The Case of a Cup of Joe

Stumptown #4

by Greg Rucka

Portland's best private investigator Dex Parios is back, and this time, the case is a real grind. When she picks up a simple assignment to escort a package of highly-prized coffee beans, Dex has no idea that she's stepping into the web of the Barista Mafia and eccentric billionaires with no compunction about using force to get the most coveted coffee around. And to top it all off, her sister is in town. Join Eisner Award-winner Greg Rucka and series artist Justin Greenwood (The Fuse) for the The Case of a Cup of Joe, the fourth case in the critically-acclaimed Stumptown series.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Comic Book, Noir

143 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 25, 2017

About the author

Greg Rucka, is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is there anything more Portland than Dex having a case revolve around rare cat-shit coffee? And yes, the coffee is a real thing. People pay a fortune for coffee crapped out of Civets. This gets a little silly but it works. The subplot revolving around Dex's piece of shit little sister, Fuji, got tedious real quick. This book could use some more fleshing out of Dex's backstory instead of just slight allusions to her past. There's also a one issue story where Dex investigates a wife who is lying to her husband. I liked the end but I found the mostly silent issue hard to follow in places where we had to rely on the artist. Honestly, Justin Greenwood just isn't talented enough to completely pull silent pages off.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series owes a lot to Magnum PI and the Rockford Files and stuff like that. James Garner, RIP. The first four chapters of this particular volume focus on a silly, kind of shaggy dog story where our hero PI Dex(adrine) Parios is paid to pick up some very high end coffee for a rich guy, coffee that two other goofy groups of guys—the Barista Mafia, and a billionaire--also want. Her special needs brother Ansel, their neighbor Grey, continue as characters, but Dex and Ansel’s broke sister crashes and is featured as she gets involved in the highjinks. This particular arc is kind of comic relief for the series.

Solid PI in Portland (Ore) art by Justin Greenwood. Great colors by Ryan Hill.

Features a bonus mostly silent issue about a stakeout I liked quite a bit, which is quite heartwarming. That one I liked better than the coffee story, really. But I like Dex and Portland and this world quite a bit. I just--damn--I just wanted this to be a little better after having waited so long, boo hoo.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really didn't want to love this volume of Stumptown. I mean it's got a plot that is so incredibly shallow: make sure my super-expensive coffee beans are delivered safely! And really, the threats against the coffee don't move beyond that shallowness.

But, it's funny! And it's got great characterization, especially as we see Dex interacting with her sister. The result overall is an exceedingly readable book that you just want to push straight through. And I guess that's ultimately what makes a book 5-stars, if it's plot is vapid or not.

[CS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bullet Review:

This is probably not a full 5-star read, but for sentimental value, I'm rating 5-stars. Sure, fighting over coffee may seem silly if you are a heathen, but if you CARE about the beans and the craft, then it's totes okay to pull a gun on a guy to steal his beans.

Wait...

[Erin Cataldi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really a 3.5, but I'm rounding up to a 4. So far this has been the weakest for me because it seemed the least "plausible." Coffee? Barista mafia? Come on now. I can suspend belief for a lot but that is crossing a line. Dex is hired to ferry some VERY expensive coffee from the plane to her client's house. She keeps getting harassed by coffee snobs who want to bribe her (or beat her) to get some of the coffee beans for themselves. It's getting out of hand and Dex is getting pissed. To make matters worse her freeloading sister, Fuji, has dropped in unannounced and plans on crashing for as long as she can. Tensions run high at home and work isn't making anything better. Far fetched, but still enjoyable.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought last volume's soccer theme was the least interesting thing in the world, but then I find that this one is about coffee. I don't drink coffee. I dislike the smell of coffee. I can't stand coming across someone's forgotten mug of coffee around my workplace. Yuck.

Given all that, Rucka manages to keep me engaged enough to look forward to the next volume. I just hope it isn't about sushi or golf.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dex is hired to protect some shipments of coffee. Affairs go minorly awry. Dex uses her attitude and cleverness to save the day. This fourth Stumptown volume is about as low stakes as they get, but the characters are still compelling and the vaguely noir humor is pleasant. It's a quick, easy read that kind of made me want a cup of coffee.

[Erik · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never watched the tv show,how was it ?

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yep, I shifted my binge read from BRPD to Stumptown. Why? Because I ended up up with our dinner date plans being totally trashed, aka as in too much time on my hands, the television show to debut soon on ABC, and I like Rucka's work.

