Cosmic Detective

by Jeff Lemire, Matt Kindt, David Rubín (Artist)

New York Times-bestselling writers JEFF LEMIRE (GIDEON FALLS, DESCENDER), MATT KINDT (BANG!, MIND MGMT), and internationally acclaimed artist DAVID RUBÍN (ETHER, BEOWULF) unite on this original graphic novel, COSMIC DETECTIVE. An epic science fiction mystery that when a God is murdered, who solves the crime?   Enter our Detective. The murder of a god threatens to tear apart the very fabric of our reality. Only our detective stands in the way of utter destruction. But will the mystery he uncovers be worse than the disaster he’s trying to avert? And will his mind crack under the revelations he’s about to uncover before he can do anything about it?

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, Fantasy, Crime

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2023

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Jeff Lemire is a New York Times bestselling and award winning author, and creator of the acclaimed graphic novels Sweet Tooth, Essex County, The Underwater Welder, Trillium, Plutona, Black Hammer, Descender, Royal City, and Gideon Falls. His upcoming projects include a host of series and original graphic novels, including the fantasy series Ascender with Dustin Nguyen.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

A complete go-nowhere story.



It seems as though the entire comic is predicated on the reader finding it cool that every sound the characters make gets the phonetic treatment.
Because otherwise, there's just not much to this thing.



A detective for some unnamed agency tries to solve the murder of {name redacted}. Is he a "cosmic" detective? I guess so because that's what the title says. As he investigates, he finds out that there's something BIG going on.
Maybe.
And there's a missing pregnant woman.
And his old partner looks like he stepped off the set of The Invisible Man.
What's going on?
DON'T INVESTIGATE, SIR.
YOU WON'T LIKE WHAT YOU FIND.<--says everyone



And it turns out everyone was right.

On paper, this sounds like a cool story.
But in reality, it felt like I was reading something Lemire did to pass the time between projects he cared about. Nothing ever clicked into place in a way that made me care one way or another about the outcome OR the characters.
I disinterestedly flipped the pages, which was pretty easy to do with the lack of dialogue happening. I got to the end, at which point, there was a moment of "well, that happened" and then I closed the comic.



This isn't the worst thing out there, but I wouldn't suggest you waste your money on it unless you're just a massive fan of Lemire or Kindt.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one gorgeous book. David Rabin's art reminds me of Kirby by way of Moebius, clean lines, ultra detailed at times, with Kirby machines and costuming. Lemire and Kindt's storyline is a murder mystery. A god dies and a detective has to figure out who killed him and why. Lots of Kirby trappings, lots of gorgeous visuals. I'm a little sad this is all there is but any more would probably cheapen the story the creative team has told. 4.5 out of 5.

[Tina Haigler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly this one was quite confusing. It started strong but I got lost pretty quickly. The art was amazing--I loved the mixed media using watercolor, and the coloring was absolutely gorgeous; it was 80's and 90's style so it was quite nostalgic for me--but I couldn't make out what was in a lot of the panels. There were also too many panels where the main character was simply walking or driving from place to place with no dialogue; since this story exists heavily in the scifi realm and most of the art consisted of things I'd never seen before, it didn't add anything to the story except to make it a few pages longer. I also wasn't a fan of a race of humanoids being referred to as [redacted]. This had a lot of potential, but without being able to figure out close to half of the panels, I ultimately found it to be lacking, but boy was it pretty to look at.

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is really disappointing; you'd expect more from a Lemire/Kindt collaboration. You have this interdimensional story, and all the interdimensional stuff is so predictable, so boring. You can do anything and this is what you end up with? (Why are the godlike beings referred to with an unpronouncable name - a blocked out name may work visually, but wouldn't we just use a human pronouncable name for them?)

David Rubin's great art can't save a dull script.

(Picked up a review copy through Edelweiss)

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cosmic Detective is about a nameless detective who is sent out to investigate the death of a space god. I don't want to give anything away, so check out the synopsis from the publisher.

