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heavensnights's review against another edition
4.0
Meh. Not the worst but one of the best sandman presents I fear.
princesscurio's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
romi98's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, Torture, and Murder
kaigairg's review against another edition
2.0
http://greenmanreview.com//book/book_brubaker_deadboydetectives.html
kittykult's review against another edition
3.0
Several years ago, I entered a NetGalley request for an ARC of The Dead Boy Detectives. Unfortunately, my computer crashed and the file was erased before I could read it. I have been slowly making my way through the books I had on hold back then, as I could find them in libraries and bookstores.
It wasn't until after I read this volume that I realized my mistake - the ARC I'd received was actually a remake. I'm glad I made that mistake as I was able to read the original beforehand to compare the character development.
Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine are two young boys who spend their days in their treehouse - excuse me, office - pretending to be detectives - sorry, being genuine actual detectives who totally didn't get their PI certificate from a mail order in a comic book. But the cases they investigate are far from normal, and as a matter of fact, the boys are too. After all, they're ghosts!
When a runaway girl shows up at the treehouse wanting their help solving the mysterious murders of her friends, all youth who live on the streets of London, the boys jump at the chance to solve the crimes. But they may be out of their leagues with this case, and Charles's crush on the human girl might prove to be a risk to everyone's safety.
I enjoyed the story, but did not find it groundbreaking or anything. The tie-in to Sandman was pretty interesting, but it also had the sometimes-confusing rollercoaster feeling that I get with that series, where it feels like it is assuming there are things you should know which haven't been explained at all yet. Fortunately, that feeling wasn't quite so strong as it is with the actual Sandman series. It's a fairly quick read, appropriate enough for older children and teens, and the characters are entertaining.
The art style of this reminds me of the serial comic strips from my childhood, the ones I always skipped over because they didn't have a goofy punchline at the end (I'm lookin' at you, Rex Morgan, M.D.). I was a much bigger fan at the time of Beetle Bailey, Hagar the Horrible, all the bright, colorful, six-paneled strips. I'd like to think I'm more cultured now, but while I didn't necessarily dislike the art style, I liked the cover art far more for the unsettling, disproportionate features of the characters. It was very Sandman-esque. I realize it is unfeasible to want this to be the actual art style, as cover art is always more detailed due to the time it would take to make an entire graphic novel in that style, but it would have been nice to have a side issue or short story with that art style.
Overall, it's a fast and entertaining read, but it probably won't be on the list of most memorable stories I've read.
It wasn't until after I read this volume that I realized my mistake - the ARC I'd received was actually a remake. I'm glad I made that mistake as I was able to read the original beforehand to compare the character development.
Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine are two young boys who spend their days in their treehouse - excuse me, office - pretending to be detectives - sorry, being genuine actual detectives who totally didn't get their PI certificate from a mail order in a comic book. But the cases they investigate are far from normal, and as a matter of fact, the boys are too. After all, they're ghosts!
When a runaway girl shows up at the treehouse wanting their help solving the mysterious murders of her friends, all youth who live on the streets of London, the boys jump at the chance to solve the crimes. But they may be out of their leagues with this case, and Charles's crush on the human girl might prove to be a risk to everyone's safety.
I enjoyed the story, but did not find it groundbreaking or anything. The tie-in to Sandman was pretty interesting, but it also had the sometimes-confusing rollercoaster feeling that I get with that series, where it feels like it is assuming there are things you should know which haven't been explained at all yet. Fortunately, that feeling wasn't quite so strong as it is with the actual Sandman series. It's a fairly quick read, appropriate enough for older children and teens, and the characters are entertaining.
The art style of this reminds me of the serial comic strips from my childhood, the ones I always skipped over because they didn't have a goofy punchline at the end (I'm lookin' at you, Rex Morgan, M.D.). I was a much bigger fan at the time of Beetle Bailey, Hagar the Horrible, all the bright, colorful, six-paneled strips. I'd like to think I'm more cultured now, but while I didn't necessarily dislike the art style, I liked the cover art far more for the unsettling, disproportionate features of the characters. It was very Sandman-esque. I realize it is unfeasible to want this to be the actual art style, as cover art is always more detailed due to the time it would take to make an entire graphic novel in that style, but it would have been nice to have a side issue or short story with that art style.
Overall, it's a fast and entertaining read, but it probably won't be on the list of most memorable stories I've read.
ambermarshall's review against another edition
4.0
A fun little detective story with a couple of boy investigators who happen to be dead. I'm glad Neil Gaiman (and Vertigo comics) lets a few people play in his worlds with his characters. Not a huge fan of the art in this one, just not my style. I figured out the twist before the boys did. It'd be cool to see further adventures.
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