Dexter Down Under

Dexter Down Under #1-5

by Jeff Lindsay, Dalibor Talajić (Illustrator)

Dexter returns in an all-new, all-Australian, blood-soaked adventure written by his creator, Jeff Lindsay! Dexter Morgan isn't just Miami's #1 forensic blood splatter expert...he's also a serial killer who targets other serial killers! But when Dexter travels down under, he quickly discovers that sharks aren't Australia's only deadly predator! Who is setting up illegal hunting safaris in the Outback - and are humans in the crosshairs? Dexter investigates as only he can, and that means only one thing: blood will flow. Under the hot Australian sun, Dexter's Dark Passenger is given free rein...and the guilty will not go unpunished! COLLECTING: DEXTER DOWN UNDER 1-5

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Crime, Mystery, Horror, Graphic Novels Comics

112 pages, Hardcover

First published February 19, 2014

About the author

Jeff Lindsay lives in Florida with his wife, author Hilary Hemingway, daughter of Leicester Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway's brother.

Lindsay is best known for writing the Dexter series of novels. Several of his earlier published works include his wife as a co-author.

Jeff graduated from Middlebury College, Vermont, in 1975, and Celebration Mime Theatre's Clown School the same year. He received a double MFA, in Directing and Playwriting, from Carnegie-Mellon University, and has written 25 produced plays. He has also worked as a musician, singer, comedian, actor, TV host, improv actor, and dishwasher.

Reviews

[Gavin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Do you like Dexter? Then don't read this.

Do you know ANYTHING about Australia? Then don't read this.

Are you Australian? PLEASE don't read this.

Do you have a brain? Well you can probably guess what follows...

I like Fosters, Koala bears are nifty MATE! Lets blow digeridoos at Ayers Rock after we be racists!

Apparently all Australia is is drunks and racists...who talk funny and drive weird...

Jeff Lindsay, that was the laziest attempt at cashing in on your famous character yet...also WAYY creepy incest tones...

Oh, and are you familiar with Wikipedia Jeff? Try learning more than 3 stereotypes about a place before you write about it.

Oh and, if there's a murder in Australia, and you want a blood spatter expert from Miami to fly in, the crime scene isn't STILL GOING TO HAVE BODIES THERE WHEN HE ARRIVES!!! THE FLIGHT IS LIKE 20 HOURS!

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dexter Morgan is Miami PD's best blood splatter analyst that has helped them solve murders. When his book is found in Australia and they ask him for his expertise, Dexter goes to the land down under. Will he be able to help them solve the murder they have there? Read and find out for yourself.

I am a fan of the Showtime show Dexter and it was awesome to read a story about him going in Australia. If you enjoy Dexter, definitely check this out for yourself. It is available wherever graphic novels are sold.

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a big fan of the TV show on the first seasons but it ended up becoming such a disaster that I had lost my love for the Miami blood spatter analyst by day, serial killer by night. And the fact that I didn't find much substance in the books didn't help either, so, usually I would had pass up on yet another Dexter related story. But I love Australia ergo I decided to gave it a try. And I have to say I love to be proven wrong, this is a really good Dexter story.
Dexter is send to Canberra to help the local police investigate a string of murders involving Asian immigrants. Dexter is paired with Shawna, a cop that reminds him of Debra in some ways (but not in all, wink, wink).
I really liked the story because it didn't involved the Dark Passenger chasing after (and killing) predators while Dexter and the team are investigating the murder of the season/book. Also, there's not voiceover (which ended up tiring me in the books).
Things get really interesting in the two last parts where the psycho of the day turns the tables on Dexter and Shawna and they are the ones being chased.

Overall, it was a really enjoyable crime story and the art was pretty cool (that full-page of the Uluru, for example).

[Dev · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just awful. I mean ...first of all do you seriously expect me to believe that Dexter randomly wrote some forensics book that like 50 people read and one of them was someone in Australia who now wants him to come consult on a crime scene? Really? Add in the sub-par, generic 'hunting humans' storyline, and Dexter just randomly deciding to sleep with the female police officer he is working with several times and this whole thing is just a mess. I can't quite bring myself to give it one star, but it's a near thing.

