Sweets: A New Orleans Crime Story

Sweets #1-5

by Kody Chamberlain

A spree killer terrorizes New Orleans days before Hurricane Katrina makes landfall. Detective Curt Delatte just buried his only daughter, he's in no condition to work. But when the bodies pile up, he masks his grief and joins the hunt through the bowels of the Big Easy. It won't be long until his city, and his evidence, gets washed away.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Crime, Graphic Novels Comics

120 pages, Paperback

First published September 6, 2011

About the author

SHORT BIO: Kody Chamberlain got his start in comics with horror writer Steve Niles on 30 DAYS OF NIGHT, and a followup project with comic legend Keith Giffen on TAG. After several years delivering cutting edge work in comics, film, and animation, Kody ventured into creator-owned comics with writer Josh Fialkov on the cult classic PUNKS THE COMIC. More recently, Kody pushed the boundaries by writing, drawing, coloring, and lettering his own original crime series titled SWEETS: A NEW ORLEANS CRIME STORY that won a Spinetingler Award for crime fiction, and great critical acclaim from the industry’s toughest reviewers:

“A visual triumph…it gave me the same chill I would get when reading old Frank Miller comics.”—Ain't It Cool News

"This kind of care and craftsmanship isn't just art—it's magic."—Newsarama
Kody Chamberlain

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

While a violent 'crime story' (as the subtitle says) is not my usual reading material, I borrowed this from my daughter because it was set in New Orleans, plus I knew it would be a quick read. I wasn't sure of it in the beginning, but I became more and more impressed as it continued. While there are a few cop clichés (though to be fair how does one not use them when they are true and organic to the story), the twist at the end is original.

The illustrations are well-done, including the more 'simple' style used in the story of the two young brothers, and I especially liked the use of foreshadowing -- so much so that I reread the whole thing right away.

[Elizabeth Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

SWEETS was my nomination for Best Limited Series of 2011 in the CGS acknowledgments. I gave a full review of each issue as they came out became for the collected trade.
http://www.amberunmasked.com/review-o...

Rating: 10/10

Highlights:
* Chamberlain combines real life with history, government conspiracies, special abilities and mental illness within a very special crime noir drama.
* Be prepared for a rapid pace story the pushes you to the next panel before completely absorbing the one you’re on. After one read, you’ll want to take the time to give it another turn like watching Die Hard for the hundredth time.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well paced and unexpected, but also disappointingly inconclusive- - not that the ending isn't definitive, it's just lacking...something.

[The Smoog · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part this was a fairly enjoyable noir crime story, but I’m not too sure about the ending, it didn’t seem to quite gel with the rest of the story and felt kinda rushed. The artwork can sometimes be a little muddy and confusing, but the gritty style definitely fits with the book.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kody Chamberlain does everything on his own here as he creates a crime drama set in New Orleans on the precipice of Katrina. The story is good, the mystery is good, but I think the mystery got away from him. The reader gets to the end and its not what it needed to be for a satisfying end. The art was dark and gritty, fitting the mood but there were some very strange panels that didn't make sense. Overall, a decent but uneven read.

[Ashkin Ayub · Rating 3 out of 5]

By and large, this is a decent crime thriller story. the art praises the tone of the story well. i really wish the creator would have extended the story by three or so extra parts, as the story felt a little hurried, as i would like to think. the closure caused me to feel like i missed something, so i needed to do some brisk re-reading to comprehend. while the book was engaging, it's anything but a book that i see myself returning to.

art: 3.5/5
story: 3/5

[Wm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Averaging based on 3 stars for the competent story, sharp characterization, and no real point; 4 stars for the excellent art; 2 stars for the contrived but also unexplained plot climax.

[The_J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerfully evokes the fetid swamp that New Orleans can lean into, while also testing the man on the edge motif, with the bonus kicker of a decade early presentation of Modern day - (hint kill the birds). Just having returned from New Orleans the rating could well be impacted by recency bias.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very, very solid serial killer/detective story with some sharp dialogue and well-observed character writing. The art is atmospheric too. Dark and sad with some good world-weary witty moments from the characters as well. GOOD STUFF!

[Alessandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unusual style of drawing, reminiscent of Kurt Williams and the like, for a very well written story of a crime spree in the Big Easy. Well deserved your time, trust me.

[Tyson Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kody tweeted me wanting to know about what I thought of his graphic novel, so I just wanted to say why only three stars.

Don't get me wrong, Kody has put together a good story, the main character is in an interesting headspace and the twist ending I did not see coming. Worth reading for these aspects alone.

The reason for 3 stars and not 4 was that I didn't really like the artwork, just a personal thing about styles. The other thing was a couple of the supporting characters (like the chief) didn't really grab me. So a good read overall.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this is a good crime thriller story. The art compliments the tone of the story well. I actually wish the author would have expanded the story by three or so additional chapters, as the story felt a little rushed, in my opinion. The ending made me feel like I missed something, so I had to do some quick re-reading to understand. While the book was entertaining, it is not a book that I see myself revisiting.

[Sridhar Reddy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Atmosphere of the book is fantastic, but it gets bogged down in parabolic dialogue exchanges that don't seem to go anywhere fast. The twist ending was a bit too arbitrary for my tastes. The impending carnage of hurricane Katrina is never fully developed, which was a letdown. A good crime yarn, but ultimately forgettable.

[William Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

What? Hey, rewind that. No seriously, I missed something, go back. Huh. I guess I didn't miss anything after all. There's just a huge damn hole in this story that makes it make absolutely zero sense. I can't say exactly what happens without spoiling it for other people who want to read it, but seriously? Just avoid reading it.

Grade: D

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story was great, loved the graphics, but the ending was rushed--had to skim back over the whole story and read the end again before I understood. The rest of the plot develops very nicely at a great pace. Perhaps another few pages could have given the ending room to breathe.

[Ryan Haupt]

http://ifanboy.com/articles/can-i-jus...

[Neven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid art and writing for the most part, but boy does it all get too clever in the end.

[Frank Byrns · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, but I _wanted_ to like it even more.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first graphic novel- because I live in New Orleans I especially loved the city references.