First off, the artwork is phenomenal. The artwork really brings out the noiratmosphere and has a psychedelic energy to it. The story held my interest, and the pacing is good. I would recommend this to those who like science fiction and noir.

My thanks to Image Comics, Jeff Lemire, Matt Kindt, David Rubin, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

[Ignacio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lemire y Kindt le ofrecen a Rubín un dulce: reescribir Los eternos de Kirby en clave de misterio criminal. Su protagonista, un detective, tiene que averiguar las causas del asesinato de una criatura alienígena todopoderosa. En sus indagaciones, emprende un viaje desde nuestro mundo hasta esa realidad detrás de la nuestra, en la cual se conoce a estos seres y que hace de intermediaria con esa divinidad que domina el último tercio de la historia. Un derroche de imaginación de Rubín interpretando desde su creatividad las pautas de Kirby. Sí que, con el formato grande, álbum tamaño Beowulf, esperaba que la abundancia de grandes viñetas, a toda página o secuencias con dos o tres, tuvieran más detalles. La página se presta a ello. Sin embargo, en una parte sustancial hay una cierta economía de detalles que aleja Cosmic Detective de Ether o Aurora West; cómics en mi recuerdo más minuciosos en formato más pequeño que hubieran merecido una edición así para respirar.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

A boring tribute to Jack Kirby's cosmic comic books, leaning heavily on the Eternals but bringing in some New Gods and Galactus. The script is pure noir murder mystery meh, but the art is nice, with some tributes to Edward Hopper and John Ford tossed in.

[Benji Glaab · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

This would probably be the definition of Mid storytelling with very colorful art that really stands out. Unfortunately, the story can be summed up in a little more than a paragraph. And there is little to no world building, or rather David Brin does all the heavy lifting and shows off some really interesting things happening, and there is no explanation as to what's occurring on the page.

Overall, it was a quick pulpy detective story that I'm sure some will enjoy their time with. I just needed to see some more punchy writing in here to avoid disappointment

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

PT As obras de Jeff Lemire são para mim compras automáticas — nem sequer me dou ao trabalho de saber do que tratam ou se estão a ser bem recebidas. E neste caso, ainda junta à equação David Rubín, outro ilustrador de enorme talento que admiro profundamente, além de Matt Kindt, que colabora no argumento.

Ler algo desenhado por David Rubín é sempre uma experiência visual fantástica. Ele tem uma capacidade rara de criar uma dinâmica visual vibrante, que poucos conseguem — ou sequer tentam — alcançar. Gostei particularmente do uso intenso de onomatopeias, algo que não me recordo de ter notado noutras obras dele, mas que aqui resultou de forma excelente.

Já a história em si não é extraordinária. Jeff Lemire tem uma tendência para nos fazer refletir sobre as grandes questões do universo, muitas vezes sem chegar a conclusões realmente marcantes, o que pode deixar um certo vazio. Ainda assim, a viagem é sólida e envolvente, independentemente da opinião que se possa ter sobre o desfecho.

Uma leitura consistente e visualmente impressionante.

--

EN Jeff Lemire’s works are automatic purchases for me — I don’t even bother checking what they’re about or how well they’re being received. And in this case, he’s joined by David Rubín, another incredibly talented artist I deeply admire, along with Matt Kindt, who co-writes the story.

Reading something illustrated by David Rubín is always a fantastic visual experience. He has a rare ability to create a vibrant visual dynamism that few can — or even dare to — achieve. I particularly liked the heavy use of onomatopoeia, something I don’t recall noticing in his other works, but which worked wonderfully here.

The story itself, however, isn’t extraordinary. Jeff Lemire often likes to make us reflect on the big questions of the universe, though not always reaching truly impactful conclusions, which can leave a bit of a void. Still, the journey is solid and engaging, regardless of how one might feel about the ending.

A consistent and visually striking read.

