A reminder that illegal "deportations" have been going on in this country for over a hundred years.

I found it interesting, and the fact that I have seen similar stories but usually only featuring white characters (and with only one token POC if any) was really striking. I'm not really sure Michael was necessary, though maybe the contrast of there being a token white character made the parallels to the usual form clearer. I liked it, and I'll keep an eye out for Finnegan's work going forward.

The art is the biggest highlight of this comic. I loved the vintage style, the colors and the amount of detail. The storyline was interesting since the first page and I would love to continue reading and see what Calavera does when summoned again.

Occult noir comics are very on-brand for my review blog, and I certainly enjoyed this one. The vivid colors and broad shading creates a great noir atmosphere while also evoking old pulp covers. Make no mistake, this is absolutely a pulp story. The villainous duo and their plot is particularly dramatic and fits the theme nicely.

Finnegan also highlights how Mexican immigrants and Americans of Mexican descent have always been treated here, in times of prosperity as well as during national tragedies.

A solid read, and I’m looking forward to seeing what else Calavera gets up to.

A skeleton in a trench coat fits the noir beat of 1930s L.A., especially that he's resurrected for a quick and dirty case. Calavera, P.I. blends Chicano culture, Día de los Muertos mysticism, and pulp detective tropes into a stylish, supernatural crime comic with a lot of visual flair. The art is strong, and the setting refreshingly different for the genre.

But while the concept is killer, the execution is just okay. The plot moves fast but brings nothing really new, and the mystery never quite landing with the punch it promises. Characters, including Calavera himself, feel thin, but hey, that’s half the noir aesthetic. It’s all archetype and atmosphere, and if you’re into that, you’ll probably vibe. If not, you might be left wanting more meat on these bones. Solid concept, average delivery.

Comic with an unusual hero, a resurrected PI. Is he a ghost, a Skelton or something else - even he isn’t sure. But he comes as the result of a plea to save a kidnapped child. He feels the draw back behind death’s curtain, which doesn’t give him much time to solve the case. Mexican’s get a bad name a lot of the time, the nasty villains in so many comics and books. Calavera PI, whilst living and now in death maybe brings hope, and a small counter-weight to this, and the disreputable villains here are White. Thank you to ONI Press and NetGalley for the comic ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

What a fun noir western take on the PI genre. I hope there is more of this character in the future. The women aren't weak characters which is a plus, I enjoyed the old style art, and the tie-ins with some of the stories and film scripts from the universe.