My thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for an advance copy of this graphic novel featuring a hero who even death can not hold back, as he tries to find the missing child of a person who meant much to him in life.

I discovered pulp fiction at an early age, getting copies of the Shadow and Doc Savage books buy the bagful at my local library book sales. From these it was a small hop into the world of private detectives, those knight errants who walked the bad streets doing bad things for good reasons. Again I was a huge fan. The stories, the violence, the cool, even the dames as women have been a mystery to me most of my life. As I got older one could see that pulp novels though done quickly for cash, sometimes told more about the world than other forms of entertainment, even the media. The steady show of corruption. Cops brutalizing people for their own reasons, going after criminals if they weren't being paid off. The failure of society to take care of a certain segment, a segment that called on the private detective to help them. As one sees nothing has really changed, people still sell out, cops protect those in power, corruption is the system. I just hope we still have heroes to keep up the fight, like the main character in this book, who even death can stop when an important case comes up. Calavera, P.I. is written and illustrated by Marco Finnegan and tells of a man of the people who returns to the world of the living when to help his friends and their family from an evil that will destroy everything.

Juan Calavera is known as a man of the people, a protector of the Chicano people in Los Angles from criminals and cops alike. In 1925 Juan Calavera died, shot while trying to help someone, and leaving a legacy that his friends kept alive. In 1930 one of Calavera's associates is threatened and her son kidnapped. The only demand is that Juan Calavera deal with them. The day however is the Day of the Dead, and somehow through divine intervention or prayer, Juan Calavera is returned to life, though without skin on his face. Much has changed in five years. The Depression is wrecking the country, racial strife is running high, and the prominent feeling is that getting rid of the undesirables will make America great again. Added to this is s mysterious figure who seems to understand that Juan Calavera is not alive, but with a thirst for revenge that even death can't tame.

A really good story. I like the added supernatural aspect, which adds to the story, along with the numerous historical details that really give the story a good strong setting. Most detective books deal with people doing evil things. Why wouldn't this evil be demonic in someway. The writing is very good, with a lot unsaid, the relationship between Juan Calavera and his associate, along with the parentage of her child. Why and how Calavera came back, is not explained, which gives a little bit of fable or urban myth to the tale, which again adds to it. I liked the art quite a bit. The Mike Mignola influence is strong, but Finnegan is an artist completely of his own, and the story reflects that. The characters are well drawn, the colors are muted, and really help advance the story. Quite a lot of fun, and a story that is far more topical than I expected.

Thank you to NetGalley for my Advanced Reader's Copy of this book.

Looking for a noir PI detective novel set in the 20s and 30s? Do you also like some fantasy thrown in? Maybe some vengeance? Then this is the book for you. A quick read and very enjoyable. I highly recommend.

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.