Murder Mysteries, a famous short story by author Neil Gaiman, became a graphic novel at the hands of artist Craig P. Russell in years past. Thanks to Darkhorse Press, this classic tale of what it means to experience humanity has now returned to print. Abandoned in Los Angeles due to inclement weather abroad, an unnamed man leaves the house of a forgotten lover and finds himself smoking a cigarette alongside a strange man. The man asks only for a cigarette. In payment for the cigarette, he tells the young man of a murder in heaven, and of the struggle of an angel to discover a murderer in a place where the concept of murder did not exist before.
Gaiman’s short story is a breathtaking work using the beauty of heaven and the horror of certain concepts that men (and likely heavenly creatures) have a difficult time truly comprehending. Craig P. Russell converts the story into a script beautifully, and gives the reader a well-illustrated, albeit not traditional, view of heaven and its host. The work is strongly written and illustrated.
The classic work returns to the world via Darkhorse Press, giving a new audience the chance to really enjoy the work of Gaiman and the adaptation and art skills of Russell. The reprint of Murder Mysteries is available from Dark Horse Press May 27th.