Review by Frank Plowright
Steven Grant begins his CSI stories with a brief funny scene in which a killer’s flimsy excuse is demolished by the forensic evidence, and Dying in the Gutters establishes the habit. It adds an extra level of interest for comic readers by taking place at a comic convention, with comic gossip columnist and newsbreaker Rich Johnson the murder victim and assorted comic professionals the suspects.
This is good news and bad news. There are plenty of disagreements among comic creators, featuring the cream of the industry as it was in 2006, so good news if you’re a fan. The bad news is these in-jokes dominating the opening chapter and while they’ll entertain comic fans, the sheer volume risks alienating mystery fans. More linear and involving fewer people is the simultaneous case being worked by Warwick Brown and Sara Sidle.
Artist Stephen Mooney is very early in his career, and while the basic talent is obvious, it’s not yet well honed. Considering the appeal is so contingent on recognising people, the likenesses are patchy, which also applies to the CSI cast, while the layouts are basic. Time is taken with an establishing spread of a comic convention and Mooney’s Gil Grissom bucks the odds, but overall this is art from someone who needed more practice.
Once industry disagreements have been thoroughly established, and Marvel publisher Joe Quesada slotted into place as the prime suspect, Dying in the Gutters becomes more accessible as Grant shifts attention back to the CSI cast and forensic work. Grant’s set up his mysteries well, and actually waved the technicalities in our faces well before the final chapter revelations.
After all these years there’s an unintentionally funny side to a few items from 2006. Crime comics were then considered a risky proposition, and what was rare and up to the minute technology is now everyday or redundant, which is some form of indicating progress.
Dying in the Gutters may work for anyone immersed in the comic industry, but less than ideal art and self-indulgence will be a difficult hurdle for CSI fans. Grant follows up with CSI: Secret Identity.
