A review by hollowspine
Dead Boy Detectives, Volume 1: Schoolboy Terrors by Víctor Santos, Mark Buckingham, Russ Braun, Andrew Pepoy, Gary Erskine, Toby Litt
3.0
Ever since Season of Mists I've had an interest in these two school boys who skipped out on Death. Over the years there have been a few mentions of them, a miniseries done by Ed Brubaker [b:The Dead Boy Detectives|2297296|The Dead Boy Detectives|Ed Brubaker|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348884375s/2297296.jpg|2303612], one by Jill Thompson also called [b:The Dead Boy Detectives|114863|The Dead Boy Detectives|Jill Thompson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1308957749s/114863.jpg|110605] and now this series...also called "Dead Boy Detectives."
I actually enjoyed the Brubaker spin on the two boys a bit, but part of me wonders how Charles and Edwin are represented similarly in all three works. The bit they played in Season of Mists was hardly defining, yet here they are, Edwin the younger bashful and cowardly, and Charles always chasing after some dame. How it came to be that they're always setting up some detective office, I'm also not really sure.
As with the other two Toby Litt follows on. Charles gets the two "Dead Boy Detectives" into a bit of a fix chasing after a girl. Edwin flees in terror from a school master. So far exactly to form. Then we get introduced to Crystal, a girl who is doing her own bit of detective work, into ghosts as it happens.
The pair, plus Crystal, return to St.um...St.Bruticus (I can't remember the actual name) the school where both Edwin and Charles were brutally murdered, and swore never to return. Well, it seems the school is still a hellsmouth and things there a pretty crummy. Students are being used to house demon spirits, or something.
It was a bit dodgy really. The plot was just there for fun it seems, not to actually make sense or anything. I really enjoyed the art, but how the characters went from situation to situation was a bit nonsensical and difficult to follow. The story could definitely use some tweaking.
So, all in all, I'm still waiting for these two characters to come into their own. I actually preferred the Brubaker take to this one. Readers looking for something similar to Sandman should check out [b:The Books of Magic|17727|The Books of Magic|Neil Gaiman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1367303662s/17727.jpg|2986314] instead. Well written, great art.
I actually enjoyed the Brubaker spin on the two boys a bit, but part of me wonders how Charles and Edwin are represented similarly in all three works. The bit they played in Season of Mists was hardly defining, yet here they are, Edwin the younger bashful and cowardly, and Charles always chasing after some dame. How it came to be that they're always setting up some detective office, I'm also not really sure.
As with the other two Toby Litt follows on. Charles gets the two "Dead Boy Detectives" into a bit of a fix chasing after a girl. Edwin flees in terror from a school master. So far exactly to form. Then we get introduced to Crystal, a girl who is doing her own bit of detective work, into ghosts as it happens.
The pair, plus Crystal, return to St.um...St.Bruticus (I can't remember the actual name) the school where both Edwin and Charles were brutally murdered, and swore never to return. Well, it seems the school is still a hellsmouth and things there a pretty crummy. Students are being used to house demon spirits, or something.
It was a bit dodgy really. The plot was just there for fun it seems, not to actually make sense or anything. I really enjoyed the art, but how the characters went from situation to situation was a bit nonsensical and difficult to follow. The story could definitely use some tweaking.
So, all in all, I'm still waiting for these two characters to come into their own. I actually preferred the Brubaker take to this one. Readers looking for something similar to Sandman should check out [b:The Books of Magic|17727|The Books of Magic|Neil Gaiman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1367303662s/17727.jpg|2986314] instead. Well written, great art.