But, I have trouble seeing this as being a better than average television show. In the text pieces Rucka discusses his love for the private eye genre, while saying he's not a great mystery writer. That's OK, my experience has been that some mystery writers would benefit from improving their characterization skills. The other issue is that I was surprised by how long Rucka drew out some of Dex's character points. I don't think a regular broadcast television audience is going to wait 1+ seasons to get to some of the important points of Dex's character.

It is important Dex has PTSD from her military service. It is important to know the main reason she resigned her commission is to care for her younger brother because her parents and sister would not. The gambling problem is pretty much put aside, as is the reservation's casino after volume one, and I'd argue that's a mistake.

That does not mean readers will not enjoy Dex, Grey, TRacy and Ansel. The story settings are different and entertaining. Northwest soccer culture, coffee subculture and snobs, I mean I was amused.

Great no, this is not Whiteout or Atticus Kodiak level of Rucka good, but it is entertaining if you read all four volumes to get a better idea of who Dex, Grey and Ansel are.

[Zedsdead · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first two Stumptown cases that don't involve Marenco. In the first, Dex is hired to deliver a series of priceless cat-shit coffee (yes, really) samples to a billionaire with a fondness for bean juice. Another billionaire and the barista mafia (yes, really) interfere. As if the quirky characters and odd MacGuffin weren't enough, Dex's personal life complicates matters: hers and Ansel's charismatic but untrustworthy sister crashes their place, charms Ansel and Grey, and makes our hero's life hell.

The second case follows Dex through a long one-night stakeout in which she tries to catch a cheating wife in flagrante. This issue is almost entirely dialogue-free, and as in past volumes the otherwise solid art isn't quite up to the task of spinning out the narrative without help. But it's a good little character-building piece that isn't entirely predictable.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded down to 3.

Stumptown Vol. 4 The Case of the Cup of Joe collects issues 6-10 of the Oni Press comic series written by Greg Rucka, art by Justin Greenwood, and colors by Ryan Hill.

Dex is hired by a Portland coffee connoisseur to act as a courier for a delivery of Kopi Luwak, coffee beans partially digested by Asian Civet cats. Dex quickly finds herself in a 3-way dance for the beans against a tech billionaire and “the barista mafia.”

A goofy case that has some interesting twists along the way. I’m sad to see the series end. The art in these last two volumes wasn’t for me and hurt the comic in my opinion. I wish we had got more adventure of Dex and her brother Ansel, and dive more into Dex’s past. If I can find the ABC TV adaptation anywhere, I may check that out.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

The quirky adventures of Dex continue in this funny look into the crazy world of high dollar coffee beans. Yup, beans. Dex is a great character but I think she was a little too understated here. I wanted more from her, especially with the new family dynamic introduced. Readers deserved more from that relationship. The dialogue was superb and is always appreciated from Rucka. The art was solid and fit the title. Overall, an average plot that needed to roast. Get it?

[Memphis Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some plot lines and character journeys being built up during the first three volumes of this book. Spoiler alert: None of that pays off here in the final volume.

It's an ok story with art that has slipped a bit compared to the first two volumes. I just thought more questions would be answered, plot lines would resolve or at least move forward, and maybe even big changes would happen.

I wonder whether the creators didn't know it was the last volume as they were making it. Maybe the series was canceled unexpectedly? Ok book, but not at all a satisfying ending.

[Andrew A · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great tale and a return to form.

The sublime ridiculousness of the coffee obsession of the rich of oregan, the family drama hinting at the rich tapestry of the Parios family.
The great depth of dex as her history and present come to play.

Following the somewhat disconnected vibe of vol 3 this is great.

The art is very good if not as evocative as earlier volumes, but the colour work is fantastic and incredibly atmospheric


A great volume

[Jakub Kvíz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruckuv Stumptown si porad drzi standard a serviruje dalsi PI story. Lepsi zanrovku bych hledal tezko, snad jen Scene of Crime.

[torin_kylara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a review of the entire series as a whole, not just this volume.

