Creep #0

The Rundown

Life isn’t easy for Oxel Karnhus, he’s a lonely private investigator with no wife or kids & he’s afflicted with a condition called acromegaly. Acromegaly a.k.a. gigantism is when the anterior pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone. Stared at and ridiculed, Oxel has learned to live with his affliction. On the evening of the new year, he gets a letter from Stephanie Brinke, an old high school sweetheart with the terible news that her teenage son has commited suicide. She believes that there is more to her son’s suicide than meets the eye and wants Oxel’s services. He accepts over the phone, but will she see him like everybody else does? As a monster? As a creep? Or as a human being?

The Team

Written by John Arcudi (B.P.R.D. Vol. 7 : Garden Of Souls) & illustrated by Jonathan Case (Dear Creature). Cover by Frank Miller (300, Batman : The Dark Knight Returns).  Published by Dark Horse Comics.

The Pros

From a pioneer of Dark Horse Comics comes a sad story of a gumshoe with a terrible illness, teenage angst & mental illness.. This was a interesting mystery that cleverly makes the reader question whether or not there is more to this case, I like that. Jonathan Case’s illustrations are decent enough and Frank Miller graces the cover with an individual right out of Sin City.

The Cons

If I had any complaints it would be that I thought the plot was a little slow.

The Outcome

Like Concrete : Three Uneasy Pieces, Resident Alien #0 & Criminal Macabre : Die, Die, My Darling!, these stories were taken from the series Dark Horse Presents. So far I’ve been impressed with what that series has delivered and I feel like picking up this title, but I have to admit I’d rather collect these reprinted series as their own titles.