'Spencer & Locke' by David Pepose with art by Jorge Santiago Jr. is a mini-series about a man and his imaginary childhood friend, fighting crime.

Imagine a certain boy and his imaginary tiger grew up. Imagine it's a panther instead of a tiger, and that the boy didn't have that great of a childhood. That man is Spencer. He fights crime on some pretty mean streets. When his high school sweetheart is found dead, he investigates the crime and finds out she had a daughter named Hero. Spencer helps the little girl, who understands all about imaginary friends. The clues that Spencer finds lead him to his father's criminal empire. Things are just not as they seem.

I wasn't sure about this story at first, but the homage bits really got to me. I liked the idea and the execution. The art was ok.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Action Lab, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

I really enjoyed reading this noir graphic novel. Calvin and Hobbes have grown up to be crime fighters. The art and the story are very good. Locke had a grim childhood and Spencer, his stuffed blue panther, was his only friend. Now he has grown up and is solving a murder from his old neighborhood. Spencer is still by his side. The story moves along quickly. The art really fits the story. Enjoy

This comic was a surprise for me as I honestly, wasn't expecting much BUT I thoroughly enjoyed the story and don't even get me started on Spencer! Think of it as Calvin and Hobbes except gritty, bloodier and more amazing!

Imagine Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes through the lens of Frank Miller’s dark worlds, and you have Spencer and Locke.

Locke is a hard-boiled police detective who has grown up with a drug-addicted mother and crime boss father. His only real friend, Spencer, is a stuffed blue panther who is now his partner on the force. Together they set out to solve the murder of an acquaintance from the old neighborhood. Of course, when your partner has a button for an eye and only speaks to you, things can go sideways pretty quickly.

Wattersonesque panels flashback to Locke’s less-than-idyllic childhood which makes for a jarring juxtaposition with the noir setting of his present-day existence. In this seedy world, sex, drugs, and violence abound, so I recommend it form adults and mature teens.

Imagine that the little boy from the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip grew up to be a detective and you're pretty much standing at the gates of Spencer and Locke.

Well... you would also have to imagine that the little guy had had a very difficult childhood, that his father was a world class scumbag, that his stuffed panther Spencer wasn't just his goodtime fun buddy but in many ways his only salvation from the bleakness that was a big part of those early years...

In other words, take Calvin and Hobbes and turn it sideways into something a bit more dark. Not as grim as it sounds - It's actually quite good!

Writer David Pepose describes it as "a parody, a black comedy, a hard-boileded noir drama" that somewhere along the way "became a story of redemption". I don't think I can really improve on that description.


***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this title

Imagine if Calvin & Hobbes grew up with an alcoholic mother and a absentee druglord father. This was kind of ingenious. Locke is now a police detective investigating the murder of an old flame. He sees his stuffed panther, Spencer, as his partner and together they investigate crimes. There are frequent flashbacks to Locke's childhood and they are all drawn with that Bill Waterson look. My only complaints were that the coloring was amatuerish at best and there are too many coincidental revelations in the last half of the book. They easily could have been spread over several stories. All at once, they felt soap opera-ish and forced.

I have to say this was an interesting comic, but not one where the approach proved a complete success. Having a cop fixated on his childhood to the extent he assumes his own one-eyed blue panther toy is his detective partner means a lot of it falls into the world of 'how is that supposed to make sense' - not so much the fact the panther doesn't help out at key times, but certainly when they dialogue with each other, and in part 3 when the cat narrates in the same font as Locke, you do wonder if it's not a little too bonkers and Freudian. The actual drama is interesting enough, but is too keen to introduce characters out of the blue that meant a lot more to Locke than they ever do to us, and he jumps to conclusions too successfully too often. The artwork is too brash and trashy for my taste, too, but I guess is only in keeping. All that probably makes it sound like a right bodged job, but it's not - I'd call it an 'interesting failure' but it's certainly above being a failure, and is definitely still worth a quick look.