[47Time · Rating 3 out of 5]

This second story in the Dexter expanded universe isn't overly impressive either. It does have more humor, a hot supporting character, and an exotic locale though. The covers are again the best thing about the Dexter comics. This volume is readable, but nothing to write home about, whether you're a fan of the TV show or not. If anyone still thinks the TV series came first, try the books.

Dexter is asked by an Austrailian police department to help with a string of murders. The targets are families of illegal immigrants. He is welcomed by the officer working the case, Shawna Wiggs, a woman whose vocabulary rivals Deborah's - for those who haven't seen the show or, God forbid, read any of the books, Deborah is foul-mouthed. Also not unlike Deborah, Shawna is very good at her job. Their first suspect sounds too good to be true - Bruce Grigsby, a rich businessman and founder of the Citizens for a White Australia, a supremacist group.

Shawna is dead certain that Grigsby is the killer, but there is no proof. That is until Dexter finds that Grigsby's ranch has a hunting ground where illegal immigrants are used as targets. He and Shawna break in and find the imprisoned immigrants, then get captured by Grigsby himself. They are released into the Outback to be hunted. Dexter seems to succumb to the heat first, but it's just a ruse to get Grigsby to let down his guard. Dexter lets his Dark Passenger - his inner demon that makes him kill - get a bit too rough with Grigsby who ends up dead. Shawna gets to see the dark glint in Dexter's eyes, but decides to not do anything about it. After they release the imprisoned hostages, they torch Grigsby's body and his ranch. Shawna gets her man and then convinces Dexter to stick around for some quality time. And him, a married man. Disgraceful!

[Beelzefuzz · Rating 1 out of 5]

More of a parody of Dexter than a Dexter story.
Minus 2 stars for the heavy handed attempt at jokes through groan inducing repetition of Australian slang from a website.
Minus 2 stars for the cliche and way overplayed out Most Dangerous Game premise
Minus 2 more stars for the lack of any substantive police work from either of these cops in a cop story.

I guess I am in negative territory, and will stop deducting points. Don't read this, if you see it, throw it in a croc's mouth like the third cover tells you.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seemed too rushed with not really enough time to properly develop a decent story....5 issues??? Not to mention it didn't really feel like a Dexter story. Yea nice try, but don't make another Dexter comic.

[Amy Mills · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, I wasn't really expecting much, based on the reviews, and, yeah, this isn't nearly as good as the books or the show. It's about on par with a mediocre episode of the show, but does have a few good moments. The best thing about it is the prominent "Marvel" on the cover, which my addled brain takes to mean that Dexter can now randomly show up in other Marvel-verse comics (probably not without Lindsay's consent, but, eh, details). Oh, and, for anyone who was not aware, this is a comic-book compilation, not a novel.

The only character from the books is Dexter (though his sister, Deb, is mentioned). I suspect this was deliberate, so that continuity concerns could be minimized. He's on vacation in Australia, and, of course, is dragged into a murder investigation. Naturally things go sideways and violence ensues, before Dexter, of course, triumphs.

The oddest thing is that the investigator who brought him into the investigation keeps Dexter as a sex slave, more or less (he probably could have escaped if he'd tried) for the remainder of his vacation. * shrugs * I guess someone involved in production thought that angle would, uh, make it sell better? I don't get it, particularly since there was minimal illustration, and people who like that sort of thing generally seem to want visuals. * shrugs again *

Anyway, if you're a fan of Dexter and can find a cheap copy, it's probably worth a read. I paid a bit over cover-price for one, since it's out of print, but after I read it I gifted it to a fellow-Dexter-fan, so I got double usage out of it (and, no, I have no interest in reading it again). An e-version would be better, but the last time I looked for one, exactly one episode of the five was available in Kindle format and no others, which... is supremely unhelpful.