[Valéria. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth all the waiting that came with this book. Absolutely loved it, especially because of the huge talent of Rubín. Those scenes on two pages were stunning. Yeah, it’s not a story that would be 100% original stuff, but the way that sweet trio put it on paper, makes it a really nice story. And the format of that book is also brilliant.

[Celia Burn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dang, the story writing in this was so horrendously bad. Perhaps Jeff Lemire and Matt Kindt have really lost their touch or blame it on the collab, but without David Rubín's art I wouldn't have made it through even a quarter of this.

[Borja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Correcto pero olvidable, más que nada por su historia. Grandes planchas por parte de Rubín que es lo mas atractivo del tomo aunque creo que está por debajo de otras obras por parte del gallego.

[Matty Dub · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off I have to mention that the kickstarter digital version is extremely disappointing. There is text missing and it’s generally poorly optimized, you can’t view in single panel or single page, just double pages.

The story is a good take on the “what if gods walked along us” trope told through the lense of detective noir. It borrows heavily from Kirby’s New Gods and Eternals and makes for a sweet hommage.

The art is stunning, this book will always be worth it at least for that. David Rubin is a wizard, you get a lot of Kirby influence like in the story but also Moebius/Druillet vibes from their Heavy Metal haydays. Always presented in Rubin’s distinctive style though. He really is an incredible talent. He also letters the book and I think that should’ve been left to someone else, it’s not particularly nice and there’s at least one typo.

All in all this is a successful KS book, the finished product needed a little more time digitally but I’m sure the print version will be a book well worth having.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cosmic Detective is an original graphic novel written by Jeff Lemire and Matt Kindt with art by David Rubín.

Set in the somewhat near future, a detective investigates the murder of a being that was believed couldn’t die. During his investigation, the detective will follow a tangled web that will forever change his place in the universe.

I backed this book on Kickstarter so I’m not sure if there are plans to release this to the general public or backed by a major publisher. It’s a fun sci-if & supernatural crime noir. I do wish the book had a little more of the detective aspect as I thought the first quarter of the story was the most interesting. The art is the real star of the story and is incredibly detailed, trippy, and creative. There are multiple sections that are silent and left for the art to tell the story. The book is also presented in an oversized format (similar to some of DC Comic’s Black Label magazine size comics). The Kickstarter edition is presented very nicely with a thick hardcover binding and gilded pages.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the interest of full disclosure I did back this on Kickstarter, and after learning the hard way that I need to be much more discretionary with my backings this one was not just a surprise...

It was pretty damn good. I cannot think of way to put out a review of this tale about our own unknown detective without going way into spoiler territory, except to add the following:

1) Shades of Grant Morrison's Invisibles?

2) Metafiction?

3) I'll argue thatthe ending is up to multiple interpretations

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lemire does it again. He brings us style AND substance in the best way. The book is undeniably cool, following a sci-fi detective that's a bad ass with a soft side. It could be cliché in the hands of a different writer, but this is guided masterfully by Lemire.

Then we get that second layer. The depth of the character and the plot at hand. The importance of what life really means and how humans perceive what is truly important. A true banger of a book.

[Brian Garthoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I waited 2 years for Jeff Lemire’s Blade-Runner-ish graphic novel, and hot damn it did not disappoint. Cosmic Detective was a joy to read, with beautiful art to behold in vivid neon color. The story should appeal to anyone who has read Black Hammer, as it strikes a very similar evocative sci-fi chord. Cosmic Detective is a self contained story, but I almost wish it was serialized. Since this book was born out of Kickstarter, it is hard to say whether Lemire and Kindt will ever revisit it, but if they should decide to do so, I’d be 100% in.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is miles better than the narrative here, which deals with a world in which Gods exist - and one of them has been murdered. Okay, sure that logline is intriguing, but the execution goes to strange places. Maybe that's the point with a title like Cosmic Detective, but I demand just a smidgen of coherence in my narratives.