Part noir thriller, part homage to comic classic Calvin & Hobbes, Spencer & Locke is a comic for grown ups who remember what it is to be a child, to need support when none was there.  Locke is Calvin as an adult, but this Calvin has a far more tragic history.  His Hobbes, a panther named Spencer, has accompanied him through an abusive childhood and is now his partner and fellow detective.  Locke may be delusional but his delusions work for him.

When an old flame is murdered, Locke and his partner Spencer have to dig in an unpleasant past to find a murderer and save a young girl.  Expect plenty of action - gunfights, car chases, etc..Also, you can expect plenty of images reminiscent of Bill Waterson, but somewhat darker, as Locke does what is necessary for him to cope, from late night wagon rides to boxes that may change everything.  It is a story that is at once tragic and empowering.  Spencer isn't a crutch, he’s a partner - a partner who is as real as Locke needs him to be.

Spencer & Locke is a solidly plotted noir comic that makes for an exciting read.  

4 / 5

I received a copy of Spencer & Locke from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

Our review was in our podcast, episode: http://www.krayzcomix.solitairerose.com/?p=1186

A detective with a—possibly—imaginary talking blue panther as a partner look to solve a murder and kidnapping. That’s all the plot that’s necessary.
There’s a flashback to the detective as a kid, getting smacked around by his mom. This is in comic strip form; if you’re familiar with a strip about a boy and his imaginary cat, you know how this looks. Locke says Spencer has idiosyncrasies; sure, what talking blue panther doesn’t? We’re told right away about Spencer’s “condition,” so we don’t have to wonder about it the rest of the way.
Now for the fun stuff.
“Captain’s Log, Stardate. . .” That came outta nowhere.
Want to have a science-fiction interlude? Feed your protagonist a multiple-drug overdose. I get the feeling that dinosaur is gonna drop on someone. . .
Turned out to be a surprisingly easy, quick read. I enjoyed it despite some plot holes, which is not an easy thing to say when there’s a giant blue talking panther walking around. The psychology, his motivation for becoming a cop, was well done.
The italics were surprisingly hard to read. As for the art, there’s gritty urban landscapes, not quite film noir but close, as well as bright cheery childhood interludes. During the science-fiction portion it’s bold pulp-comic color.
Each chapter has extras: cover gallery, character designs, script pages, and so on.
3.5 pushed up to 4/5

I thouroughly enjoyed this title. Calvin and Hobbes with a twist really. Detective Locke and imaginary friend/partner Spencer make a good team. As Locke comes to terms with his past, will their connection change?

Spencer and Locke is about a detective and his imaginary blue panther sidekick.

Excellent graphics and storyboard that is split into 4 issues. Lovely colours, especially in part #3 of the story.

Spencer and Locke are trying to discover who murdered Sophie Jenkins. As the trail unfolds, Sophie's daughter Hero gets kidnapped. Sadistic Stanley, after gentle persuasion, gives them a lead and off they dash to the Red Rose club. Locke thinks his father, Augustus Locke, a drug lord and killer is somehow connected to Sophie's death and the kidnapping of Hero. Can Spencer and Locke find out the truth? Can they save Hero from the evil kidnappers? Does Locke survive? You'll have to read to find out!

There are unanswered questions that arise once you have read this, but I am sure these conundrums will be resolved and answered in future issues of Spencer and Locke.

An enjoyable read.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy in return for my honest and unbiased review.

Ok. The idea of an imaginary partner (let alone a panther) is interesting and makes sense as a daily coping method for Locke. I was not expecting panels to reveal that Spencer is a stuffed animal. A psychological manifestation is one thing but an adult totting around a toy was just to much for me to take seriously...at first.

Oddly enough, Spencer worked. It's hard to explain but he was as real as a character manifestation one could make.

