Written by: Fred Van Lente
Art by: Guiu Villanova & Mauricio Wallace
Publisher: Dark Horse
Coming out of a summer jam-packed with awesome new titles, Weird Detective is a book that really manages to stand out, both in terms of subject matter and in terms of quality. Before this issue, the series was nothing short of phenomenal. And, honestly, this is in contention for the series’ strongest issue yet. It serves as something of a culmination of the previous two issues while fully delivering on the promise of its excellent debut.
I’m going to get this out of the way first, because I feel like it’s the most important part: The cat is back for more than one or two pages. So much of the first issue’s charm came from its sense of humor, which felt a little lost in issues #2 and #3. The return of the cat signifies the return of that levity, and it’s a really nice touch. Just as everything seems to be getting even more dour, we get a touch of dry humor that brought a smile to face.
Really, it’s just impressive how quickly the book can switch gears tonally. It can go from being serious to humorous in the space of a few panels. I guess that’s not exactly impressive, but what makes it so admirable is that the transitions feel seamless.
Speaking of, this issue transitions between its Lovecraftian elements and the more down-to-Earth detective story with ease as well. There’s probably about a 50-50 split there, though the two parts definitely impact one another. Essentially, Weird Detective is telling two different stories, and no single character is fully aware of either of them. It creates a nice sense of tension between the two leads–ultimately, they aren’t even working towards the same goals.
Initially, I wasn’t super excited about the more “normal” aspects of this book. I wanted all urban fantasy, all the time–none of this crooked cop subplot. As the book has progressed, however, I’m, becoming increasingly open to it. It’s not revolutionary story telling or anything, but Fred Van Lente makes it into an excellent interpretation of tried and true genre tropes.
For as much as I do enjoy seeing Fayez run around doing stuff for the FBI, it is nice to see that story begin to converge with what Greene (or whatever his real name is) is up to on Earth. Watching Lovercaftian monsters just go at it is super exciting, not to mention incredibly creepy. As per usual, Weird Detective brings its fair share of unsettling moments to the table.
This is where the art team of Guiu Villanova and Mauricio Wallace come in. There’s something innately powerful about their visuals, and without them, it’s not clear this book would have the same impact. The visuals are absolutely incredible! They really bring the story and characters to life in this series. Outside of just looking cool, there’s a ton of nuance to the art that accentuates what Van Lente is doing writing-wise.
The thing is, this issue contains a fair bit of exposition. Now to be fair, most of it is pretty interesting, and it’s nice to have a few of the mysteries explained. That said, the context in which it’s presented feels a bit off. I’m not sure there would have been a better way to fit it into this particular issue, but jamming it into a conversation feels sub-optimal. Even then, it’s handled surprisingly well.
If you’re not already reading Weird Detective, you certainly should be. This isn’t the type of book that should be allowed to fly under the radar. That’s just doing it a major disservice. I’m not sure what anyone could want out of a comic that this book doesn’t have.
