Where the Body Was

Where the Body Was takes place on a street in a town. People are living their separate but interconnected lives- their stories overlapping and almost touching- and then there is a dead body on the street. There's a mystery, for sure, but the real meat of the book is the tale of these people and their lives.

I loved the heck out of this. I read it in less than an hour and I think I'm going to read it a couple more times before it expires. Brubaker and Phillips have been working together for years and years and it really shows. There's a beautiful flow to this story and the art and writing play off one another perfectly. The character work is great- with just enough backstory and flash forward to give you a feel for who these people are.

Highly recommended!

Where the Body Was

Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips (Artist), Jacob Phillips (Artist)

Blurb

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, bestselling creators of PULP, RECKLESS, and CRIMINAL, are back with a new original graphic novel that readers will be obsessed with… A boarding house full of druggies. A neglected housewife. A young girl who thinks she’s a superhero. A cop who wants to be left alone. And a Private Detective looking for a runaway girl. These stories collide one fateful summer in WHERE THE BODY WAS, a tale of love and murder in the suburbs, told from a dozen different points of view. All the neighbors on the block have an opinion about the murder and how it happened, but which of them is telling the truth? WHERE THE BODY WAS is a tour-de-force from grandmasters Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Starting with a map of the crime scene, this murder mystery follows the ripples of this killing as they echo through decades of love and loss and passion and violence. Like a true crime podcast crossed with a long-lost diary, WHERE THE BODY WAS is unlike anything Brubaker and Phillips have ever done, and a must-have for all their avid fans! (Goodreads, n.d)

True Crime

Are you a true crime fan? It’s a genre which has taken over the world. It is probably hard to find a person, who hasn’t heard of Jack the Ripper, or delved, down a rabbit hole in a podcast, TV show, docuseries or film. Where the Body Was will give you your true crime fix, in the form of a graphic novel. Intrigue, mystery and all in the suburbs of America. It’s told from different characters perspectives. The superhero kid was amusing, much more effective than the nosy neighbour. Instead of doing what her elders did not, she acts. The story flashes back to the future and the crushing reality was sometimes quite sad.

“I was such a sad kid.”

The words of a future adult.

I enjoyed the interruptions to the story. It was very unique, as though we were actually watching a true crime series, and not reading. It was immersive, but I suppose that’s a nod to the genre itself.

The ghouls that we all are, the true crime books, films, podcasts have got the formula down to a T, and it works here in a comic. You always find recreations of ‘murders, robberies’ etc, distasteful, but not here. Because the imagination and art thrives.

Everyone’s got a secret to hide, and gossip is like a drug to humans, that’s why reality TV, magazines flourish in our generation and why we can’t get enough of rumours, secrets and tabloid newspapers.

Story

The intricacies of life are laid bare in this graphic novel. I can’t say anymore, or I will spoil the story for you. But, sure some elements are true clichés, but what is a cliché? Do they hold some truth? Clichés may exist, because although there are so many of us alive today, we all generally live similar lives. Mortgage, family, work, death. We all ride the same rollercoaster, so it’s unsurprising we feel similar things on the ride.

Art

The art was very nostalgic, really taking you back thirty plus years. I enjoyed the pastel colours and the details were superb. The story worked along with it and it did read like something you would be listening to. The characters each had their eccentricities which made them feel unique. Like Palmer and his badge, the girl and her costume, I enjoyed her dialogue entries too, which were torn pages from a journal. It was the little details that added up which show you the care put into this graphic novel.

Final Thoughts

You will keep asking yourself, who did it? But then you’ll ask the second question, what did they do?

It’s an interesting story and one for any fans of true crime.

References

1. Goodreads, (n.d) Where the Body Was. Accessed via: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/168386479-where-the-body-was

This graphic novel was so good! I absolutely loved all the characters and their interconnected stories. This was really a book about imperfections, perceptions of people, and secrets which I loved. I cannot wait to check out other graphic novels by these authors. Also a very quick read.

This was such a good read! The mystery of the murder comes second in this graphic novel, but the intrigue around the neighbourhood and its inhabitants keeps you as interested as about the murder. Would read more of Brubaker and Phillips'!

Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC of this text.

This true crime graphic novel was more about the lives of people who live on the same street in the 80s, rather than the murder itself. That doesn't mean this is a bad thing though. It was very interesting to read about the interactions and their thoughts much later in the future.

The artwork was good, nothing amazing though.

A nice quick read for those who want to see lives intercepting each other, with a little mystery built in.

Where the Body Was is the story of what happened on Pelican Road in the Summer of 1984. Told through interviews with dozens of participants, witnesses, or bystanders. Bit by bit we learn about the hidden lives and choices that led to a body on the sidewalk and its disappearance. As Brubaker states in the afterword: "I like titles that mean more than one thing. This one means several things to me. it's about the mystery, but also about the past and nostalgia and memory and loss."

We begin with a map, the provided key noting 9 important locations. We're then given our 9 member cast of main characters, a full name for each with a key description. (For example Tommy Brandt is described as "Juvenile Delinquent"). The narrative begins with location #3 on the map, the Boarding House, and details it's history from construction to Summer 1984 where an argument between a young couple spirals into a first fight that is broken up by a man with a badge. This action leads to an extramarital affair and introduces the neighborhood and its cast. From there we learn of their summer adventures, jobs, lives and for some of them, how they learned or reacted to the bodies appearance and disappearance.