Still, David Rubin is exactly right for the story being told, so I was thrilled to turn the pages, even if I didn't really know what was going on.

[doowopapocalypse · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m a pretty big fan of Lemire’s work, but this one just seemed to be lacking something. Lemire/Kindt seem to want to make a Moebius/Heavy Metal future-noir but it doesn’t pan out.

Arc from NetGalley.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. A typical pulpy detective story told with beautiful visuals that I found both trippy and mesmerizing. The art made the storytelling work better than it should have and really gave a feel for this world. While this one was a quicker read, it was one that I found myself really enjoying throughout and after. I enjoyed the ending of this book and the ideas behind this one remind me of some fun old thoughts I used to have about life.

[Alex Glenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is really cool but I feel like there wasn’t quite enough plot. So much happened, one thing after another, and I felt like it wasn’t always a logical next step. Definitely an interesting story for what it was.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful and fun art and story.
A love letter to Kirby.

Rubin is quickly becoming a favourite of mine.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when a God is murdered? Cosmic Detective is on the case. The artwork is very cool. The story is clever and deeply terrifying. If you enjoy Lovecraft, you'll enjoy this.

[Soteralzobooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.1 (biblio)

[Odo · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5.0

[manuti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me ha gustado el dibujo, algunos giros gráficos marca de la casa. El guión de Jeff & Matt cada vez me convence menos. Es un cómic surgido al calor del confinamiento y tal vez esa sea su mayor gracia, quedará para el recuerdo de esa época.

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Com imagens em https://osrascunhos.com/2022/10/13/co...

Finalmente chegou o resultado do kickstarter, um livro de capa grossa, com o miolo do livro em dourado, que resulta da colaboração de Jeff Lemire, Matt Kindt e David Rubín. Este é um livro no qual depositei alguma expectativa e que entregou alguns detalhes interessantes.

A história

Um detective é chamado ao cenário de um crime. Percebemos que não é um polícia e que trabalha para algum tipo de organização secreta. Dentro do quarto encontra efectivamente um corpo, mas não um corpo normal – antes o cadáver de uma criatura de exterior semelhante ao humano, mas muito diferente em configuração interna. Estas criaturas serão uma espécie de deuses que andam entre nós. O seu objectivo? Desconhecido.

Crítica

A história abre com uma premissa intrigante e movimentada – um mistério de ficção científica que usa alguns elementos do whodunnit (o nome que se dá ao género de narrativa com detectives investigando um crime) para dar ritmo e progressão à narrativa, ainda que o detective se afaste do tradicional lobo solitário. Este detective tem uma família onde se abriga após o trabalho.

Apesar da âncora que lhe permite sobreviver a mais um dia de crimes, este detective vive obcecado com um mistério, o desaparecimento de um ex-colega de trabalho. Quando se depara com um crime impensável, não deixa de tentar ligar os dois casos. A suportar a investigação encontra-se uma organização secreta onde se encontram as chefias obscuras e, claro, um génio capaz de se mover por factos e objectos históricos, como necessário em qualquer história deste estilo.

Apesar de se afastar do cliché de detective no que diz respeito a relacionamentos, aproxima-se noutros, como sendo a dureza quando exposto a violência, a capacidade de pensar em soluções sob stress, mas também, o recurso a respostas violentas quando exposto a um cenário de perigo.

A história tem algumas reviravoltas e mantém o interesse do leitor desta forma. É uma narrativa movimentada que oscila entre os momentos de acção e as revelações. Estas revelações mantém-se dentro do esperado, sem muitos elementos extra. A narrativa mantém a informação reduzida ao essencial para mover a história, e todos os episódios têm um papel concreto na progressão.

Em termos visuais, o estilo de David Rubín é coerente com esta história. Se, noutras histórias, como El Heróe, o aspecto gráfico nem sempre corresponde ao tom da narrativa, aqui a introdução de criaturas como deuses permite a existência de elementos extraordinários onde David Rubín tem liberdade criativa. Ainda assim, denota-se alguma contenção, sendo que ao contrário de El Heróe, o estilo se mantém mais coerente ao longo de todo o livro.

