Sweets #5

by Kody Chamberlain

Kody Chamberlain's debut series turned out to be a lot more ambitious than I gave it credit for in the beginning.  At first, this comic seemed to be a serial killer mystery, set in New Orleans a day or two before Katrina is expected to hit.  There were a number of standard elements for a story like this - a grieving detective, a weird serial killer calling card (pralines - the cause of the series' title), and so on.

Slowly though, Chamberlain took his story into some more original territory.  The cartoonish flashbacks to the killer's childhood suggested that there was more happening, but it wasn't until this issue's exploration of the concept of synchronicity that I realized how creative Chamberlain really was in plotting this tale.  I'm sure if I were to go back and read the book from the beginning (or read it in trade), I would pick up on a lot of details that I missed.  It's nice to see creators try out some new ideas like this, even if I'm not convinced of how successful this book was at achieving all of its goals.  I do appreciate the plotting here though, and would definitely buy another series by Chamberlain.

Sweets #4

by Kody Chamberlain

I'd started to worry when I'd see this book, although it's worth the wait.  Chamberlain has given us an interesting police procedural, and I've been curious to see where it was all going.

As the last issue ended, our two detectives were in a car accident with their chief suspect in the Sweets murders.  Now, the surviving cop learns that there may be a connection between this murderer and his own dead daughter, who had died in a car accident.  Of  course, he goes a little nuts, and heads off to find the killer himself.

What keeps this comic from being just another run of the mill cop comic is the way Chamberlain has played with the reader.  First, there are the strange flashback sequences that supposedly let us know why the killer is the way he is.  Next, there's the neatness of the whole thing - the Detective knows that life doesn't wrap up the way this case seems to be, and is suspicious.

One complaint I have is that for a story supposedly taking place immediately before Hurrican Katrina is supposed to hit New Orleans, there is surprisingly little reference to the storm.  I would have assumed that by this point, despite the fact that no one knew how bad the storm would be, that it would be a frequent topic of conversation.  It's not mentioned in this comic at all.  I do look forward to seeing how Chamberlain is going to wrap all of this up, and I hope it's satisfying.

Sweets #3

by Kody Chamberlain

I'm glad I decided to stick with Sweets.  On the one hand, it's a fairly conventional police procedural, but Chamberlain has done enough to the story to make it stay pretty interesting.

I like that the story is set in New Orleans just days before Hurricane Katrina is set to make landfall.  It adds a sense of urgency to the story, as the reader knows a few things the characters don't about how hard it will become to catch the killer in just a matter of days.

Also, I like the way that the two detectives go about their business.  Their crotchety relationship, and innovative approaches to policing remind me a little of some of the better scenes in Homicide: Life on the Streets, which is always a kind comparison to make.  Finally, the flashback pages, with their bright colours and more primitive art style continue to be my favourite part of the book.

I did find the last few pages of the comic to be pretty confusing.  Was that Sweets, the killer, firing at the two cops, or was that just some random New Orleans violence?  The other two issues gave Sweets some screen time, and this issue does not, so I wasn't sure who I was looking at.

Still and all though, this is a pretty good comic.

Sweets #1

by Kody Chamberlain

Sweets is, based on the first issue, a difficult comic to describe.  It's a police procedural set in antediluvian New Orleans, where a serial killer has killed six times in a matter of days, and in each instant, left behind some pecan pralines.  We have the usual characters - a drunk detective, devastated by the recent loss of his daughter, his good-hearted partner, and a tough as nails lieutenant.

Were that all that was going on, I'd dump the book right now.  But Chamberlain has some other ideas for this title, and I feel like this first issue is really just a sampler of what's to come.  That makes this issue a little hard to follow, but more interesting at the same time.

While most of the book is drawn in a gritty, realistic style (like on the cover), there are a couple of pages in the middle laid out in a 16-panel grid that feature a woman and her children in a van, drawn in a very cartoonish style.  I have no idea what this sequence has to do with the rest of the book, yet I found it, and its inclusion, the most interesting thing here. 

I wasn't sure if I'd be interested in this title, but Chamberlain has intrigued me enough to guarantee that I'll pick up the second issue.