I am a gigantic fan of James Robinson. And I had no idea that he had a new comic on sale from Dark Horse called Los Monstruos.
The plot feels like a typical 1950's, film noir, PI mystery. Except this time, the story takes place in a city populated by monsters.
Perry Cutter is a former cop and private investigator. He also happens to be a werewolf. We first meet him has he is tracking down a kidnapped vampire child who has been taken by a merman. If all of that sound strange, it is. But I have to say that Robinson and artist Jesus Merino make it work.
Back in the 1990's, Robinson wrote a series for Malibu comics called Firearm about a PI named Alec Swan. He was a regular guy who constantly got pulled into cases with people with superpowers. Reading Los Monstruos, I got the flavor of that comic once again. Robinson has a knack for creating engaging environments and leading us through a main character's inner monologue.
From what I have been able to piece together from the exposition, people like these classic monsters helped FDR win World War II. As a reward, they were given a city of their own where they wouldn't be disturbed. And here they built a civilization that seems very normal except for their supernatural traits. This reminds me of one of my favorite Alan Moore comics: Top Ten, where the entire city was made up of superpowered people.
The main story of this 4-issue mini series seems to revolve around a case that Perry gets from an old human who comes to Los Monstruos. His story is that when he was young, his girlfriend was a pretty vampire girl who wanted to turn him. But he turned her down. Now that he is old, he wants Perry to track her down so he can have closure. As with any good mystery, I'm sure there is more to the story, which is something I find intriguing.
Robinson only has four issues to world-build and tell a compelling character narrative. But I think he can do it. This type of story is definitely in his wheelhouse. Merino's art compliments the 1950's aesthetic and makes me want to spend time soaking in the details on the page.
There was a lot crammed into that first issue, but it definitely has me excited to see what happens next.
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