[Gregory Baird · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of Dexter Morgan, a serial killer who covers his tracks working for Miami PD and who lives by as strict a moral code a serial killer can have, should have lent itself pretty well to a graphic novel format. Even though I despised the way the regular Dexter series went off the rails I found myself too curious to pass by when I discovered this in a used bookstore.

Well, it doesn't work as executed here. Everything in this graphic novel is in the lazy mode Lindsay adopted in the later Dexter novels--as though he didn't care about the story or character but enjoyed the money it brought him too much to stop. If you aren't a Dexter fan, this is a weird place to start and unlikely to capture your attention. If you are (or were) a Dexter fan, this will just feel like an odd waste of time.

You can read my full review here.

Grade: D- (saved from an F because the illustrator deserved better)

If you can stomach more Dexter after this, I have links to all my reviews for the series here. here

[Brendan · Rating 1 out of 5]

A major step down from the last volume, as it starts to take on stereotypes and inauthentic portrayals of Australia and its people, not to mention how unimaginably absurd the concept is for the series. Firstly, when does this even take place?? Second, why the actual fuck is Dexter being called to do blood splatter analysis in Australia??? I get he wrote a book about it, which is already sort of dumb how they set that up, but why would they choose him of all people? He doesn't even do his job when he gets there he just acts as a detective! The story and case aren't even really that interesting either, and the relationship/chemistry between Dex and Shawna is forced and very obviously and weirdly conjoined to Dex and Deb's relationship. I'm glad we stopped here for the comics because I much prefer the series and books to whatever this is supposed to be...

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for the art
I've not seen any episode of the various TV series, but I thought I'd give this a go; it was an interesting read, a slight story, but it does confront the racist attitudes held by a few Australians, however I was a little disappointed that there were no active characters of First Nation descent; the main police character is a white blonde woman for goodness sake.
So, disappointing...I can't see me seeking out the TV originals.

[Bam Salinas Košćina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lamentablemente en esta historia los conflictos no alcanzan a desarrollarse, con resoluciones precipitadas que le quitan sustento a la narración. El argumento es poco verosímil y demasiado conveniente. No se justifica que llamen a un forense del otro lado del mundo, experto en salpicadura de sangre, para que termine haciendo el trabajo policial...de la sangre poco y nada.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well that was...awful. It gets 2 stars because I can see where it maybe had some potential...like...a tiny bit? I love the idea...but it was just terrible and didnt feel remotely like Dexter...either the show or the books...at least the couple I've read. It was a quick read though...so theres that...I guess...

[kaotickitten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully drawn. You get the feel of beauty of the world and death especially the glimpse of the dark passenger, in the drawings just as a fan of Dexter would want. The story moves fast and is entertaining.

[Rodion · Rating 1 out of 5]

Jeff Lindsay takes a break from writing offensive racist mexican sterotypes to write offensive Australian caricatures. How many times can an Australian sterotype say the word 'Bastard', read to find out!

[Richard Raams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was an interesting take on Dexter

[Leeann Scaramuzza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the books and the show. This is a fun quick comic to continue my Dexter obsession.

[Steph Carr (LiteraryHypeWoman) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yikes.
Well... that was... something...

If you like dexter, skip this laziness. It's just... not great.

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a distillation of the Dexter books, hitting on the major quirks of the novels. The illustrations were beautiful, but the stereotypes of Australia were painful.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice art by Dalibor Talajić but besides that was kinda hollow, and a bit out of character for Dexter so eh

[Ryan B. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I shouldn’t finish a book feeling confident I could create something better in an afternoon with my eyes closed.

[Chase · Rating 2 out of 5]

Terrible plot and corny dialogue.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting premise with a couple of decent moments, but in large part this comes off as sloppy fan fiction.

