The first Dare Detectives! digest book took me by surprise. I didn't expect to enjoy myself so much, but Ben Caldwell's richly colorful romp -- and I mean colorful both literally and figuratively -- was an absolute blast. It took more than a year for the second volume and the ending of the story, but the property is as fun as I remember. The plotting in this conclusion is a little awkward in spots, but overall, the same energy and unrestrained inventiveness of character conceptualization is to be found. And to Caldwell's credit, this book is quite accessible, so even those who missed out on "volume 1.1" will be able to enjoy the story.
Ex-crook Maria Dare, lovable but dim-witted strongman Toby and uncouth, cowardly bunny JoJo are the Dare Detectives, and they're hot on the trail of Madame Bleu's panda goons, who have kidnapped their pal, Chinese cook Uncle Chan. Maria and her friends are determined to rescue Chan, but in the process, they discover Bleu's sinister plot to rule over Emberly City's underworld. Her diabolical plot involves an elaborate and tasty snow-pea recipe, a dazzling Vegas-style show and a device fashioned by another arch-criminal designed to amplify a horrible weapon. And if that weren't enough to contend with, Maria and company must survive the attack of Pierre, Bleu's pet Yeti. Oy.
Bruce Timm. Jeff Smith. Kyle Baker. John Kricfalusi. The influence of thesese cartoonists and animators and more are to be found in Caldwell's artwork, but it never seems like a mish-mash of mimickry either. I love Caldwell's characters design, from the cigar-chomping pandas to a simian gangster. The most obvious respect in which one can see Caldwell's reliance on Timm's example is in the women. Maria and Bleu are uber-sexy babes, but Caldwell still conveys their radically different personalities with his visual portrayals. Bleu's pomposity and pretensions shine through in the way she glides into a panel, while Maria's rough-and-tumble methods are plain to see as well.
Perhaps my favorite aspect of the art is the coloring. Caldwell employs rich, bright colors but still manages to maintain a dark aura throughout the book. Each panel and page looks like an animation cel, the way it glows with color.
The story doesn't make complete sense, as Maria, Toby and JoJo are supposedly the only ones who are hip to what Bleu's up to, but the police show up at the same location later in the book, observing the arrival of other criminals. And no one does anything. The story requires this idle approach to law-enforcement, but it defies logic.
Caldwell achieves a terrific balance of personality with the three heroes of the book. Maria is angry and tough, while Toby's sweetness and strength is offset nicely by JoJo's wiseass humor and understandable panic. Caldwell's ideas for characters are infectious fun, and all of that energy makes it easy to get past the plot holes. And despite all of the frenetic action, the creator even finds some time for a quieter scene or two in which we can get to know these characters and how they fit together. 7/10
Note: This graphic novel was not among the week's new releases.
