crosses genres while mocking them and celebrating them all at once. This project is one that's bound to fly under many readers' radar -- I hadn't heard anything about it before it was put in front of me -- but it's one that deserves attention.
Maria Dare was once a notorious criminal, but she's on the side of the angels these days, working as a private detective who just happens to end up going toe to toe with the weirdest and most dangerous criminals the city has to offer. Along with her partners and pals, the loyal but dimwitted mimbo Toby and the observant but snarky rabbit JoJo, Maria takes down the likes of Furious George, crazy simian criminal. But now the trio faces a new mystery and a new threat, as they try to stop a new criminal named Madame Bleu and her henchmen from stealing the city's supply of snow peas!
Yes, snow peas.
Caldwell's work here shows a much stronger Bruce Timm influence than I've noticed in his previous work. It's also easily comparable to Darwyn (DC: The New Frontier) Cooke's and J. (Mutant, Texas) Bone's cartoony styles, and Caldwell's designs for Jojo the rabbit remind me a great deal of Jeff Smith's cute characters from the now-classic Bone series. The designs for the other characters are inventive and dynamic. The colors are rich and textured. There's a bright, wondrous quality to them at times, but there's also a weirdness to them as well when it's called for. I also like the smaller, digest-sized format. It's more affordable, but at the same time, one gets the feeling that one is getting a great value, given the plentiful action and plotting.
The script is as energetic as the art and action. The banter among the characters is a whole lot of fun, and JoJo and Toby play off one another incredibly well. The conflict between JoJo's sarcasm and fear and Toby's courage and ignorance is always fun, even in the middle of chaos. The dialogue is witty and sharp. Caldwell pokes fun at the bizarre events that make up the plot, but it's not a complete farce either. He walks a fine line, as he never takes things too seriously but he doesn't allow the goofiness of the concepts and characters completely overwhelm the suspense and action.
Though Maria Dare bills herself as a down-on-her-luck private eye, the book goes beyond that genre. It's a super-hero book as well, complete with colorful villains with strange powers. It's also a sitcom, and it's a funny animal book. The Dare Detectives! refuses to be pigeon-holed, and that's a big part of its appeal. It's also a true all-ages book. It's quite appropriate for younger readers, but there's plenty of fun for us old fogeys as well. 8/10
Note: This graphic novel was not among this week's new releases.
