I’m not sure if it’s the art style that graphic novel arcs come in but it’s impossible to read this. I couldn’t tell the difference between characters and could barely see anything but the speech bubbles!! I was slightly interested in the concept because I normally love Joe Hill books but not being able to actually read the arc made my enjoyment levels bottom out lol

I expected so much more from Joe Hill in Dying is Easy. The plot was overused. The characters were forgettable. And I definitely won't waste my time reading any more of this series.

I went back to work a couple of weeks ago (and am now back home, haha), but I found in the mornings that if I didn’t drink my tea before leaving, it was HOURS before I was able to finish it. So, I started taking 20-30 mins. in the morning to sip my tea and read a comic. This is how I read the majority of this standalone graphic novel from Joe Hill.

Be prepared. This book is gritty. There’s murder, foul language, dead end comics, and subterfuge, but it’s an interesting mystery if you’re into that. Syd “Sh*t-Talk” Homes is an ex-cop turned cynical, stand-up comic. There’s not a TON of laughs in his stand-up, but as a form of therapy, I guess it’s better than drinking himself to death.

When his archnemesis, an up and coming comic who steals his materials from others winds up dead, it looks like Syd is holding the bag for murder. Just one thing, though. Syd didn’t do it. Clad only in what he can throw on before the cops bust in, Syd heads out into the gritty streets to find Dixon’s real killer, and true to mystery form, it may not be who you think.

This isn’t my favorite Joe Hill comic, but let’s be honest, will anything ever be better by anyone that Locke & Key. Seriously, it’s the actual best. However, the art is solid, the characters are unlikeable and layered, and it’s a fast ride full of twists and turns. It’d be great for a rainy, fall afternoon on the couch, and I found myself not wanting to leave for work, not just because I didn’t want to go, but because I wanted to read the next issue.

Speaking of that awesome, rainy fall afternoon, this one is out on October 20th, so if, like me, you’ll also be spending the fall at home because people can’t wear masks and stay away from each other, add this one to the stay home and read TBR pile.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. Former disgraced cop decides his new lease on life begins under the not-so-bright lights of a local comedy club/bar called The Funnies. The only problem is people don’t exactly find Syd Homes funny. His brand of black humor, largely culled from his days as a cop, isn’t exactly the type of light fare most patrons at a comedy club are looking for. A fellow comedian at the club, Carl Dixon, is showing signs of climbing the ladder of success, however. Thanks to a sexual relationship with an influential producer, he has landed a spot on a late-night talk show and a bit role in a very popular sitcom. Dixon is not exactly well-liked by others at the comedy club, though, as they are upset by his tendency to steal their jokes. But jokes may not be the only things he’s stealing. Dixon is making enemies left and right. When he winds up dead outside the comedy club, all signs point to our (anti)hero Syd Homes. With a gaggle of former coworkers from his old police department gunning for him and a bevy of felons he’s put behind bars licking their chops to share a cell with him, can Syd outrun the long arm of the law long enough to find the true killer and prove his innocence?

Author Joe Hill steps out of his typical genre comfort zone to deliver an expertly crafted fair-play mystery. His modern take on Sherlock Holmes (Syd “Shit-Talk” Homes—see what Hill did there?) is topped off with heavy helpings of hardboiled and crime thriller goodness. (And surprisingly funny black humor. Maybe Joe Hill has a second career on stage?) The neon/noir, scratchy art by Martin Simmonds (with color assists by Dee Cunniffe) perfectly matches the tone of the book. Though the style sometimes makes it hard to tell what exactly is happening or whom it is happening to, many will love its unique nature.

It is always nice to see more graphic novels like this stretch beyond the superhero-driven heart of the medium. While this book may not appeal to those lovers of the tights-wearing set, fans of traditional whodunnits and crime thrillers will find much to enjoy here.

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

People see what they want to see.

That seems to be the central theme of Joe Hill's "Dying is Easy," but it's a theme that doesn't make itself apparent until near the end of the story. The characters are vivid and dynamic, very much coming alive and taking up their own spaces, making their own decisions in this story. For me, the solution to the whodunnit mystery came very easy and early merely based on their reactions and the answer to the old question: Who benefits?

My biggest issue here was transitions. Moving from place to place, character to character, or theme to theme was often awkward, making me flip back to see if I'd somehow missed a page. Perhaps this story needed a couple extra issues to flesh out these moments, because it seemed like Hill was cutting transition points to hit his page counts.

Not a bad whodunnit, but not a great one, either. Very skippable.

Based on my experience reading this, I'd say a better title is "Writing a good detective story is hard." This was terrible and it is a real surprise, because Joe Hill has shown himself to be a better than average writer in most circumstances. But this was just bad. Coupled with not the greatest art ever seen in a graphic novel, I'd have to give this a "not recommended."

In a small little Easter egg in a scene within a pawn shop, Hill and Simmonds reference their predecessors in the world of crime-noir comics, Brubaker and Phillips. In many regards, the rest of the comic feels like it could fit in the same universe of hard-luck characters found in Criminal. In Dying is Easy, the love-to-hate protagonist is Syd Homes, an ex-cop turned comedian. Half of the police force hates him, half of the cons in lock-up blame him, and almost no one at The Funnies laughs at his stand-up routine. When a fellow up-and-coming comedian ends up dead, right after Syd has had a public fight with him, Syd is the prime suspect. Syd is going to have to connect the dots to find out who actually did it, since practically everyone had one reason or another to want to see Carl Dixon dead. When Syd flees the cops, readers are in for a wild goose-chase of following the leads, even if that starts with Syd climbing out his apartment window shoeless. Simmonds bright colors (night club neon, police car lights, and an endless parade of garish outfits) somehow work well in bringing this book' to life. The character visual design mesh well with Hill's memorable cast: comedians, TV producers, ex-wives, and pawn shop owners. This was a memorable and worthy next comic from the author of Locke & Key.