The Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton

I am a huge fan of both Kyle Starks and Chris Schweizer's comics, having read pretty much all of the books they've made (click on their names in the labels, you'll see!). They are friends in real life and frequent collaborators, and in The Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton they once again make an enjoyable and well-plotted action/murder mystery. The titular Trigger Keaton is an actor in adventure shows, a horribly behaved Chuck Norris type and grade A jerk, leaving a path of verbal abuse, wounded egos, and broken noses in his wake. He's got a long-term studio contract so that he appears in many different series, only his cantankerous disposition, hard drinking, and penchant for wounding stuntmen means that they are short-lived despite their popularity.

Someone has finally had enough, and they take Trigger out to pasture, but staged it as a suicide. The six actors who played his sidekicks are some of the only people who come to his funeral, and when some of them question his death, they all end up involved in a disjointed and haphazard investigation.  

These unlikely sleuths have a difficult time gelling as a squad, and their bickering is one of the bright spots of this book. The book also features lots of snappy dialogue, several carefully constructed combat scenes, and myriad pop culture references to fictional shows, including ads, movie posters, interviews, and previews. Also, the mystery plots features lots of red herrings to keep the reader guessing. This series is a real labor of love and a joy to read, especially as a child of the 1980s where many of the pop culture references come from. 

Trigger being Trigger.

All of the reviews I have read about it have praised this critically under-rated series. I agree with Sean Kleefeld who wrote, "On top of being a fun set of characters and an interesting concept, the story is told very well." Aussiemoose gushed that "the 6 Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton has everything you could possibly want in a graphic novel." Joe concluded that there is "so much packed into each issue, none of the characters or ideas feel underbaked, it all feels so fleshed out and has made for an incredibly fufilling reading experience that everyone should check out!"

The Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton was published by Image Comics, and they offer previews and more info about it here. This book features copious amounts of profanity and violence, so it is suggested for folks who can handle that.

Abbott 1973

Sometimes when I read a book, I am struck by how much some things change and how much other things stay about the same, especially regarding how some social groups are treated and mistreated. Abbott 1973 is the second entry in the series, and I have to admit that I have not read the first book but still was able to jump right in and enjoy this one. The main character is Elena Abbott, a Black, lesbian reporter who works for a Black-run newspaper in Detroit. Because of the times, she and her partner have to stay closeted. In this book, she has a new editor, and he treats her condescendingly because she is a woman, which creates friction. Also, she is covering the tense mayoral race that would result in the first Black mayor of Detroit being elected, though there are some sinister forces working against that happening. 

The twist in this realistic fiction is that those forces draw from the occult. However, Abbott has access to power called the Lightbringer, and she is able to combat those supernatural villains on her own terms. What I feel this book does best is traverse two genres, urban historical fiction and supernatural fantasy, in a way that both work. This book is a great piece of suspense and the fantastical elements add a different, satisfying twist to the proceedings. The character work is also strong, and I really liked the detail and care to depict a time period from about 50 years ago, warts and all. 

This series is a collaboration between writer Saladin Ahmed, artist Sami Kivelä, and colorist Mattia Lacono. Ahmed is an author whose novel Throne of the Crescent Moon was nominated for a Hugo Award, and he has also done several runs for Marvel Comics on characters such as Miles Morales, Daredevil, and Ms. Marvel. Finnish artist Kivelä is known for several series, most notably Undone by Blood and Machine Gun Wizards. Italian artist Lacono has done extensive work coloring comics, mostly for Marvel Comics.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Zack Quaintance wrote that it does "a great job of building upon its established premise to begin a story that feels intriguing, timely, and important as ever." Marion Deeds called the first series "an immersive read and a look at an important time period in the USA, and one we are being encouraged to forget." Publishers Weekly summed up, "Pulp and politics mix in this relatively straightforward supernatural tale; though it doesn’t elevate the genre, it satisfies its goals and does so with a refreshingly diverse cast."

Abbott 1973 was published by Boom! Studios, and they offer more info about it here.

Where the Body Was

I am a big fan of and have read and reviewed pretty much every series or book that Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have collaborated on, but Where the Body Was is special among a fantastic body of work. It is their most evocative and character-driven work to date, and I not only could not put it down but I was also moved greatly by the plights of its characters. 

The events of this story occur in 1984, and they involve an array of people from the neighborhood. There are juvenile delinquents struggling with drugs and dabbling in theft, a woman who is bored of her marriage with her psychiatrist husband, a guy who likes flashing his police badge and bossing people around, a wandering veteran who camps in the nearby woods, a young girl who patrols the neighborhood in a superhero outfit, and the local neighborhood watch. For some reason, someone has also hired a private investigator to tail one of these people, and soon enough there is a dead body on the street.

Untangling that mystery is one thread in this book, but several more follow the exploits of the various characters. They all have their own sets of surprises and internal struggles, and it was excellent to get to know each of them from the narrative but also from the narration that they provide from the present. The coloring work by Jacob Phillips especially shines here, as he changes pallets to differentiate from the past and present.

The result is not only a compelling and deftly constructed whodunit but most impressively a series of character studies that play out similarly to a true crime documentary series. That all of this emotion, action, and depth was created in the space of 144 pages is nothing short of incredible. I urge anybody who loves a great crime story to check this simply superb book out. 

The reviews I have read of this book have been glowing. Zac Owens stated, "Their work has never been so paradoxically raw and thought out."  Justin Harrison wrote that it "is good comics made by folks who know good comics. It’s a joy to read and well worth checking out." Brad Gullickson concluded, "I'd rank it at the tip-top of their collaborations."

Where the Body Was was published by Image Comics, and they provide more information about it here. It contains profanity, drug use, nudity, and sexual situations and is intended for readers mature enough to handle those things.