At all times Spencer only spoke to Locke. which made Locke like an idiot talking to a stuffed toy in the diner.
Spencer didn't participate when Locke put the boots to Stanley as he physically couldn't.
Spencer literally disappeared when Locke had to engage with the babysitter who traumatized him. The situation was too overwhelming for Locke to think of anything but fear.

Although it does get a bit fuzzy at times. Spencer finds Locke when they get separated. How I don't know as stuffies can't walk. Plus there's he part where Spencer and Sophie and a dead bad guy.

Sophie: I...I didn't know you were real.
Spencer: Oh, sweetheart...
I'll tell you the same thing I told your Dad...
I'll always be as real as you need me to be.

So yeah. I'm still wondering how "real" Spencer is but feel more secure with him as a character by the end of the volume.

The relationship between Spencer and Locke was sincere. True life long friends. It's no surprise Spencer exists as Locke had a devastating childhood. Locke needed someone to get by. Spencer is more just an imaginary friend who grew up with Locke. He's his police partner and trusts him on every level.

The conversations between Spencer and Locke are what you'd expect from people who've know each other for a long time. Pokes at personal faults, reminiscing of old times, concerns, reassurances... just regular day conversations. The dialogue is the main reason I kept reading as it is intricate, funny and heartbreaking.

Locke has a number of skeletons that I hope we go into details in future volumes.
- He killed his Mom (Why?)
- He recently kills his Dad (He was bad but why was he bad?)
- His Girl was killed (What was their history?)
- He had to protect his little girl (Why was she hidden? Why did Locke's dad not ever meet her prior?)

So many questions. I can't wait until volume 2 is released.

Trust me, this is worth reading past the diner scene.

Spencer and Locke is a grown up version of Calvin and Hobbes. Locke is a detective and his partner is a stuffed blue panther he has had with him since childhood called Spencer. There are flashbacks to when Locke was a child very similar to the other aforementioned comic. The story centres around discovering who murdered one of Locke's childhood friends and saving her kidnapped daughter. Definitely not aimed for young children with lots of violence, drugs and sexual innuendo. Not a bad story overall though.

Great story about a cop called Spencer and his partner who is a blue panther called Locke. The only problem is that Locke is a toy panther and only Spencer can see the live version of Locke. Or maybe Locke isn't real at all, but nevertheless the two of them form a dynamic crime busting team and they get the job done!

In this volume Spencer and Locke, break down doors and jaws as they search for the murderer of one of Spencer's childhood friends. Spencer might be a detective but he is ruthless when it comes to solving crime and he is not afraid of using fair means or foul, and with Locke along for the ride things get rather peculiar and very brutal.

This is an entertaining story with great characters. It has a nice balance of humour and darkness, past and present, all combined with action.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.Stanley and Locke

Great story about a cop called Spencer and his partner who is a blue panther called Locke. The only problem is that Locke is a toy panther and only Spencer can see the live version of Locke. Or maybe Locke isn't real at all, but nevertheless the two of them form a dynamic crime busting team and they get the job done!

In this volume Spencer and Locke, break down doors and jaws as they search for the murderer of one of Spencer's childhood friends Spencer might be a detective but he is ruthless when it comes to solving crime and he is not afraid of using fair means or foul and with Locke along for the ride things get rather peculiar and very brutal

This is an entertaining story with great characters. It has a great combination of past and present, and humour and darkness, and it overflows with action.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review

A tribute to Bill Watterson and Frank Miller, Spencer and Locke is a cross between Sin City and Calvin and Hobbes, where a young boy with a tormented past visualises his stuffed panther as a voice of reason and bodyguard in a cruel world. The graphic novel contains flashes of brilliance, it doesn't spoonfeed the reader answers and we must piece some puzzles together ourselves from the limited clues we've been given.
It didn't quite hit the 5 star mark but it is one of the more enjoyable comics I've read. I would have liked to have seen more detailed art, and there's a few story plots I just couldn't find believable; for example, if his mother is so abusive why does she bother getting him a baby sitter); there is others too but I don't want to ruin the story. Overall though, I'd really recommend it.