You Have Killed Me

by Jamie S. Rich, Joëlle Jones

Things just can't get any worse for Antonio Mercer. A private eye by trade, a dame from his past has re-surfaced in his life as a client along with all of the emotional baggage he thought he'd left behind forever. Of course, this unusual client doesn't have just any case--her family is mixed up with seriously dangerous people and the body count is just starting to pile up!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Noir, Thriller

182 pages, Hardcover

First published May 14, 2008

About the author

Rich is an author of both prose (Cut My Hair, I Was Someone Dead, and The Everlasting) and comics (the two-volume series Love the Way You Love; the Spell Checkers series). His third full-length novel, Have You Seen the Horizon Lately?, was released by Oni Press in the summer of 2007. He regularly collaborates with artist Joelle Jones, including the Oni graphic novels 12 Reasons Why I Love Her and You Have Killed Me. Rich most recently wrote It Girl & the Atomics for Image Comics and A Boy and a Girl with artist Natalie Nourigat. He also serialized his fourth novel, Bobby Pins and Mary Janes , online.

Reviews

[Scott]

"Follow me, big boy. I'll show you where the action is." -- cigarette girl at a private club, throwing a look (and pose) that a man would catch in his hip pocket

"I had a feeling you would." -- Antonio 'Tony' Mercer, private eye

With a narrative style reminiscent (or just plain derivative) of the Raymond Chandler / Dashiell Hammett / James M. Cain pulp paperbacks of the 30's and 40's, You Have Killed Me is a completely straightforward detective story set in pre-WWII San Francisco and done in graphic novel format. It's even illustrated in a noirish black-and-white manner, recalling the Warner Brothers crime flicks from the same era. And therein lies the book's problem - I was hoping for a fresh spin and/or surprising twist on such an old if still-dependable genre, but the majority of the time the plotting adheres strictly to formula. Duplicitous dames, violent crime bosses, brutal cops, and other stock-standard character types doing exactly what you would expect them to, and with sedate dialogue that didn't exactly set the world on fire. (Stories like these cry out for a snappy line or two from our intrepid gumshoe.) It's not that it was altogether bad, but it did not particularly distinguish itself either.

[Dave Schaafsma]

Looks like this might be a re-release as I see many older reviews, but it showed up in my library's new graphic novels section. It was originally published in 2008. I liked their Lady Killers better--more stylish and snarky--but Jones's art is still accomplished (and pretty stylish) here. The story of gumshoe Mercer, a coupla blonds, Jessica and Julie, a case of missing persons and some complicated emotional history because one of the women is his ex. It's solid noir, a pretty good yarn.

[Chad]

Reads like a Dashiell Hammett or Raymond Chandler novel, it's your classic noir detective story. Jamie Rich's dialog is spot on, it's sharp with a biting wit. Joelle Jones's art works very well with the story, setting the mood.

[Miranda]

I got 48 pages in when we get a panel of a woman saying to the male lead character:

"Have you ever hit a woman, Tony? I don't think she'd mind if you did."

Nope. Nope. Fuck that.

[cc]

Your standard misogynist surface-level noir trash. Not recommended.

[LibraryCin]

3.25 stars

It’s 1939 or early 1940s. Mercer is a detective and the younger sister (Jennie) of a woman he used to be involved with (Julie) has come to him, stating that Julie has gone missing and Jennie wants to hire him to help find her.

This is a graphic novel. I thought the artwork was very nice – it did a good job of creating the noir atmosphere. But there were a few times where I got a little bit confused as to what was happening.

[David Accampo]

If you're a noir buff, this is great fun. It's a classic period mystery, starting with a "locked room" disappearance before barreling off into the seedier side of humanity, as every character hides secrets and motives. Jamie Rich's dialogue sings like 40's flick -- sly and sharp-writted iwth a sting of innuendo at every turn. He also gets some great hard-boiled narration without managing to over-write.