So, this is a weird coincidence. I kid you not, this is how it happened. I just finished Lazarus and I was so impressed with the absolutely gorgeous world-building, that I felt the need to immediately research and read all the other Greg Rucka books I could get my hands on. So I see what books he has at the library (that and my bookstore are the 2 main ways I read books), and the only series the library has is Stumptown. So I put all 4 books on hold and ready myself to pick them up next week. The week after that, I see a preview for a new show called "Stumptown." Now, at this point, the name didn't ring a bell with me. It took me all of 5 minutes to Google Rucka, check the library and put the books on hold. So I've already pretty much forgotten the title of the comics I'm checking out. I see the preview, think it sounds cool, and decide to check it out. I go on hulu to see the first episode and it's awesome, I'm all in. Then I go to the library and get the books I've put on hold, and the pieces click together. So tell me, what are the odds that I spontaneously check out Stumptown the same week the first episode drops? What are the odds of that? It's kismet, is what it is.

Anyway, on to the review...

This series is pretty great overall. I thought the last volume was a little lacking in plot development, but I feel like it was never intended to be the final volume, maybe just a filler one, so I don't blame it for not having a strong ending plot if it didn't know it wasn't supposed to have one. Other than that, it's pretty much just solid gold throughout. None of my usual vampire or werewolves or other creepy crawlies in the night that I normally read when I read PI stuff, but I had just come down off of Rucka's Lazarus, and I needed to read more of his wonderfully crafted stories, and this one did not disappoint. I won't lie and say it's of the same quality as Lazarus. That could never be true. But if you're looking for something with a heart of gold; a snazzy, catchy plot in every volume; a very compelling and tragic and dysfunctional MC who is also bi; several other LGBTQIA+ supporting characters; and various indigenous supporting characters, then give this series a try, because it really is worth the read, and Rucka is in great form the entire time.

[Dog Eared Thoughts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really loved the characters! I’ll have to read more of these!!

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine but a little lackluster IMO

[Jessie Cummins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coffee mystery strikes again. And I love it so much.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of all of Greg Rucka's various series, I think Stumptown--his ongoing series about Dexadrine "Dex" Parios, a private eye in Portland, Oregon--continues to be my favorite. Owing a great deal to series like Magnum, PI, Simon & Simon and The Rockford Files--all influences that Rucka acknowledges--the series holds my attention as much through the characters as it does the stories. I want to follow whatever Dex's current case is through to the end, but I want to come back because I care about Dex, her autistic brother Ansel, their neighbor Grey, and everyone else.

The series also keeps me coming back through its portrayal of Portland, almost as another major character. I lived in Portland for a short time back in the 9os, and Rucka and artist Justin Greenwood completely capture what makes the city feel unique in these pages. And never more so than in this particular storyline, which is slightly lighter in tone than previous volumes. This book focuses on Dex's attempts to protect shipments of rare coffee (a particularly Portland obsession) from entitled billionaires and the Barista Mafia. That story is a lot of fun, contrasted with Dex dealing with the sudden arrival of her sister for an unannounced visit.

The book also includes a second, shorter tale of Dex on a stakeout. Told almost wordlessly, this story is a great showcase for Greenwood's talents as an artist. Greenwood is the second artist to work on this series, following Matthew Southworth, who did the first two volumes. Greenwood has definitely made the series his own, particularly with the stories in this volume.

While I think Rucka's other current work is great, and will always have special places in my heart for his earlier comics like Queen & Country and Whiteout, Stumptown is the one I most look forward to these days. I wish it came out more frequently, but whenever it does, it's always something to be treasured.

[47Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Weekes has shipment of coffee of the finest quality from his company named Sip come in and he wants Dex to guard it. She gets a counteroffer from Mr. Dove who works for Laidlaw, a businessman dealing in tech, to bring him a few ounces of that coffee without Weekes knowing. As soon as she is handed the coffee she is followed by two inexperienced guys from the Barista mafia, but she loses her tail and reports everything to Weekes. Dex meets with each group more than once until the end when he brings everyone together for a job well done on all fronts. Her sister Fuji complicates matters, but Dex handles everyone like a skilled circus juggler.

Meanwhile Dex has trouble at home when Fuji drops out of nowhere wanting to stay for two weeks until she gets set up with her job. Dex soon finds that Fuji has no job and is forced to stay at Dex's place. After a fight Fuji leaves and is kidnapped by the two Barista mafia guys who mistake her for Dex. They quickly realise their mistake, but Fuji takes advantage of their blunder to make a fast buck. The next morning Dex get kidnapped by Dove and takes to Laidlaw who asks for a pound of Weekes' coffee for a large amount of money. Dex overpowers Dove and refuses the offer again.

