Review: The Creep

The Creep by John Arcudi and Jonathan Case, is another series that started in Dark Horse Presents and quickly found an audience, granting the book a run as a miniseries. This miniseries has now been collected as a hardcover book, allowing anyone who missed either run to catch up on the whole series. But is it worth your time and money? Let’s take a look.
At its essence, The Creep is the story of Oxel Karnhus, a private investigator. When an old fling sends him a letter asking him to investigate the suicide of her son and his best friend, Oxel grudgingly takes the case. What at first appears like an open and shut case instead acts as a true mystery, taking multiple twists and turns until the dark secret that haunted her son is revealed.

First, let’s talk about Case’s art. It’s…okay. He has this weird habit of changing character styles from panel to panel. In one shot, the faces will be very detailed, giving a lot of added substance to his character designs that helps the emotions feel more real without losing his general comic style. But in the next, all of those details will disappear, and the designs will feel more bland and lifeless as a result. I’m not sure why this is, but while it happens often enough to deserve mention, it’s not terribly distracting from the work as a whole.

John Arcudi first caught my attention with the work he did on B.P.R.D., and those familiar with what he’s capable of will not be disappointed with the story presented. The character work is excellent, as each person you meet has their own unique personality that transcends the typical stereotypes one would expect this comic to take. Oxel isn’t some badass, sneaky investigator; he follows procedures that seem much more grounded in reality, suffers from a relatable problem, and questions himself throughout. The two mother’s reactions to the investigation could not be more different, revealing a deep understanding of the different ways in which people deal with these kinds of tragedies. Seeing these characters act like real people was quite refreshing and enjoyable.

Taken from http://www.darkhorse.com

While the book is quite enjoyable, there is one glaring problem with it that may be a fatal flaw for readers considering picking the book up: it’s not much of a mystery. You’ll have to forgive me for being purposefully vague on this (I really don’t want to spoil the ending), but the “secret” becomes rather obvious very early in the overall story – before the halfway point even. In fact, the secret isn’t even discovered through Oxel’s own actions; the character responsible basically outs themselves before any red herrings could be established that could draw the reader’s attentions elsewhere. When the “what happened” is a key driving point towards advancing the story forward, making it as obvious as it is becomes a real problem. I kept reading in hopes that they would prove me wrong, but I was sadly left underwhelmed.

What’s worse is that the secret revealed doesn’t truly solve the question of why the boys killed themselves in the first place. I’m not saying that it wouldn’t emotionally affect them, but suicide is, by its own nature, used as a way out for people who don’t believe they have one. And there are plenty of ways this problem could have been dealt with in a far more constructive manner. Without delving more into the psychology of the boys themselves, the answer given for this mystery is as lacking in true closure as it is predictable.

The Creep is a well-written story that sadly isn’t well told. Arcudi’s dialogue and characterization are on full display and executed well, but the story itself is so flawed in its execution that I can’t give it a true recommendation at its $19.99 cover price. Wait for it to come on sale, or get it when it becomes a paperback at a reduced price later. It still has worth, but at the end of the day, the flaws undo the great work elsewhere.

Chase Wassenar, aka MaristPlayBoy, is the Lead Editor and Founder of the Red Shirt Crew. He’s just waiting for someone to call him a creep for not liking this book as much as they do. You can read his other articles at ToyTMA,  follow him on Twitter at @RedShirtCrew or email him at theredshirtcrew@gmail.com.