Joelle Jones artwork, which you wouldn't expect to fit a noir mystery like this, ends up working much better than expected. She does a great job with action and character expression, and he black and white style is nice and moody without ever obscuring anything. There was one spot where she used a photo as a background, and I didn't care too much for that technique, but for the most part, the artwork did it's job very well.

A great, fun mystery. I read it almost entirely in one sitting, so I'd officially call it a page turner. I can't say I didn't see the ending coming, but I don't always care for that label -- a truly unpredictable story would actually be ludicrous. So, while I had my suspicions as the plot unraveled, I did feel that completely engaged and when the story ended, it seemed... inevitable. As if we had nowhere left to turn. This is a compliment.

[Michele]

Over the weekend, I ran into Jamie S Rich and Joelle Jones at the Blastoff ComicFest in North Hollywood. I thoroughly enjoyed their comic book series, Lady Killer, so when I saw this book, I was immediately interested. I was not disappointed.

Set in San Francisco, this noir story was led by private detective, Antonio Mercer, who gets pulled in to investigate the disappearance of an old flame. The writing contains all of the expected noir themes and tropes, yet it manages to be a fresh story just the same. Rich keeps the pace hopping with the likeable Mercer as he works through the facts, the red herrings, to eventually uncover the killer.

Jones' art is beautiful, as always. She is so adept at people; facial expressions, body language, and composition in each panel. Every aspect is clean and uncluttered, so the story can be relished, along with the visuals. The lettering is superb. Again, a clean style that's easy to follow and read, be it a speech balloon or caption box.

Rich and Jones make every project shine because they are consummate perfectionists. They deliver a quality story and gorgeous visuals.

[Amory Blaine]

I love the concept of a campy noir comic, but this one mostly came off as cliche. Trite dialogue, one-dimensional characters, predictable motives, and a "twist" ending guessed from the beginning that nonetheless still felt forced. The book also suffered from weak narration - winding voiceovers interspersed senselessly into important dialogue. Thankfully, the design of the book is flawless. The black and white artwork is dynamic and fitting for the genre, and the pages are the perfect size and style. I especially liked the blur effect utilized occasionally. Overall a stylish but forgettable read.

[John Young]

A fun read!
First off, the book design is great... It's an attractive hardcover that's the perfect size for a black and white, story-driven graphic novel (something built around delicate line artwork can be as big as it wants). Joelle Jones' cover illustration pops, and I know the book will look great on the shelf.
The story is a loving tribute to film noire; complete with a dopey, roughed up detective, femme fatales, seedy dives, gunplay, you name it. The story features enough of twists and turns to keep the pages turning. I had the who and why of the mystery pegged by page 50, but enjoyed being led through the remaining "w"s and how... Jamie Rich's dialogue is at its best when he strays from the noire conventions. And, of course, how can you not love a book titled after a Morrissey song?
The art was great. I have seen Jones' work here and there, but this was my first in-depth experience with her art. There were touches I loved, such as a photo background when our protagonist is driving across town, which seemed like a great allusion to the use of the rear-projection gimmick in old movies. There were times when I thought the artwork was a little inconsistent, but I think Jones will be in full command after another project or two gets under her belt.
Overall, I think it's a fair mystery and a fun read. It's ideal for classic film-noire fans.

[Abby]

A hard-boiled detective story in comics format. Beautiful design, and solid pencil work but so the story was so thoroughly ridden with cliches (the femme fatale, the laconic, square-jawed private eye with a soft spot for beautiful "dames," and of course, the "twist" at the end that anyone who's ever seen a noir film can anticipate from the very first page) that it just felt tiresome about half-way through.

[Molly]

I only requested this because I like Jamie S. Rich, having no idea what it was about. Joelle Jones' art is perfect and the story is as good or better as what's coming out of the Vertigo Crime series right now -- Rich hits a perfect noir tone.

[Cyndi]

Juicy, twisty noir. Loved it. 4.5 stars!

[Magdalyn H.]

