You Have Killed Me: Oni Press – Released April 2010
Review by JAM
Review by JAM
“You Homicide cops, you have it lucky. You just pick up the stiffs and lock up the crooks. You don’t have to get gummed up in all the romances and family affairs. It’s just book ‘em and bury ‘em. Whereas the rest of us have to carry our bodies back home.”
Private Detective Antonio Mercer – You Have Killed Me
I have gotten to the phase in my life where my main comics control my collecting still, but I have this craving to try various graphic novels out each month. I tend to order a couple of graphic novels or collections from publishers and/or writers and artists I may not normally try and figured I can review them when possible. Area 10 was my first review and since You Have Killed Me was purchased at the same time, I figured this would be my second.
A rich socialite Julie Roman has disappeared days before her wedding, and her sister Jennie comes to the one man she can trust to pursue this case to the end, private detective Mercer who has history with the family and the lost woman. Following the case to the ends means learning more about his former love, her sister, and the family dealings than he ever wanted to know. Each clue leads to another dead end story and another body until all the pieces fall together for Mercer as he finds out that manipulation and subterfuge can be a family trait.
Writer
Jamie S. Rich is a writer I truly do not know much about, but have found myself checking out more of his stuff including Spell Checkers: Volume 1 which I will be reviewing soon as well. A former editor at Oni Press and now a full-time writer, Jamie jumps into the noir gangster past to bring to life a detective who has turned his back on family money, but is drawn back into the privileged life while searching for his former fiancé. The twists and turns encountered throughout the graphic novel gives it a feel of the old-time dime novels with detectives with names like Sam Spade when grit and grime of the city weighed heavily on the lives we followed. An interesting group of characters keep our detective on his toes as he wades through the muck and mud to find the truth of a love long gone but not forgotten. Jamie pulls Tony through this all showing weakness and strength and letting us see a true character rather than an invincible automaton. I have already checked out more of his comic work, but may have to take a check on his novels as well.
Artist
Joëlle Jones has a way with artwork that you want to call basic or simplistic, yet it jumps from the page and attacks your eyes with its beauty, strength, and grace. Its hard to describe. When I first checked out this new graphic novel I purchased, the cover caught my eye with an amazing femme fatale and the private detective rendered with strong simplistic lines which screamed out “Buy me!” I will be honest though, as I did dread what the inside art would look like, expecting less than eye-catching indie art. Boy was I wrong! Joëlle has an amazing way of conveying emotion and setting with the simplistic of pencil strokes and supplies the reader with a rich and vibrant supply of characters each with their own subtle nuances. And being a guy, I must comment that her women all have an subtle femme fatale charm to them from Jennie Roman, the seen only in flashback Julie Roman, the flirty cigarette girl, and the records clerk all catch your eye and make you want to know more about these gone in a blink of an eye characters.
JAMS Ink on You Have Killed Me
I have one bone to pick with the art, and I don’t believe it is an artist issues, but rather the publisher maybe? In many of the chapters, the art shows a couple of the main characters (Kane and his brother the bartender) shaded gray tone to stand out as men of color. Yet there are instances in which Kane appears without the shading, enough so that I had to double check which character it was. This was a minor issue that in no way detracted from the book itself, but it caught my eye still.
I had read Area 10 just before this one, and the contrasting styles between the two books actually enhance my enjoyment I believe. As discussed in the Area 10 review, it was a more serious book with topics and artwork that lent itself to a more serious tone, while You Have Killed Me dealt with a similar topic of multiple homicides, but stayed lighter throughout, matching the artwork Joëlle Jones provided. It was like catching up on DVR programming and watching CSI Miami followed by Psych. Both shows are great for their own reasons, and might deal with similar subject matter, but they both have their own way of bringing cases to a conclusion.
The book itself is 180 pages of excellence bound securely in a solid hardcover for the excellent price of $19.95. Many times, bound graphic novels can begin to disintegrate upon reading, but this is a solid choice as I have read through it multiple times with no page loss or damage. A bit larger than the Vertigo Crime copies, it is still a very manageable size and easy to slip into your bag for the day. Consider this highly recommended for those of us who enjoy hard boiled detective novels mixed with a little fun and nuance.
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