Em termos de qualidade da edição, conforme já referi, este problema apresenta capa dura e páginas com rebordo dourado. O papel é mais fino do que estava à espera, mas, estranhamente, e apesar da elevada densidade de cores, não deixa transparecer as imagems de um lado para a outro da página. No final encontramos alguns extras, especialmente estudos de personagem.

Conclusão

O resultado é bom. A narrativa cativa o interesse, oscilando entre os momentos de acção e as revelações. As personagens são desenvolvidas q.b., ,sem elementos desnecessários, apresentando uma história concisa e objectiva. O desenho combina bem com a história, construindo um volume de banda desenhada interessante, e cativante para o leitor. É, em suma, uma boa história que cruza com bom resultado a ficção científica com o estilo do crime.

[Alex Sarll]

Science fiction noir pastiche is a popular combination, and it's easy to see why when you get to filter whatever strange new world you've created through that wonderful gumshoe drawl. I read a brilliant Stephen Graham Jones story in that vein last weekend, with Rock Turner, PI, investigating a case that revolved around the souls of the dead being stored in giant crustaceans on the Moon. And this is co-written by Jeff Lemire and Matt Kindt, one of whom is sometimes very good, so it could have worked. Alas, mainly we get efforts which sort of make sense as belonging to that overlap, without ever biting: "It's like Growl always said. If you have an energy-scissor, everything looks like a gutter dog." When we get dialogue at all; at least in the Edelweiss ARC, which came in a different format to usual (and was a bizarrely large file), there's one page which was free of speech balloons when I don't think it was supposed to be. Which in turn left me unsure whether the name of the entity which has been bumped off, when that's meant to be impossible, will be redacted in the final publication too, or if that was just another odd production choice, or perhaps a form of embargo. Either way, it didn't really help me engage with the story as it plodded through the usual beats. Visuals come from David Rubin, whose work I know mainly as the substitute art for the latter half of Rumble, and as there he does give acceptable urban weird, but really the only thing here which didn't feel far too familiar was that (SPOILER) after a fair chunk of standard noir antihero behaviour, the lead goes home – which turns out to be a perfectly nice house with a wife and kids. And even that was just nabbing the twist from the first episode of Nurse Jackie, though granted I saw it coming there and didn't here. Another, more central steal is even named in the sketchbook section at the back, and what passes for the twist at the end has been ubiquitous for a decade or so. A comic which would really, really like to be strange, but instead fits very readily into some well-worn pigeonholes.

[Mariano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Como lo quiero a David Rubin por favor. Que tipo brillante. El nivel de narración que pone es demencial. Ah si, la historia. Bueno, básicamente tenemos una historia detectivesca cósmica. Sí, como dice el título. El misiterio está muy bien llevado, muy ordenadito y prolijo, donde las cosas llevsn a donde tienen que llevar. Para mí es muy Matt Kindt en la estructura.

La razón por la que no le pongo 5 estrellas es que la parte final para mi traiciona todo lo que se construye en el primer... 70% de la historia, digamos. Queda de lado la parte detectivesca y pasa a la acción con demasiadas "casualidades". Creo que termina queriendo explicar demasiado y se pierde el tono inicial.

Pero igual es hermosa, muy divertida y recontra vale el viaje. Y Rubin, claro. Ya con eso sobra.

[Richard Dominguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Story theme for me was quite original and the illustrations gave the graphic novel a kind of Blade Runner (movie) feel to the whole thing. The revelation or better said the lesson at the end of the story also caught my attention as I found it quite relevant.
Unfortunately the journey from start to finish for me was confusing, unenlightening as well as very meager on dialog.
The story tried to hard to leave too much for the reader to interpret and for me it just became a kind of make up my own story as I read along.
I won this book in a giveaway, so I was excited and really wanted to like it.