The interviews really make this novel. They allow the stories to unfold from multiple, specific viewpoints. But because they are held well after the Summer of 1984 the cast are able to talk with new levels of understanding, beyond their immediate reactions or youthful life experience. While many of them were young, how they look back on the events differs especially when it comes to naming the murderer.

Brubaker and Phillips have been collaborators for years, and the strength of their relationship is on full display here showing that they know how best to combine their talents. This is a wonderful stand alone story, a great way to introduce readers to their works.

Brubaker and Philips deliver again. This is a well-paced, well-executed crime story set in the early 1980's. Like past collaborations, this was very cinematic with occasional 'direct-to-camera' present-day updates from central characters and hints at the ending from the very first page. Highly recommended.

Amazing! Brubaker does it again. Always been a fan of his work and he never fails to tell a compelling story. Wonderful.

Once again the talents of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips shine bright in this nostalgia-noir thriller. Set in the Summer of 1984 on a decrepit block in a nameless California town this book tells a sordid yet compelling story the lives and fates of its large caste of characters converge on one traumatic event. The distinguishing feature of this book is its constantly changing and evolving point of view as it jumps from one character to another across multiple times. The resulting tale is riveting and the final reveal comes with a few twists that will keep even the most jaded fans guessing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Image Comics, for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I can’t think of anything I haven’t loved by this team, and this is no exception. Just great storytelling and art as always.

A tight, well-crafted crime novella. Brubaker and Phillips take a fairly bog-standard who-dunnit and inject enough of their own sensibilities and craftsmanship to make it seem fresh.

I’ve loved the graphic novels from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, so I jumped at the chance to read their forthcoming volume, Where the Body Was. It’s another outstanding book.

Taking place on one single block in a small town, the book isn’t so much about the death that occurs as much as it is about how the various lives of the imperfect residents intersect. I just loved how their past and present lives were represented. The story is simple, yet powerful, and the artwork is excellent as always. Very enjoyable.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of Where the Body Was.

I've never read anything from Brubaker/Phillips before but this was really good, very retro, read like a good old crime novel.

I really liked the use of interviews with the characters to develop the story and the switch in perspective really works, I usually struggle with that. I particularly liked how there's lots of mystery and then everything sort of comes together slowly, and the final reveal was good. Overall pretty solid!

ARC courtesy of NetGalley.

I’ve always loved Ed Brubakers work, and here with Sean Phillips they’ve created a fabulous mystery centred around a body.
I loved the artwork so realistic and gritty. The story was really good, moving in circles around a body of a man, in a street, and backwards and forwards in time. The twist at the end was excellent!
Great read 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars.

Another great noir graphic novel from Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips. These are always great, with great characters and story (and pacing). #WheretheBodyWasgraphicnovel #NetGalley

This was my first by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips but surely won't be my last. What a great read. 5 stars!!

I've loved the partnership between Brubaker & Phillips for a while now and once again they've knocked it out the park.

This whodunnit told in a format reminiscent of true crime documentaries or podcasts comes to life though Phillips artwork.

Getting to know the residents of the street slowly, with humour and mystery sprinkled in the interviews, was an interesting story telling device.

I enjoyed the way they told the approach they took to the reveal of the body and also the other main drama on the street - which I won't reveal for spoilers but I did not see it coming.

I was so immersed in this story that even though I went to sleep straight after reading it I dreamt I was living on the street and these people were actually my neighbours.

I didn’t realize this was a graphic novel until I downloaded it. I am not well versed in this genre of novel but what a pleasant surprise! It did not disappoint.

The illustrations/comic strips were very entertaining and added details to the story that may be missed in the written words/captions.

The character development was solid while the story moved at a quick pace that kept me engaged as the story unfolded.
4 ⭐️’s

Where the Body Was covers on summer in a town, helpfully displayed with a map at the start of the book, filled with neighbors with secrets. There's a child who wants to be a superhero, a veteran living in the woods, a runaway teen, a woman out of love with her husband, a private investigator, and a few others. Over one summer, these disparate people collide and their actions culminate in a dead body found. The book alternates between the perspectives of the characters as they reminisce about the summer.

Brubaker and Phillips are obviously masters of the graphic novel, and Where the Body Was is no exception. The alternative perspectives combined with the characters telling the story through their own memories made for a unique spin on what could have easily been an ordinary crime story. It works as a great twist on a modern true crime tale. Even with its large cast of characters, the book is engaging and I found it hard to put down until its final satisfying reveal.

Thank you to NetGalley and Image Comics for a copy of Where the Body Was in exchange for an honest review.

Brubaker and Phillips team up once again and tell the story of the summer of 1984 on Pelican Street. The summer a body was found in the street mid-day.

Hardly a sleepy street, summer of 1984 the street was plagued by daytime robberies, a vacated house with a revolving list of drug-users, an eleven-year-old sleuth and so much more.

Told in an interview style, residents give their recollections of the summer everything went down in this fascinating graphic novel.

I really liked this graphic novel. I liked getting to see the different perspectives and retellings of what went happened during the time frame being spoken about. I also like that we got to see what really happened in regards to the mystery without the complication that comes with human perception.

This was excellent!

The artwork was perfect for this story. The story is set in a neighbourhood that could be anywhere with anywhere people, just a regular suburban couple of streets, but it isn’t regular because one afternoon a body appears on the street and then it disappears. We are then taken into the lives of the ordinary neighbours because one of them or even some of them knew who this man was and why he was killed.

