Fred Van Lent is one of hell of a writer, and as it just so happens, Guiu Vilanova is an excellent artist. Together these two deliver an absolutely unmissable story: Weird Detective. If crime noir, bleak horror and Lovecraft influence is a mixture you can wrap your head around, you may actually fall in love with this book.
The story opens with the discovery in the bottom of a public pool. She’s essentially loose skin and bone, and that means we’ve got a mystery on our hands. A mystery perfectly fit for Detective Sebastian Greene, who handles the cases that fall outside the realm of regularity.
We learn early on that Greene isn’t exactly normal. He’s capable of doing things no other man can, but we’ve yet to learn precisely what he is or how he can do the things he does.
He’s got a new partner now, as well, and that’s not sitting well with the man. He’s clearly a lone ranger, and a sidekick isn’t something he’s been in the market for as of late.
We quickly learn that Greene’s new detective is there less to aid Greene and more to learn about his strange abilities. It seems some of the higher ups are perplexed, and they’d like a few answers. Solving a case in the process just proves to be a plus.
There are a couple major revelations in the second half of the book, and I can’t bring myself to spoil those surprises. So if you want to know Greene on the deepest level possible, you’ll need to fork out a few bucks.
Having said that, the book ends on a crazy note. Two deaths, both insanely gruesome and gratifying for a lover of horror. We learn a few more things about this Sebastian Greene, and the momentum is really starting to move now that we’ve reached the final pages.
Wait… did I mention Cthulu is in the book?
Oh yeah, issue two should offer fireworks!
Rating: 4.5/5
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