Written by: Fred Van Lente
Art by: Guiu Villanova and Mauricio Wallace
Publisher: Dark Horse
When the first issue of Weird Detective came out, it absolutely blew me away. I had seen a bit of Twitter buzz, but didn’t get around to reading it in time to write a review (but you can hear my thoughts on the Comics Dash Podcast). In short, I was in love with everything Van Lente was doing. It felt a little bit familiar in terms of Lovecraftian horror, but it felt updated for the modern world, and it had been a long time since I’d read anything in that genre anyways.
So when I was looking at books coming out this week, Weird Detective #2 shot to the top of my list, in terms of books I was looking forward to. And, all things considered, it doesn’t disappoint. It doesn’t quite have that “Wow!” fact that the first issue did, but in part that’s because I now know what to expect. Still, the two lead characters, and the mysteries surrounding the events of the book, are more than enough to hold my attention. There are a few revelations in this issue, but I did leave the issue with more question marks than I entered it with.
Which is actually not a bad thing, because I’m enjoying how the plot is unfolding. Again, it’s fairly typical Lovecraftian horror with an urban fantasy bent, but honestly, Van Lente is doing a really amazing job porting that style of story telling to the comic book medium. I will say though, this issue is lacking in some of the levity that gave the debut issue it’s charm. Detective Greene still talks to his cat, but even that scene doesn’t quite live up to the analogous scene in the first issue.
And yes, one could make the argument that there’s not as much humor because this issue is jam packed with plot progression. To an extent, that’s true, but spicing it up a little bit more would certainly have been welcome.
In terms of art, both Guiu Villanova and Mauricio Wallace do solid work here. The art is quite important here, as it’s really what establishes the book’s tone, even more so than Van Lente’s writing. I wouldn’t say that it’s the most gorgeous art I’ve ever seen, but it has an aesthetic to it that fits the book really well. Perhaps more importantly, neither the pencils nor the colors ever waver from that aesthetic.
While it may not have blown me away like the first issue did, Weird Detective #2 is still a really, really good comic. More layers are added to the plot, the characters get some neat moments, and it has a solid aesthetic. All that said, I got the sense that something was missing – and honestly, I think it was the general lack of levity. I don’t need Weird Detective to be some super quirky book, but the humor of the last issue was what really made it stand out. Still, I find it hard not to wholeheartedly recommend this series.