As we go behind the doors of these seemingly ordinary homes we are introduced to the grit, the games and the gambles of lives next door. The way the story comes together, builds up and delivers is superb.

Well worth it and one of my best reads of 2023.

Copy provided by Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.

Mystery noire comic writing at its best. This book was superb. It’s hard to even write a a review without simply saying go get it now.

The ever reliable team of Brubaker and Phillips gives us another gorgeous and entertaining read... this time drifting away from straight up crime to something a little more evocative of Brubaker's early LOWLIFE work as we bounce between a number of average people on a suburban street. Which isn't to say that nothing happens... or that those people are anything less than fascinating.

It loses a star for some unconvincing dialogue and a strong sense of familiarity in some of the characters. While they -- and the story -- are engaging, you sometimes get a sense of people emerging from other works of fiction. Not exactly derivative, but less than surprising.

If there's one thing you can trust Ed Brubaker with, it's a crime story that doesn't use women as objects. That's why I keep coming back, and he never disappoints, not with his plots or his commitment to making every character feel nuanced and real.

In this graphic novel, a neighborhood's secrets all come to a head one summer, and this is the confessional of its residents years after the fact. Unlike other authors, Brubaker doesn't make you work out whodunnit for yourself even when the story would close naturally without the reveal. It's a better story for putting the answer on the page (and I like the little warning, so you could skip it if you wanted).

Sean Phillips's art is always stunning, and I love how he portrays the sex in this book–explicit but not gratuitous.

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips are as solid a creative team as exists in modern comics. Their graphic novels are always on point, and “Where the Body Was” is no exception. The way it goes from the Past to the Present is masterfully done and all of the characters hold your interest. It’s a stand alone crime story so it’s easy to give to a person who might not be familiar with Brubaker and Phillips’s past crime work. I was hooked from the first page. Highly recommended.

DEVOURED this in one sitting. What a comic. Dark and mysterious, but with a cosy, suburban twang. Really gorgeous illustrations and colouring too. Really loved it.

This graphic novel depicts sex, drugs, and violence in the typical way. If you like Ed Brubaker novels you will like this. I thought the story a little discombobulated as I was reading but things did get tied up and come together at the end. Several stories going on at the same time some seedy and some very innocent. They did not really seem to jive. They did somewhat merge at the end.

"Where the Body Was" cleverly hooks its readers with a true crime narrative with memorable, interesting characters, only to tell a more nuanced story about life, love, memories, relationships, and the past. This was a truly great reading experience.

Haven’t read a Brubaker and Phillips in a bit. Enjoyed it. Has the noir sense but also tells a story of youth from those looking back. Some sweetness to it.

I was given a copy by Netgalley .
Opinions are my own.

Where The Body Was
By Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillip
Thank you to Netgally for a copy for an honest review
I found this graphic novel interesting, the grapiced novel follows a group of people living on dead-end street of Pelican Road in the summer of 1984.
The artwork is good and the story is interesting.
This is the first time I have read by the team of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillip and I am interested in reading more from the two.
Rating: 4 Stars

Another Ed Brubaker hit! The intertwined story elements of this comic are really what make it, following the same storyline from different point of views and seeing the different realities each of the characters is actually really living in.

A story about the lives of people living on Pelican Road in a seemingly typical suburban neighbourhood. The story is an unravelling mystery centring on a dead man, told from multiple points of view which eventually come together in an explosion.

I wasn't sure about it at first, before I got to know all the characters and their situations. The art is good if not particularly original or striking, but the totally unnecessary explicitness of the sex scenes was very off-putting, especially as they were framed in a male gazey way. I almost stopped reading, but I'm glad I persevered.

Each of the characters won me over. They were all likeable and sympathetic, including serious flaws and contrasts which made them feel real and human. I became invested in their stories. The narrative unfolds steadily and was continually engaging. I loved how all the puzzle pieces fit together, with information being revealed at the perfect pace. I enjoyed the framing device of moving back and forth in time, character moving between 3rd person narration and telling their own stories to an unnamed narrator. The comic did a fantastic job of weaving themes of time, nostalgia, and the good and negative aspects of romantic love through the story. I was moved by endings, seeing how each of the character's lives played out.

Ultimately, I found the porn distracting, but not enough to ruin what is really a beautiful story with great characters. I want to read more by these creators. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

I am an Ed Brubaker fan. I can’t remember the last time I read something by him that I didn’t enjoy.
I like his superhero comics quite a lot.
I love his crime comics even more.
Where the Body Was takes place in a small neighborhood during one Summer. Its cast of characters was a motley crew. A bored housewife, a police detective, a kid who thinks she’s a superhero among others. Most of them had secrets. All of them had a part to play in the events that ended in a death.
The story was well crafted and kept a great pace.
Sean Phillips on art is always a great thing to see.
If you’ve never read anything by Brubaker and Phillips, this would be an excellent introduction to their work. It is a one and done story instead of a long running series.

Good illustrations. I liked the way I was led through the murder. Will definitely recommend it to my friends and colleagues.

