Jimmy Brass: 2nd Grade Detective #1
Writer- Jake Dickerman
Artist- Jason Pruett
It is strange to think that a comic made for kids would be considered an oddity. Yet, with many comic book publishers making their books “dark and edgy” it is nice to see a book that remembers that the original audience for comics was children. “Jimmy Brass: 2nd Grade Detective” is a noir parody featuring Jimmy, a kid detective, and Opal his kindergarten aged body guard solving mysteries at his school. This issue Jimmy is given a case where a girl believes there is a monster in her room. Jimmy gathers evidence and begins his search for the truth in this amusing adventure.
The writing is very good featuring some nice humorous moments and interesting characters. The story is well written and it does follow proper mystery writing, by providing clues for the reader to try to figure out the crime as Jimmy attempts to solve the mystery. The dialogue is great and has many funny moments that can be enjoyed by kids of all ages. The comic does not talk down to kids and there is a good range of vocabulary in this book. Jimmy and Opal are interesting characters, but I do wish they could have been further explored in this story. Hopefully, the meeting of the two leads will be explained in a later issue. In addition, there is a scene at the end that is a lead in to the next story and it feels unnecessary, but it does not hurt the story.
The artwork has a very “Sunday funnies” look to them, which works well with the style of the book. The simplified designs fit the younger characters, but some of the older characters look at little off. However, since the majority of the characters are children this is not too big an issue. There are some moments with high detailing often times when related to the case. Finally, the cover is well done with the spotlight on Jimmy and Opal with a dark background fitting the mysterious nature of the story.
It is nice to see a comic book that is fun for kids of all ages. Taking the cartoony style of a newspaper comic strip and adding some smart writing “Jimmy Brass” is a very enjoyable read. It is a great starter book for kids and it does not feature any inappropriate content. Those of you looking for something fun and light hearted or a book that can be shared with the kids then “Jimmy Brass” is a great choice. If you want fast-paced action or something darker then you will not enjoy this book. “Jimmy Brass: 2nd Grade Detective” is one indie book that hopefully will take off and gain popularity.
Final Verdict:
4 out of 5 – A great family friendly adventure