[Geethika Atluri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dexter Down Under was a fun read
Dexter in Australia lol
, and the art gave me big Walking Dead vibes.
Totally worth it if you’re a Dexter fan like me.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I unfortunately was not a big fan of the storyline nor was I blown away by the drawings 💔

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first comic miniseries was slightly north of a 3.5 in my opinion, whereas this one is slightly south of a 3.5. In regards to continuity, there is not much to go by other than the fact that Dexter claims that it has been "years" since he has been on a "real vacation." His last real vacation, which took place in Paris, concludes at the beginning of Dexter by Design. The next novel, Dexter Is Delicious, takes place the following year, so this mini-series could have taken place the following year, perhaps before Double Dexter.

One night, Dexter sees a full moon, yet we see a half moon a couple of nights later. I suppose that one could surmise that Dexter imagines the full moon from time to time. The artwork is very beautiful; Dalibor Talajic captures the scenery of Australia. The plot could be best described as, "The Most Dangerous Game, but in modern Australia." Indeed, the antagonist is Bruce Grigsby, a white supremacist who hunts immigrants for sport, whether it be with a knife, a gun, or a remote-controlled machine. Apparently, Dexter is well-known to Australian police because of a blood-spatter book of his that sold 50 copies in three months. That seems like HUGE stretch. And why is it that this book is not mentioned in any of the novels?

What bothered me about the ending was that Officer Shawna Wiggs suspects that Dexter is a killer, and she blackmails him into having sex with her for two weeks. I knew that since this takes place in between the novels, Dexter cannot possibly get caught, but surely Jeff Lindsay could have come up with something better. Why does Dexter not mention that he has a wife and kids? Shawna tells Dexter that nothing except "the good parts" ever happened, which seems very meta. I bet that none of these events will even be alluded to in the final novel, Dexter is Dead.

[Charm Santarin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been a fan of the series and when I found out that they also released a graphic novel, I immediately looked for it to save me from my dexter hunger after the series ended. The story is so so. The other girl from Australia is annoying, there's always a word "bast@rd" in her every sentence. It feels so rushed, trying so hard to cash in with the successful series. I wish they wrote it on a different way like focusing on how dexter follows his code or a new serial killer on the loose that he needs to savage. But no, the killer on this novel is not interesting. Dexter seems so nice and comedic. No signs of the dark dexter we loved at the show. But then again I really like to collect the books and comics so I guess i'll just keep the copy though the story sucks.

[Joseph Gagnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, has it been a while, or has it been a while since I've been in the universe of Dexter Morgan? Haha. Not that you would know. That was my pre-commentary days. I read the first book. Watched the first few seasons of the show. I want to eventually read more of the books, but I thought this would do just dandy right about now. Boy was I ever right.

Dexter is as awkward, but likable as ever. Not the man you would suspect of anything dark. There is no hack/slash in this issue ... at least on Dexter's part. We do see a few victims cut up by this series' villain. I wonder how long this series is planned to go. I'm going to be doing a lot of that, I know I am. Haha.

The are is beautiful and sharp. I almost didn't notice it. It was like watching a well made film when everything falls away and there is just you and the story. It's too early to speculate anything. We've only met one possible killer, unless we have already met the killer and don't know it. I doubt it's Aussie-Deb, haha. I guess this is what reading comics is really like--waiting. Reading comics is like waiting.

Read more commentary and add your own here: http://www.rjspindle.com/content/dext...

[Lisette Robey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible and very funny all at once. I can hear that awful American accent trying an Aussie one as I read. Very funny to find Canberra has kangaroos hopping through the streets, is on the Beach and close to The Great Oceam Road! Jeff and Dalibor clearly didn't do much research.

[Kyle Cheuvront · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this series at the Nashville Comic Con and figured it'd be worth picking up and enjoying. It turned out to be very underwhelming. I was a huge fan of the TV show (even though the final season was a huge let down) and have read and enjoyed all the novels. But, this 5 part story felt very lacking to me and barely had any of the classic Dexter elements he's known for. Basically if you never watched the TV show or read any of the novels, you would really have almost no clue that he was a serial killer with a "code" just by reading the Dexter Down Under series. Maybe this story line would have worked better if it was fleshed out into a novel as this 5 part story where the dialogue probably could have been typed out in about 2 pages just didn't quite live up to the usual Dexter suspense.