Where the Body Was is a compelling and intriguing murder mystery presented in comic form by some of the most revered artists in the game. Set in the eighties, the house at the end of Pelican Road was once owned by newlyweds Louise and Henry Robbins before becoming a boarding house that attracted students, beatniks and hippies. Then they both passed away and a legal battle ensued and soon down-and-outers began using it to take drugs and play loud music. Enter (Detective) Palmer Sneed who sees the thugs off with great aplomb. Palmer is sleeping with bored housewife of the street Toni Melville who finds excitement by cheating on her miserable, inattentive husband. We then meet Vietnamese Lila Nguyen who as an eleven-year-old dressed as a superhero and roller-skated around the neighbourhood returning escaped canines to their worried owners, feeding the homeless and spying on anyone who looked suspicious. We hear from Sam Walker, the manager of the liquor store where Palmer used to work; he claims Palmer was never a cop. Palmer admits to stealing his father's detective badge from his coffin right before burial and unintentionally ending up using it in certain situations. It made people respect him more and also attracted Toni.

We also meet several other residents of the street who share a little about their lives with us. Then one afternoon in early September, Lila happens upon the dead body of private investigator Jack Foster in the middle of the street. He had claimed to have been snooping around lately trying to track down a missing teenager, but no one really knew whether that was the truth or not. Sneed had seen the body and felt if he didn't hide it then when the neighbours mentioned a cop living in the vicinity during police canvassing he would be caught for impersonating a police officer. Oh, how one deception leads to some even greater ones down the line. Dr Ted Melville had returned home to find wife Toni in bed with Palmer and had taken a shot at him with a pistol; he had planned on murdering his wife and making it look like a psychotic patient, homeless Ranko, had carried it out, however, Tommy Brandt and Karina Lane had been burgling the Melville house when the doctor came home to carry out the deed and so witnessed everything from the safety of the closet. You'll have to read it if you wish to find out who killed the P.I. and how the neighbours on the street fared after the drama was over.

This marks only the second comic/graphic story I have ever read, and from what I can gather about Image Comics and their roster of storytellers/artists as well as how compelling I have found said crime caper to be, I don't think I could've chosen a better publisher to properly introduce me to the genre. The inhabitants of Pelican Road are a fascinating bunch each with their own trials and tribulations with each coming across as very human. Each person seems to have an uncanny knack for attracting full-scale drama. Full of mystery and suspense, the story builds as it progresses and you try to work out where all the puzzle pieces fit. There is also plenty of attention given to the notions of nostalgia, bildungsroman, memory, love, loss and allusions to the past being a foreign country. A lot of this story is true, including some of the crazier parts which is wild but not entirely surprising given what we know about humans and human nature. Many different stories commingle and overlap on one street and the map at the front is a nice touch as is the cast of character pictures. We follow where they go, what they care about, and what secrets they keep. You can feel a lot of heart and soul went into creating the street, the characters and a fully rounded story, and that makes it a joy to read.

A delightfully pulpy graphic novel full of overlapping stories about the residents of a single street, "Where the Body Was" is enticing from the very first page. It read like watching a car crash happen in slow motion. As all the interwoven dramas and scandals play out around each other, you just keep reading as you wait for it all to come crashing down on everyone's heads. I really liked this book, and I would absolutely recommend it to fans of graphic novels, crime serials, and soap operas.

4.5/5 stars
Thank you, Netgalley and Image Comics for the complimentary advance copy.

“Where the Body Was” succeeds in making the reader feel like they’ve stumbled into “a diorama of a crime scene” with its unconventional narrative structure. Writer Ed Brubaker referred to this graphic novel as “a diorama of a crime scene” in a press release prior to announcing its December 2023 release.

The same press release goes on to describe the graphic novel: “A boarding house full of druggies. A neglected housewife. A young girl who thinks she’s a superhero. A cop who wants to be left alone. And a Private Detective looking for a runaway girl. These stories all collide one deadly summer in Where The Body Was—a tale of love and murder in the suburbs—told from a dozen different points of view. All the neighbors on the block have an opinion about the murder and how it happened, but which of them is telling the truth?”

The graphic novel jumps between a cast of characters who are all connected by a mysterious crime thread that unravels over each page.. Jacob Phillips has an eye for colors that pop off the page and chooses to do a full page wash of blues, yellows, and other colors to distinguish when the story has jumped to a different character's perspective or to a different time of day or setting. This coloring effect was so impactful on me, I made a point to look at who the colorist was once I’d finished reading. Maybe it’s a father and son special super power that makes the art and color supplement each other so well. Jacob Phillips is artist Sean Phillips' son. The art compliments the story and while I’m not familiar with other works by Phillips and Brubaker, it’s undeniable how well they work together.

“Where the Body Was” is published by Image Comics and one of my all-time favorite graphic novel series is also published at Image Comics, “Saga”. "Brubaker and Phillips's books have always been about eight years ahead of their time”, shared “Saga” author Brian K. Vaughn. Image Comics was founded in the 90’s by a collective of best selling artists including Todd McFarlane (Spawn) and Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead). The majority of their published works are “creator-owned” meaning the trademark and copyright are wholly owned by the original creator. I find I’m rarely disappointed by anything they’ve published.

I think my few criticisms are that the story is too short. I would have liked to see it stretch out just a bit longer and keep the mystery going. At times, I got a bit lost in who was who with so many characters but this could be a “me” problem reading this too late at night. And finally I think the cover is far too plain to truly speak to the quality of story and art that is inside this graphic novel.

Check this out if you enjoy graphic novels, crime, thrillers, and a good mystery.

