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SANDMAN PRESENTS: DEAD BOY DETECTIVES #3
"The Secret of Immortality Part Three"
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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DC Comics/Vertigo imprint
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Pencils: Bryan Talbot
Inks: Steve Leialoha
Colors: Daniel Vozzo & Jamison
Letters: Willie Schubert
Editor: Will Dennis
Price: $2.50 US/$4.25 CAN |
Like many fans of Sandman, the last thing I want is to see a lot of spinoffs, but most of them have been really darn good, so it's hard to complain. That's certainly true of Dead Boy Detectives, with
Brubaker and Talbot delivering a fun "boy's adventure/horror" comic, an unusual
combination if ever there was one. This third issue features some growth on the
part of our protagonists, in powers if not in wisdom, and a lot more interaction
with the wonderfully sinister-seeming Marquez. It's a wonderfully accessible and
fun story that also manages to carry a tinge of horror and creepiness.
What really interested me in this issue was
seeing Marquez take on something of a mentoring role for the boys. Never mind
that he's clearly using them for his own purposes, seeing them complain about
having to do homework and practice tricks while he scolds them into action made
for some nice interaction, and I love that the boys do their best to one-up each
other and to suck up to their teacher. It's also fun to see the boys enjoy the
discovery of their new powers, using them as any teen boy would and enjoying the
exposure to magic that their unusual situation has brought them to.
Talbot is a big part of why that magical
side of the series works, as he manages to make the ghosts of the boys more
interesting and fun than creepy, while still maintaining a bit of that gloomy
tone in the eyes and face of Marquez or the settings of the book. Most of the
settings are dilapidated or old, and even the modern streets we see are of the
lower class and rundown varieties, reinforcing the boys' role as members of a
fringe society.
I have to admit, I would rather that a
little more of a nod to Hob's true personality and origins would have been given
for those unfamiliar with Sandman. However, I'm not sure how to casually drop in
the true story of Hob Gadling in any way that wouldn't be incredibly obtrusive,
and I suppose for the flow of the story, all that the reader really needs to
know ("Hob isn't the bad guy, Marquez is") is made clear through exchanges of
dialogue.
While there are the makings of an ongoing
series in this premise, Brubaker and Talbot have wisely approached the material
from the point-of-view of a self-contained story, and the build-up of the
Marquis, Charles's crush on Marcia and Hob Gadling have all come together quite
well. I'm anxious to see how the whole thing turns out.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review. |