I got this book for $5 at Newbury Comics and I guess I'll just say that it was worth the money. The plot was enjoyable- I legitimately had no predictions even by then end and I remained guessing- and there were some great quotes in there. However, you have to sort through a lot of other dialogue teetering on the edge of trite (especially from the female characters). We aren't really given a super solid basis as to why we should like the main character or want him to succeed besides the fact that he fits a certain role in his narrative. Not only that, but unfortunately, the art just kind of fell flat to me. It wasn't very engaging to look at, and at times I found myself confusing characters because of their similar features and inconsistent lighting. I know this was a noir story, but it could've massively benefited from some colored highlights, even if they were only one more color (like blue or red).

[EM Harding]

I'm a big fan of graphic novels, so a friend bought this for me for my birthday. The art is striking and the banter occasionally witty; it's very much your typical noir story.

Personally, I found the plot a bit predictable and I could have done without Mercer (the protagonist) getting beaten up almost once a chapter. You lose all tension when you have a character survive 6 or 7 times in a 180 page story.

However, Mercer was a pretty decent protagonist and most of the characters were interesting, if a bit surface level. Ultimately, it was a good romp, but if you're looking for something complex, this is not your guy.

[Veronica]

Ehhhhhhh. I'm giving this a bonus star for Joelle Jones' art, which is gorgeous as always (although I miss the color from Lady Killer; this is completely black and white) but this is straight-up noir with all the sexism and "whoops I killed a dude consequences are something that happen to other people" that implies, and none of the fun pokes at the genre that Lady Killer had. Short version: if you're looking for more Lady Killer you're going to be disappointed. If you just happen to like noir, you'll probably be fine.

[Gregory]

This is an excellent story and has a film noir feel to it. The story takes place in the 1940s and very old fashioned such as clothing and telephones, cell phones don't exist yet including social media.
Private Investigator Antonio Mercer is a throwback to Sam Spade and other characters from that period. Rich and Jones who are best known for Lady Killers do a fantastic job here.
The entire novel reads like an old school Hollywood film and keeps you wanting to know what happens next. Love old school murder mysteries? This is the book for you.

[Kim Reynolds-Jolles]

This book was recommended by my daughter, to help me reach my crazy goal of 49 books before my birthday, which is soon... It worked, i read it in an hour and was fully entertained! It is a true gumshoe novel in a gorgeous full color graphic novel, dripping with all the requisite schmaltz of a detective story- boy meets girl, loses girl, and without giving it all away, girl kills detective.

[Jennifer]

I love Joelle Jones's art, and the Rich/Jones team does a great job with the noir feel. However, the story wasn't novel or compelling, and, since the art was some of Jones's earlier work, I was (admittedly unfairly) underwhelmed, because Jones's art has somehow continuously improved with each new issue of Lady Killer.

[Doctor Action]

3.5 stars. Solid gumshoe noir with Jones's slick artwork in black and Emma. No surprises here but delivered pretty much what I was after. If you have enjoyed what these guys have done before you'll probably enjoy this too.

[Andi]

3.5

[Chris]

Nothing transcendent, but fun propulsive story.

[Nate Deprey]

Joelle Jones is a talented and interesting artist and this noir story plays to her strengths but Rich's story doesn't really hold up its end of the bargain.

[Karina]

This was a simple noir story with a clear ending, but it was anything besides boring. The art really fits well, too. Author Rich and artist Jones work well together here.

[J-Lynn]

A graphic novel of a stereotypical film noir. Didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either.

[maris]

I read this after "Lady Killers", and just did not like it as much. With it seeming less polished and a bit boring in parts.

[J. Christopher]

I liked the artwork.

[A]

3.5

[Emmy]

The art is bold and unique, but the writing is not very intriguing.
Reminds me of a 1950s film Noir, so if you’re a fan of detective movies this might be for you!

[Peter]

There was an occasional moment of good dialogue. Uninteresting characters. Confusing artwork.