This new graphic novel by the Eisner award winning team, Brubaker & Pillips is a compelling crime story. Inspired by the 1940’s Dell mapback books, Ed Brubaker has created an intricate story with a large cast of characters. The story takes place in the summer of 1984 on the fictional dead-end street, Pelican Road. True to the subgenre, to help the reader keep track of the action, he has provided a map with the locations of the various residences involved. The title and description leads the reader to assume that this is a murder mystery “who-done-it". But the body in question is not the main point of the story. This isn’t a simple murder mystery. There are actually several crimes, and each character has their own story to tell. Each of those stories start with an older character, decades after the fact, recalling that time in their lives. Then the reader sees a flashback of their memories. Frequently, a nonlinear fiction with multiple points of view can be very confusing to the reader. But Brubaker handles the technique with finesse.

Artist Sean Phillips has drawn a set of realistic characters. It is particularly interesting to see each character portrayed during the story and then the older person being interviewed. He does a great job with the progression of age. Colorist Jacob Phillips has provided a muted Noir feel to the images.

These graphic novel creators were new to me, but I will definitely be on the watch for more of their work. I recommend this book to graphic novel crime fiction enthusiasts.

WARNING: This novel is graphic in more ways than one. The book includes several pages with nudity and vulgar language. While I would have preferred the omission of these scenes, I do give the artists kudos for realistic rather than idealized images. All too often, graphic media portrays people with “perfect” bodies.

Thank you to NetGalley and Image Comics for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Available January 16, 2024

I read the plot of this book and knew it would be right up my alley but despite that when I started reading it I wasn't sure about it. As the story continued and you delved into each character's story I found myself getting more invested in what would be revealed and the characters themselves. Where the Body Was delivered a gritty and interesting whodunit story that is definitely worth the read if you're a fan of the genre.

I really liked this story. I liked how the narrative kept changing to each person in the story. I even liked the sad ending. This is only the 2nd Brubaker book I've read, but I'm going to read more in the future.

While at times the perspectives were confusing, flashing forward and back in time through multiple characters point of view, this was a refreshing way to tell a story, especially a murder mystery. with a full cast of characters, beautifully illustrated, each person has a story to tell and a place in the narrative to the point that I forgot it was about a body being found. Every mystery has a twist but this one was more intriguing than expected.

I’m admittedly on the hook for anything Brubaker and Phillips release, having repeatedly proven to be the greatest creative partnership in comics, perhaps ever. Their latest collaboration just cements that reputation further, adding narrative complexity to a somewhat wistful tale exploring the motivations and character evolutions of all the residents of the story’s street. This is a team that just cannot miss in anything they do, and if you’re new to their works this may actually be the best entry point they’ve provided in quite some time.

Incredible.

Artwork to die for and a plot that is pure enjoyment.

Nothing Brubaker and Phillips do is ever less than perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of this graphic novel.

I've enjoyed a lot of the Brubaker/Phillips graphic novels such as Criminal, Fatale, and Reckless, so I was very excited to check out Where the Body Was.

Ostensibly about a dead body that appears in a neighborhood in the 80s, WtBW uses the viewpoints of different neighbors to weave together a mystery that doesn't reveal itself until the end. While maintaining a number of the pulpy aspects of their previous works, Where the Body Was has a little bit more heart and wistful nostalgia, and less of the grit and grime. I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

#WheretheBodyWasgraphicnovel #NetGalley

Ed Brubaker is a master of noir and comics pacing, and Sean Phillips brings this story to life. These creators, and the minds at Image Comics, continue to prove there’s more going on in comics than a single genre or work from DC and Marvel. Well worth the visit and stay.

Special thanks to Image Comics and NetGalley for the ARC!

Another fantastic graphic novel(la) from Ed Brubaker!

Where the Body Was is a murder mystery that follows the residents of a neighborhood, in a fashion similar to Clue, in what they were doing before, during, and after the event happened.

The novella opens up to a map of the neighborhood labelling everyone's home in relation to where the body was found and is followed by a page filled with the cast of characters--almost giving you the feel that you're a detective on the case opening up the files on record.

The storytelling is nonlinear but has a consistent flow that keeps the pacing and back and forth of the plot even keeled. The characters are memorable and have so much life to them despite how short the graphic novel is.

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have a really great professional relationship as together they create a fantastic read, and I look forward to reading more by them

In the dark underbelly of graphic storytelling, there exists a rare breed of creators who seamlessly weave narratives that grip your soul and refuse to let go. Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, the dynamic duo behind numerous acclaimed collaborations like Night Fever, Pulp, Reckless, and Criminal, have once again demonstrated their mastery with their latest hard-boiled crime graphic novel published by Image Comics. This time, they plunge readers into a neighborhood teeming with secrets and deceptions, delivering a relentless tale that tackles more than just a whodunnit.

In this gripping graphic novel, Brubaker and Phillips meld their signature styles to create a world that oozes atmosphere, draped in shadows and painted with morally ambiguous characters. The neighborhood they've built becomes more than a backdrop; it evolves into a character in itself; a suburban stage for a cast of diverse and intricate personalities.

The author's knack for crafting deeply flawed yet fascinating characters is evident in his portrayal each denizen of the neighborhood, each who navigates the blurred lines between right and wrong. With each turn of the page, readers are plunged deeper into a gripping web of personalities and are struck with empathy even against the troubles they each put forward.

