Writers: Ash Deadman and Matt Hardy
Art: Clark Bint
Colours: Edward Bentley
Letters: Rob Jones
Publisher: Mad Robot Comics
The Book: Everyone loves a murder mystery… but how many murders are too many?
Welcome to Fadfield – a tranquil, idyllic village where the type of murders are inventive and the murder rate is somewhat high….
What secrets lurk behind this unusual status quo – what mysteries lie in the local traditions and unspoken past?
Can a cynical, damaged police detective penetrate the veil of secrecy and local suspicion – and get to the bottom of this violent and sinister puzzle?
And once he does… will he wish he’d left well alone?
The Review: Murder Most Mundane is a delicious, twisted subversion of many a TV detective show – Midsomer Murders, in particular – peppered with black humour and truly horrendous characters that will fascinate… and, perhaps, haunt you. Just a little.
The book springs from the whole absurdity of much TV detective fiction, where some isolated rural community suffers a murder rate twenty times the national average (and often higher, especially if you’re a member of a rich family and obnoxious to boot). Why does the general populace in such shows simply roll with the perils of being poisoned, stabbed with a pitchfork. thrown in front of a combine harvester or drowned in a cider barrel – and get back to discussing jam making as fast as possible.
Offering a script from Ash Deadman and Matt Hardy that positively crackles with twists, turns and acerbic observation, Murder Most Mundane offers one explanation of such bizarre behaviour, as murders mount and the murderer seems ever more likely to be found.
Accompanied by Clark Bint’s savage take on village life, we’re treated to a darkly humorous, absurdist murder mystery of epic proportions, offering secret cults, a Quatermass-styled plot thread, a bewildered police man in the spirit of The Wicker Man… and jam making, too.
Mad Robot Comics have fast established themselves as an inventive independent comics publisher and Murder Most Mundane is another clever string to their bow.
• Murder Most Mundane is a full colour, original graphic novel published by Mad Robot Comics and available here: www.madrobotcomics.com
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- About the Author
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Features, Reviews
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