Dex brings everyone to her office for a quick Mexican standoff: Weekes, Laidlaw, Dove and the two Barista mafia guys with Fuji. She apparently gives the third shipment of coffee to Laidlaw, but it was Starbuck's coffee, the real coffee goes to Weekes, its rightful owner, and the Baristas, revealed to be two former employees of Weekes' who were selling their own coffee under the table, get nothing.

In the final issue Mr. Bowman is worried about his wife hiding something from him. It has little dialogue and focuses instead on Dex's stakeout of Mrs. Bowman and the resolution which again shows Dex's willingness to reveal stuff that can benefit both parties.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

10 years ago the McGuffin in the story would have been edgy, now it's just trite.

[Yoshiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parios zajmowała się naprawdę różnymi sprawami, w których zawsze dawała z siebie wszystko. Nie inaczej jest w przypadku jej nowego zlecenia, które polega na ochronie dostawy niebywale cennych ziaren kawy. Zadanie to nie będzie należeć do łatwych, biorąc pod uwagę fakt, że ładunkiem interesuje się „mafia baristów”. Na Dex czeka więc sporo niebezpiecznej pracy. Jakby tego było mało, to w mieście pojawia się jej dawno niewidziana siostra, co mocno komplikuje jej życie osobiste.

Przedstawiona w czwartym tomie sprawa, doskonale wpisuje się w trend „ciekawych” i niesztampowych zleceń, jakimi do tej pory zajmowała się bohaterka. Pod tym względem fabuła jest dość dobrze przygotowana i na czytelnika czeka tutaj mieszanka akcji i kilku zaskakujących momentów. Nie obeszło się tu jednak bez kilku dość widocznych zmian, które nie każdemu fanowi serii mogą się spodobać. Jak do tej pory Rucka, tworząc swoją bohaterkę, starał się ją przedstawić jako nieustępliwą, zadziorną, niestroniącą od alkoholu twardą kobietę, która zadawała sobie jednak sprawę ze swoich ograniczeń. Nie była ona kolejną „superbohaterką” pokroju Jessica Jones, która z każdej opresji wychodzi bez szwanku. W recenzowanym tomie jednak scenarzysta odszedł od dotychczasowych rozwiązań, stawiając na sporą dynamikę, w której Dex nie ma sobie równych i nikt nie może jej zagrozić.

Pewną łyżeczką dziegciu jest tutaj również wprowadzenie do historii jej siostry. Założeniem było pokazanie jeszcze większej psychologicznej głębi Parios, która boryka się z wieloma problemami osobistymi. Niestety, ale zostało to zrobione bardzo niechlujnie i mocno szczątkowo. Można odnieść wrażenie, że autor planował rozwinąć ten wątek w późniejszych częściach, niespodziewanie jednak przedwcześnie dla siebie zakończył całą serię. Ostatecznie wydaje się on być tutaj dopchany na siłę, niczego znaczącego nie wnosząc do opowieści.

Tak jak zostało to już wspomniane przy okazji recenzji trzeciej części, seria zaliczyła po drodze zmianę artysty. O ile poprzednia odsłona i styl Greenwooda nawet do siebie pasowały, to tutaj można mieć pewne zastrzeżenia. Kreskówkowa forma rysunków w połączeniu z powrotem do bardziej mrocznego obrazu Portland (klimat noir), nie wygląda nazbyt zachwycająco.

https://popkulturowykociolek.pl/recen...

[Bryce · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this next (and possibly last) volume of Stumptown, Dex Parios ended up in what I feel is the most bizarre, nearly twisted series of crimes she's ever had to investigate: it started off to escort a package of highly-prized coffee beans, only to find out it was sought out by barista mafia gang members and billionaires. Absurd as this may sound, the writing and artwork really help make the story work as well as it did, thanks to the convictions Dex had as she tried to wrap her head around what's she's gotten herself into, as we readers do at the same time. And, on the side, Dex also had to deal with some family issues when her broke sister comes into town and unexpectedly crashed into her and Ansel's place. What came about was some quarrels that came about from them, as well as some interesting commentary on what makes them so different and even a little bit of light shed on their family history.
If this really is the final volume of Stumptown, then it sure went out on such a trippy but compelling note! And as for the entire series, it was one of the most stylish, very engaging detective graphic novel series I ever read, with great characterizations, excellent artwork, creative storytelling and a dark yet mystifiying sense of atmosphere. Strongly recommended to anyone looking for a good graphic novel series to scope out or even for fans of good detective fiction! :)