Gritty and moody visuals capture the essence of the story's tone, elevating the narrative to an entirely new level. Every panel is meticulously crafted, from the smallest details in facial expressions to the grandiosity of a single small environment, pulling the readers into a cinematic experience that's visceral and intoxicating.

While the graphic novel pays homage to the classic noir tradition, it's more than just a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Brubaker and Phillips breathe fresh life into the genre, injecting their distinctive flair and creating a tale that is both timeless and cutting-edge. The "testemonies" crackle with authenticity, the pacing is impeccable, and the storytelling unfolds with a rhythm that's irresistible.

In a landscape where graphic novels often toe the line between art and entertainment, this collaboration is an exemplary reminder of how powerful the medium can be when masterfully wielded. Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' latest work is not just a graphic novel; it's a symphony of words and images that resonates long after you've turned the last page. With its intricate narrative, morally gray characters, and stunning artwork, this hard-boiled crime story cements their status as a creative duo that continues to push the boundaries of what graphic storytelling can achieve. If you're a fan of crime fiction, mystery, or just superb storytelling, this is one graphic novel that should not be missed.

Great story with a lot of depth

Where the Body Was is described as "a tale of love and murder in the suburbs, told from a dozen different points of view. All the neighbors on the block have an opinion about the murder and how it happened, but which of them is telling the truth?" The truth is that this story is about far more than just a murder and a body. While the focus on the body throughout is very compelling, keeps the reader guessing, and is a fun premise for each of the neighbors to be "interviewed" about what they experienced, the real story involves love, loss, and the memories we carry with us through life. Some of these memories we wish we could change and some we are glad we cannot. The story also shows how our view of these memories can change over time as we experience more and grow older, possibly to the extent that our desire to alter those events from our past lessen as we get on with our lives, accept what our past holds, and learn to live with them.

I was immediately drawn in with the interview style of this book and how interesting, funny, and real each of these characters are. I mean, come on, who doesn't love Mrs. Wilson. Each character has their own view of what happened and most also have their own secrets, which is fun to learn about as the story moves along. We also get to learn about each of the main characters outside of just what happened with the body.

The illustrations do a fantastic job of bringing the story to life with their level of detail. I really enjoyed seeing the characters at different stages in their life and how they changed as time passed.

I will definitely be reading more by Brubaker and Phillips.

I LOVE the collaborations of Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips. This story and art did not disappoint. I enjoyed the character development, the people have such rich histories and to be able to convey that within a limited number of panels and pages is mad skills.

Pick this up if you love Brubaker and Phillips. Pick this up if you love suspense. Can't wait to read it again in print form.

The book is called "Where the Body Was" so you know eventually someone is gonna die, but most of this book is a mystery not of whodunit, but "whogonnagetit." The body doesn't show up til around three quarters of the way through, after we've been introduced to around a dozen characters, most of whom are involved in storylines that could reasonably get them killed. There are hints given out on who survives by the style of story being told, that of present day people telling a story from their past. As characters are revealed breaking the fourth wall you can cross them off the list of who the body will be. It's a different approach than the usual Brubaker/Phillips novel where there's plenty of dead from beginning to end.

I liked the book but I don't think it quite stuck the landing, it felt a bit rushed. I don't want to give too much detail to what disappointed me in the ending, I'll just say that the twist in the direction of the story was cool but that maybe they could have somehow given more time to the original direction too.

Sean Phillips is a hell of an artist and I'm not sure what more to say about his part in this book than that.

Fun read, quick read. Less violence than you would expect from these guys, and more porn (try reading it in a coffee shop like I did. Woops. Hunch those shoulders high and curl over the book). It's middle of the road for me when compared to their other books but some people will love this style.

Fantastic book with flashes of brilliance that would eventually evolve into the masterpieces of Criminal and the Reckless saga.

This...was not what I expected, and yet I still loved it. I've read a lot of Brubaker over the years, and quite a few of his new comics recently even, all of which usually have a certain underlying darkness to them. Naturally, I was expecting 'Where the Body Was' to be of similar tone - and it wasn't, but that didn't disappoint me.

Brubaker and Phillips team together for another fitting collaboration featuring a story about a dead body, but which isn't really about a dead body (lol). These two are great at illustrating, both literally and figuratively, the internal lives of people. Not that Brubaker can't weave a good story (this one is a great example of one of his best, imo), but he really shines with his character work, which is put on full display here. At the end of the comic is the author's note where calls 'Where the Body Was' a romance comic... and, yeah, that's kind of spot on.

"...I started out with a crime story and ended up with a romance comic, sort of, one that's a bit of a microcosm of different aspects of love and romance and how we are when we're caught up in them." - Ed Brubaker, Where the Body Was Afterword

Now - don't be scared away if romance isn't your thing. This about love of all kinds and the various ways it manifests and can change people, for good or bad. Like a gritty Love, Actually. The dead body isn't the point, it's the catalyst for the people of Pelican Road to share their story with the audience because of their role in the death, or because of how it impacted them. The main story (of the body) is set in 1984, but about halfway in it becomes obvious the characters are, literally, telling their stories to the reader/audience. It feels like a true crime documentary. We get to see some of these characters in the future/present and what becomes of their lives and the relationships they had while living on Pelican Road. There's also a heavy dose of nostalgia of all kinds, which I always enjoy.

