Dead Boy Detectives #1

   It's wonderful to see a bit of a Neil Gaiman resurgence in the world of comics - first the new Sandman mini-series and now the revival of the Dead Boy Detectives, two schoolboys who solve crimes despite the handicap of being, you know, dead.

   The ghostly crime-fighters first appeared in a 1991 issue of Sandman, and have made a few appearances since.

   The boys are Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine - they decided to stay on Earth as ghosts rather than enter the afterlife.

   This story starts out in one world and ends in quite a different one. It starts with an odd publicity stunt that turns into an actual robbery - thwarted by the Boys - and ends with the return to the school where they first met (and the source of many nightmares).

   It's kind of an odd start for a detective story, but it covers the bases - introducing the main players, setting up the menace (sorta), and establishing the setting.

   It's a strong first issue from writer Toby Litt, and it's always a delight to see Mark Buckingham's artwork (here with Gary Erskine's inks) - here's hoping for more of the same.

Grade: B+

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