Dead Boy Detectives: Vols 01 and 02 (2014-15)

DBD: Vol 01: Schoolboy Terrors (2014)

Author: Toby Litt | Illustrators: Mark Buckingham / Gary Erskine | Page Count: 160

'He always treats us like royalty, it's just... sometimes it's the red carpet... and sometimes it's the guillotine.'

Of all The Sandman secondary characters that could've been revived for an ongoing series, Dead Boy Detectives wasn't high on my list, but Toby Litt changed that.

The previous incarnation (2001) is acknowledged and respected, but Litt has taken a different approach to the storytelling. He doesn't reinvent what's already in existence - he rejuvenates it, making everything feel more vital and a lot more entertaining.

The two boys, Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine, were born decades apart but share a passion for solving mysteries. And where there's a mystery, it follows that there's often danger; doubly so if the occult is involved.

When the duo help out a young girl they find themselves in the deep end of personal history, surrounded by terrors unique to them. It's a place where being already dead is no guarantee of safety.

Todd Klein is the letterer. I've probably said this before, but if you're new to comics you might think a letterer's job is just text and therefore any fool can do it. But no, not like Todd. His text boxes, bubbles, etc, complement Litt's dialogue by being written in different fonts and presented via different mediums, each one chosen specifically to accentuate the traits and personalities of the character from which they originate. Edwin was born in the 1900s, so you'd expect his vernacular to reflect that, but so too does his lettering. Likewise, Charles is a child of the 1990s, his analytical approach to things is more hard-boiled and so his lettering reflects that.

If the reader pays attention not just to what is read but to how it's written, then they may discover many more examples. Hopefully it'll open the way for them to appreciate the other unsung heroes in comics, such as inkers and colourists, too.

The book collects together Dead Boy Detectives issues 1-6; and stories from Witching Hour issue 1; Ghosts issue 1; and Time Warp issue 1.

DBD: Vol 02: Ghost Snow (2015)

Author: Toby Litt  |  Illustrators: Mark Buckingham / Gary Erskine  |  Page Count: 160

'I saw my best friend, Rosa, taken by an evil ghost. I was eight. No one believed me.'

Volume 01 left some pretty fantastical threads in need of gathering at its climax. Volume 02 picks them all up and weaves them into a tapestry that has the present represented on one side and the past on the other.

Charles' past, to be specific. I said previously that the boys love a mystery, and that's still true, but for Charles the feeling has gotten more complicated because it's his family that is the mystery and he's a piece of the puzzle. He fears what he'll discover if he starts the digging process, and he fears what he'll become if he doesn't. The truth can hurt even when you're dead.

One of the most significant of the aforementioned threads was the one that connected to the Neitherlands.

Events there run concurrently with events back on Earth as Charles and Edwin make some new friends. The new characters have a significant role to play, and even though they're dropped into a story that's already under way, they're well-rounded (i.e., well-written) enough to hold their own, even the two feuding philosopher kittens.

I enjoyed Ghost Snow a little more than I did Schoolboy Terrors, but it was largely due to having a solid background already in place. I suspect that when I go back and re-read them both in one sitting the feeling for the work collectively will be at least equal that, or perhaps even higher.

Sadly, it concludes the short run of the revived series. Like many of the Sandman offshoots it didn't outstay its welcome, it left me wanting more.

The book collects together Dead Boy Detectives issues 07-12.