The story winds in unexpected, and yet also unsurprising(?), ways, and near the end the reader -almost- forgets the story was about the dead body in the first place haha But, no worries! Brubaker does reveal who was responsible... and, without spoiling anything, having just gone done an internet rabbit hole recently about murders being treated as "accidental deaths", I really, really love the reveal!

No surprise 'Where the Body Was' another hit from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips!

Thanks to Net Galley and Image and Sean and Ed for an early look at this graphic novel, a stand alone as we await the return of the Reckless series. This story, we learn in an afterword, was an attempt at answering Sean’s request to Ed that he write a romance, but, well, it doesn’t quite work out, too sad for that, but it’s superbly crafted, nevertheless. I’d say it was sort of an average story for this team, maybe 3.5 for them, but 5 stars, it’s that good.

Everything takes place on one suburban street. A girl who reads comics (a theme in Brubaker) plays teen sleuth in a superhero costume, with a homeless guy who is also in disguise. A neighborhood guy bullies people with his dead father’s cop badge (disguise) and is having an affair with a therapist’s wife (yeah, everybody’s got a secret, and they are all entwined in one block, all of the pretending to be someone else.

Superhero girl has a crush on a guy who is doing drugs with an unfaithful woman; they burgle houses to get cash for their fixes. And threatens him with going to the cops if he doesn’t stop…. But she’s not the only one who knows stuff. . .

We don’t learn of the murder plot til way late, and we’re in the future with a lot of these people having gone their separate ways and looking back as if it were some true crime blog. The opening frame is a map of the neighborhood to reference. And at the end a panel suggests: If you want to know what happened, turn the page…

Maybe the unique thing here is the interconnections on one street, and the fact that everyone is pretending. Original idea? That’s not the point. It’s a kind of story Brubaker loves, and he’s the master.

I'm a little biased, but Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips are THE dynamic duo. This romantic little murder mystery set in the suburbs of 1984 America had me so invested I forgot that someone was supposed to die half way through the book. I loved every page!

I was able to score an advanced copy of “Where The Body Was” from Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips. Anyone who has read any of the Criminal or Reckless books, will know ahead of time what they are getting into. You’re getting a crime, mystery type book, but under that surface? It’s always so much more.

From reading the description of the book, it seems like it will play out much like every other Brubaker/Phillips collaboration, but then you open it to find a map of this small neighborhood and I should have knew then that this time, things wouldn’t be the same. Looking over the map, you see where most of the locales from the book are specifically located, like one of those pulp books from the 40’s. You can easily flip between this map and the page after where the “Cast of Characters” lies, to see where each person will come into play in the neighborhood of “Pelican Road.” You get really drawn into the story from there, just by looking at these two pages before you get thrown right into the mix of things. So this is like a crime podcast it says, right? We going to solve a murder mystery? That’s what you came here for, right?

This book is really not about where the body WAS, but more about where the bodies ARE. By this, I mean the people involved in the story. The creative team behind the book is well known for crime stories, but at this heart of these? Great characters. Like Tommy and Karina, the juvenile delinquents. Then there’s the psychiatrist, his wife, and the not-so-much-a-cop next door who she cheats on her husband with. There’s the little girl Lila who dresses up like a superhero and the homeless guy, Ranko, who stays behind the 7-11. You get so much of these characters, their lives all intertwined together, and you get so wrapped up before you realize….

Wait, where’s the dead person at? You’re moving from perspective to perspective of the neighborhood’s cast of main players, having themselves narrate their own sections from the future like a true crime documentary, reading into every little bit of information you get. You have this either love or hate relationship with everyone you meet. Sure Palmer is pretending to be a cop and sleeping with another man’s wife, but you kind of like the guy for some reason. Like I said though, that dead body still hasn’t shown up, until it finally does.

It ends not too long after that. Maybe all this time, where the body was, didn’t mean that dead body. Maybe there’s more to that. After reading through it a couple of times, I can easily see where Brubaker was try to do more with that title. It never even bothered me to be honest with you. I was hooked from the beginning, as a lover of characters, and I never wanted the story to end. Completely forgot about the premise of the book until it actually happened. That’s how good this team is. They give you something amazing, no matter what you thought you were getting out of it before you dove in.

I’ve said it a bunch of times before and I’ll say it more than just now. Brubaker and Phillips are the best duo is comics. Period. It’s not even close. No two people together can even touch the surface of what this team have already and will accomplish. They always deliver and “Where The Body Was” is another classic brought to us all, from the all-time greats.

A great offering from Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips.
You know from the start there is a body and you work through the graphic novel in different timelines to try and workout who is the murderer.
The sex scenes were extremely graphic, but the overall story was great. I would have loved to explore the characters more.
Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

Opening with a map and portraits of the 9 main characters, Where the Body Was provides a nice little drama that slowly builds to an explosive climax. It is 1974 in a suburban cul-de-sac at a boarding house with a fight broken up by a man with a badge. There are runaways, juvenile delinquents, bored housewives, Vietnam vets, a private eye, a young girl in a cape on roller skates, and a snoopy older lady in the cast of characters. Each character tells their part of the story which comes together in a mosaic of comprehension at the end. Plenty of action, plenty of drama, even a bit of romance is found through this graphic novel. Brubaker and Phillips have done a marvelous job of bring the 1970's back to life in this tale.

Thanks Netgalley and Image Comics for the chance to read this tale!

