Flipping through a fall Holt catalog recently, I came across the book you see above. Now I may enjoy the occasional graphic novel, but I do not actively seek them out. In fact, I usually speed by them in stores and catalogs, but something about Britten and Brulightly made me stop.
It wasn't just the unusual but well-played partnership of depressed private detective Britten with a teabag named Brulightly (as in "brew lightly").
It wasn't just the nuanced and moody illustrations that so successfully evoke Britten's isolation and depression after following the world's unfaithful lovers about as occupation. Notice the image of the detective's head hanging down into a permanent slouch above.
It wasn't just the spot-on and often hilarious treatment of the femme fatale in distress as she chain smokes her way through the mystery uttering one foul-mouthed invective after another. Or the darkly humorous descriptions of her - "Gliding serenely past the troubled clientele she looked how I imagine a swan might if it were on lithium."
It wasn't just the overall quality of the design - the oversized edition with the thick pages, the full page illustrations that transport one to the grey domain of the constantly wet, the glossy image of Britten standing out from the matte background of the cover.
It was everything about this graphic novel that comes together to amuse and capture the imagination including the excellent writing. A novel that begins, "As it did every morning with spiteful inevitability the sun rose," offers no promise of redemption or salvation. Britten navigates the muddy waters of blackmail, revenge and murder in search of some higher truth that will free him of himself. But is that possible in this brilliantly executed work? Or does it even matter? Classic noir murder mystery infused with black humor and made gorgeous with detailed illustrations of great artistry. Loved it.
Update: Check out this link on the Macmillan site for high resolution, full page views.
