TITLE: SPENCER & LOCKE #1
PUBLISHER: Action Lab
WRITER: David Pepose
ILLUSTRATOR: Jorge Santiago, Jr.
COLORS: Jasen Smith
LETTERS: Colin Bell
EDITOR: Nicole D’Andria
COVER: Jorge Santiago, Jr.
VARIANT COVER: Maan House
CONVENTION VARIANT COVER: Joe Mulvey
PRICE: $3.99
RATING: 
WEBSITE: ActionLabComics.com
SUMMARY: What if Calvin and Hobbes grew up in Sin City? SPENCER & LOCKE follows Detective Locke, who returns to the scene of his horrific upbringing when his grade-school sweetheart, Sophie Jenkins, is found dead in a lonesome back alley. But when Locke’s investigation dredges up menacing figures from his traumatic past, there’s only one person he can trust to help him close the case — his childhood imaginary panther, Spencer.
COMMENTS: I know they were thinking of Frank Miler’s Sinn City for the crime drama part of the story but I get more of a Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs feeling.
When it comes to the funny animal part, it sure as hell is Calvin and Hobbes. Jorge Santiago, Jr. does a great job imitating the style of Bill Watterson in Calvin and Hobbes sections. OK, so there are differences from Calvin and Hobbes, instead of being a 6″ tall tiger, Spencer is a 6″ tall panther. Also, Calvin had a nice childhood, while Locke is the victim of child abuse, and what’s more fun then seeing a mother beat the shit out of her child drawn in a Calvin and Hobbes style, well maybe it’s seeing a cute fluffy stuffed animal take a bloody bite out of a gazelles.
When the story shifts from kid and imaginary friend to buddy cop movie we have a murder mystery that hits close to home. Seeing Detective Locke deal with his life time of baggage is compelling and the Calvin and Hobbes stuff is both cute and weird at the same time. It’s an odd ball mixed genre comic that’s mixes funny animal comics with crime comics and it’s from Action Lab’s Danger Zone so it’s not intended for children. As an adult I found SPENCER & LOCKE different, refreshing and I can’t wait to see what happens next. You will love this comic!
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