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

By far my favorite volume. Despite having absolutely nothing to do with the earlier mega-arc of the Marencos. This volume was silly, and it knew it. And while the last volume was about a part of Portland culture that I know nothing about (sports), this one I am at least passingly familiar with: coffee. This story had the lowest stakes of any, and that made it so much more fun. The one-shot story at the end had some more of that patented Stumptown confusion (who was that second man who went to the hotel?) but was still pretty cool, being a mostly silent issue focusing on Dex on a stakeout the whole time. All in all, this book was the best Stumptown book so far. PLUS: I have a piece of original art (sorta) from it. I met artist Justin Greenwood at RCCC a couple years ago, and he had a basket of unused / redrawn panels of art (where he drew a page/panel, but then decided to redo it for the final book, he then sells the original version for cheap). I got a panel of Dex's sister raiding her cabinets. Despite being slightly different, I recognized it immediately, which made me very happy.

[Hans · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fourth outing with Portland PI Dex Parios, ramps up the humor, as she takes a job as bodyguard / transporter for high-priced civet-pooped coffee bean samples, dodging the Barista Mafia and a multimillionaire who won't take no for an answer. To complicate the rich blend of action and humor, Dex' estranged sister arrives on the scene. The volume closes with a beautifully-constructed, mostly-silent single issue, telling the story of an overnight stakeout.

The first three volumes tied together with plot connections that skip over this fourth collection. The interviews at the back promise a future story that probably resurfaces that through line, talking about the standalone stakeout following the coffee story: "...it seemed like a great way to have a completely different beat to shift gears before heading into a much darker, more gritty volume five." This last book was produced in 2017 and 2019/2020 brought the first season of the renewed-and-recently-canceled television series. I really hope that Dex returns both in print and on the television screen. We have stories that need endings...or at least a few more scenes and issues.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a compound review of Stumptown, Vols. 1-4, which I have enjoyed equally, and for the same reasons.

Stumptown is the tale of a Portland, OR-based private investigator named Dex (short of Dexedrine, for which she'll never forgive her parents). She looks after her brother, who has Down's Syndrome, has a background in military intelligence (and some PTSD from Iraq and Afghanistan, to boot), and has the kind of smart mouth that gets PIs into trouble everywhere. She tends to catch middleweight mysteries - the kind of jobs that start with a single person but which inevitably bubble up to a higher level of the criminal ecosystem, but not so high as to alter the entire city's fate. We get a firm sense of reality here, and just how far we can expect someone like Dex to tip the larger scales around her. Smart,tough, resourceful, and quick, it's a pleasure to watch Dex weave in and out of trouble, and learn more about her and her friends along the way. These aren't works that will redefine the genre, but they're damned good crime comics about a PI that you'll care about and definitely wish to see more of.

[Oliver Hodson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series has really got it's own character and I like that the location setting allows a range of characters to appear of varying criminal expertise, in this story quite low, but the focus is more on the character development. Always Dex has something interesting to dwell on, whether it be her relationship with her brother Ansell who depends on her, or with Grey who often looks after him, and in this story her sister.

Because the relationships are bubbling away along with the mystery, the stories are satisfying on multiple levels. The storytelling via the art is really effective, having got over some of the kinks in the artist change, and I think I've gotten used to this version of Dex, even if she is still a bit off from the original!

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth graphic novel in the series. The writing, art, and storyline is as good as the previous two I have read (vol 1 and Vol 2). See my review of the first volume for a description of the style , and why I like this author.

This story involves Dex delivering some coffee. This is not just any coffee. It is that crazy coffee that you may have heard about that passes through the digestive track of a civet cat and the beans are picked out of the scat. The beans are expensive, so several lowlifes are trying to steal the beans. As usual, Dex gets the best of them, and there is lots of fighting, shooting, and car chases. a short but fun read.

[Adan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A return to form for Dex Parios and Stumptown in general (although the kopi luwak high concept was bordering on superhero comic-levels of absurdity), which means a more straightforward noir story. Dex and Ansel's sister Fuji shows up out of nowhere to cause trouble. But I think the best bit of this collection was the last story, "The Case of the Night That Wouldn't End". It was fantastic.

Greenwood's art gets a bit scratchier and more noirish than his first outing, which makes for a better reading experience overall.