Sometimes it is somewhat overwhelming the vast amounts of small press titles on the market today. Every month you can spend a huge amount of time pouring through Previews, and see a vast array of titles from publishers you have never heard of, from a wide array of genres.

Another striking thing about all of the small press books on the market today is that good or bad, there are very few superhero books among them. Sure you will see one or two, but the vast majority are stories that fall well outside the realm of the “superhero genre.”

Yet on occasion, you still see protestations of readers upset with the alleged dominance of the superhero genre in comics. If you look at sales figures, this is the case- but it is something that is not the fault of Marvel, DC, or any of the other top publishers out there today.

Sure the vast majority of Marvel titles do feature superheroes, but Marvel sells what people buy, like any industry leading company would. Clearly most people want to buy the very thing that some readers feel has an unfair stranglehold on the market.

Again, the argument comes full circle, right back to the small press. Here is where you will find your horrors, your mysteries, your dramas and crime stories- as long as you are willing to display a little patience and a willingness to sample a book without a certain logo on the cover.

You may remember a few weeks ago that I covered another Moonstone title, the Silencers. I was impressed enough with that book to want to check out another of their titles, and I am glad I did. Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons was an even more enjoyable read, and if possible, a better written story.

Cast of Characters

Mr. Keen, as the title might suggest, is something of a detective who specializes in finding people. He is extremely selective about his clientele, often employing a very rigorous screening process to decide if a person deserves his services. Contrary to what you might expect from a “noir” detective like this, Mr. Keen is not a downtrodden guy who is down to his last penny and drinks way too much. He is a very self-confident, private man who makes every effort to be totally professional at all times.

Ninette is a young French girl who sought to employ Mr. Keen to track down Lucien Denali, to take vengeance on him for the death of her sister. Ninette, to avoid spoiling parts of the story, has certain “eccentricities” that make her something of an unpredictable ally and client to Mr. Keen.

Mike Clancy, Mr. Keen’s assistant, usually takes part in the screening of his clients prior to allowing a meeting. He is much rougher around the collar than his more refined employer, and acts as muscle when needed. He has a vicious scar across his head, which makes him immediately recognizable when on panel.

Thoughts

The name Mr. Keen may be familiar to some of you – the character could originally be found in a somewhat mainstay radio drama that started back in 1937. Of course, instead of a bumbling, hunched, elderly white man, this new incarnation of Mr. Keen is a self-assured, young back man that has been described by the writer as a soft-spoken cross between Samuel L. Jackson and Avery Brooks.

Moonstone resurrected the character, along with several others, as part of their new “Moonstone Noir” imprint last year. Mysterious Traveler is a notable example. Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons is a three part mini series that could almost certainly lead to future minis or graphic novels.

To begin with – the story is extremely well told. Justin Gray has weaved together a fantastic noir story, chock full of foreshadowing an allusion. It is a well thought-out piece, and I found myself enjoying it a lot more the second time through. As most good detective stories go, the real mystery is not so much who the villain is, rather, what motivates the characters involved in the story. As details are revealed, the reader will find themselves slapping themselves on the forehead, wondering why they did not figure that part out sooner. I found this to be true throughout this story.

The book is artistically stunning as well. Rather than a simple black and white book, the title is presented in gray tones, which allows for a much more vivid artistic rendering. Lee Ferguson, who has worked on some Marvel books in the pat (like the Chamber 4 issue mini), is just important to this storytelling process as Gray is. Almost everything you need to know about Ninette is explained artistically (if in a metaphorical fashion) in the first several images of the series.

Bottom Line

Each and everyone out there who has ever thought that it was not right that superhero books dominate the market as they do owe it to yourselves to check out this title, or others like it. Numbers wise, there are far more non-hero books out there, they just do not happen to sell as well. There is a wide array of other genres out there, books that are high quality like Mr. Keen. I have to ask, does it really matter whether or not it says Marvel on the cover or not?

Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons #1 is currently available. The release date of #2 is a bit sketchy – it is either already out, or will come out in the next couple of weeks (I am sorry, but I found conflicting information). In any case, all of this issues are available to order from your local comic store or online at Moonstonebooks.com.

Credit Where Credit is Due –

Post your comments in the Forum!