The Creep #0 Review: Not Your Average Detective Story

What does a private investigator that’s down on his luck need to do when an old fling comes back into his life? Why, it’s business as usual with a hint of personal life thrown into the mix. That’s the vibe coming from “The Creep #0” by John Arcudi and Jonathan Case. Things get pretty melodramatic from here on out.

“The Creep” is about a NY private investigator named Oxel Karnhus who one day receives a letter from a college sweetheart, Stephanie Brinke, asking him to investigate the suicide of her son Curtis. What he finds is a family more messed up than you think. He definitely gets more than what he bargained for.

The story is more melodrama than cop drama due to the Oxel being so close to Stephanie. This works in the comic’s favor in that we get to delve into the characters personalities better. It also makes Oxel seem more human and less like the typical hardened detective we’re used to in these stories.

The story is also more about the characters’ struggles with each other than the actual suicide. Arcudi does a decent job of how the characters’ deal with their situations without making them seem like total lost causes.

The artwork has that pulp/noir era style to it that fits well with the subject and theme. There is also a nice palette of color to convey the tone of the scene. Usually these scenes have a blues or browns to convey some kind sadness, loss or hopelessness which are huge themes in the story.

“The Creep #0” is a melodramatic comic that’s more about the characters’ than the actual case. The story is interesting enough to continue and the pulp/noir style artwork gives that extra effect. If you want an old fashioned hard nosed detective story, look someplace else. Arcudi and Case can continue like this, “The Creep” may be an interesting comic series.