Strange Detective Mysteries: Who Killed Edgar Allen Poe?

STRANGE DETECTIVE MYSTERIES

Who killed Edgar Allen Poe?

STRANGE DETECTIVE MYSTERIES

Written by: Sam Gafford
Art by: Rosaria Battiloro
Created by: Terry Pavlet & Sam Gafford

Pages: 124
Print: Black and White
Softcover
​ISBN:  978-0-9960306-9-4
​$13.99 US
Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and digitally. Check the Calber website:
http://www.calibercomics.info/strange-detective-mysteries.html

Strange Detective Mysteries is a unique techno science-fiction fantasy where several of the leading creative minds of the early 1900s are brought together to look into the death of Edgar Allen Poe.  And what they discover is a conspiracy that threatens to destroy all of time and reality.

The saga begins with famed Western lawman Bat Masterson being summoned to a mysterious meeting in 1902 New York City. Upon arriving, he finds several other interesting individuals have also been summoned. These men are some of the most brilliant minds of the new century; H. G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, Harry Houdini and Nikola Tesla. When they are finally greeted by their aged host, Robert Tyler, they find that this rich patron has brought them together to solve the mystery of the murder of America’s foremost literary genius, Edgar Allan Poe. And one that possible ties into the infamous 1988 Whitechapel Ripper murders!

I had thought that this was going to be drawn by Terry Pavlet but, sadly, not.  Just "grey tones".  And I have to say that without the grey tones this would have looked pretty basic. I am still 50-50 when it comes to Battiloro's  art style which looks very sketchy and one more that a few occasions I had difficulty working out which character was which -in the end it came down to moustaches.

The anatomy, long, sloping shoulders in the main, kept putting me off.  Someone I know said he liked the art so maybe it's just me?

The story was okay.  However, that writ, I have to point out that teaming up many of these past personalities or their being used in fiction, in movies and TV is not new.  I think most have appeared in The Murdoch Mysteries on TV and some in the other TV series Sanctuary.  Now those programmes and movies as well as comics and graphic novels I have seen.  With what I do I cannot help it.

And dare I write that "Jack The Ripper" has appeared ad nauseum in fiction since the 19th century (when his crimes were still fresh in the mind). 

So I have this kind of weariness wishing people would look for the more obscure.

The story here is not that bad and has some nice twists and turns but then you have to ask (most reviewers do not but, since I continuously check these things, I do) whether there is a place on the market for a book like this?  The answer to that, despite what I may think or write, "yes".

There are comic readers out there who love Independent comics and they do not care if it's black and white rather than digitally coloured.  They do not care if there are no super heroes -there being none is a bonus.  And they love all this mixing of historical characters in a big mystery.

remember that, when looking into Poe's death, the characters  "discover... a conspiracy that threatens to destroy all of time and reality."  With a tag-line like that you are bound to excite interest!  It isn't Steam-Punk but it has its niche in comics and the readers from that niche market should love this.

So, even with my doubts about the art, I know nothing about Battiloro -or didn't- but just checked and she has produced some very good colour work which I think would have worked much better with Strange Detective Mysteries than simple black and white.

If you see a copy look through it - and in these times of Disney/Marvel supremacy we need a few more Independents to sell!