Thanks to NetGalley for a courtesy copy in exchange for an honest review,

This graphic novel from the powerful Brubaker/Phillips team is a self-contained story that takes place in a small town. The cast includes a doctor and his spouse who are in a struggling marriage, a girl struggling with her identity, drug addicted kids and a detective, among other. There are various twists and turns in the story that connect the characters, but the main plot point that the others pivot off is a budding romance between two drug-addicted teenagers and how they spiral out of control.

In short, I see this story as the output of putting Strangers Things, a murder mystery and pulp fiction (the genre not the movie) into a blender. Plus, the art was fantastic for the genre.

5 stars because it was fun. Read it!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Where the Body Was is one of the weirder Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips collaborations. At times, it feels like a Slice of Life anthology depicting the mundane experiences of a cast of characters that just happen to live on the same street. There is an illicit romance between a detective and a bored housewife; there is a young girl obsessed with superheroes, a mentally ill war veteran, and a messed up young couple squatting in an empty house.

Bouncing around different points of view, this is one of Brubaker's funnier stories and one that keeps its secrets to the very end.

Phillips, as always, does a superb job on the art. It is one of the most explicit books he has drawn (not one to be read on public transport).

If you're expecting something like Criminal or Reckless, then this is not like those series. It's a bit lighter in tone and much more concerned with romantic love and the strange things it does to our souls.

As a stand-alone graphic novel this is well worth your time. It is slickly written and romps along at a great pace. Phillips's are is on point and is some of his best work in terms of capturing character's emotions.

I love everything that Brubaker and Philips do, and since Reckless they have been on a hot streak with these longer form books. This one keeps the run going in great form.

Everything you would expect from the pair - crisp art and storytelling, plus a real sense of place. Much like Reckless, this one is set in the recent(ish) past so there's a theme of nostalgia and memory surrounding it. However, it is more rooted in teenage days than Reckless, which leans more into the PI/Parker vibe.

It is essentially a murder mystery with a twist, and the story threatens to unravel under the weight of all the different plotlines, but somehow Brubaker keeps it all straight. The cast of characters feels much larger than usual, but they all come into their own and we see their lives play out with a neat trick of having them narrate some of the events from an unspecified point in the future. It adds weight to the story, as they look back on their earlier selves with a mixture of fondness, regret, and some earned wisdom with age. Those that make it out alive, anyway.

Slightly different from their previous stuff, but still unmistakably them. If you're already a fan, their books are pretty much buy on sight, and this one doesn't disappoint. Thanks to Image for the ARC.

Before I begin, we need a slow clap for Jacob Philips here. Because, if you ask me (which I know you technically didn't, but this is my review, so...) the colors stole the show in this standalone graphic mystery. Thumbs up for the artwork overall, which hit the perfect balance between gritty and bawdy—but the inking really helped orient the story in the 1980s, with the opening few panels' sepia tones emphasizing the narrative's pre-WW2 set-up.

For as short as it is, Where the Body Was is plotted incredibly well. It was immediately obvious that the title would play out on several levels—not just alluding to where in the neighborhood or where in the narrative arc a body would be found, but also in an overlapping sense of which characters were where they maybe shouldn't be. I also appreciated how the first half of the novel flipped my expectation of a whodunit? by making me wonder about the victim's identity, rather than the assailant's. This really speaks to Brubaker's ability to write flawed characters because I could legitimately see several different characters as a target for murder. (Raise your hand if you also went through a series of, "Oh, you're gonna get killed...no, wait, you're gonna get killed...ope, or it could be you..." thoughts.)

I always hate to do this, especially when there is so much that is good-slash-great about a book, but I have to admit that I was disappointed with the ending. Maybe it was supposed to be clever or ironic, but it really fell flat to me because it came across as lazy, as if a resolution whose tone and complexity matched that of the narrative wasn't worth the creators' time.

Overall, I would recommend this title to my graphic novel-loving pals. Five stars for the artwork, extra bonus stars for the coloring, and 3.5 stars for narrative execution. If my math is correct (yes of course my calculator has a button for 'extra bonus stars'), that averages out to a solid four-star read.

WOW! I think this is gonna be known as one of the best books by Brubaker and Phillips. Not so much a crime story, but a romance. It is hard to explain without giving anything away, which I don't want to do. Beautifuly written and drawn. The story reminds of a true crime documentary in style, which I don't remember ever being done in comics. This is a story full of nostalgia, growing up, love triangles... and also a dead body to spice things up

Great stuff! The story unfolds from multiple points of view as the reader is introduced to the various characters that live in the neighborhood where a man is found murdered in the street. Who is he? Who killed him? Everybody has their own version of events: There's a teenage runaway, a private detective, a belligerent cop, a lonely housewife, a strange kid who seems to be everywhere, and the nosy neighbor lady who sees everything that goes on.

The kind of excellence (art and story) that you expect from the team of Brubaker & Phillips.

BRUBAKER AND PHILLIPS HAVE DONE IT AGAIN! The comics dream team are back together with another thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I sped through this one, I couldn't get enough of it. THe writing was phenomenal, and the artwork was incredible.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publishers for my review copy! 'Where the Body Was' is a fun, engaging & quick read for all murder mystery lovers. If you are hesitant with reading graphic novels or comics, this is a good one to try out! It's got all the things I love in a whodunit caper; a list of characters (with pictures!), a map and a really engaging plotline. I'm looking forwards to reading this on a physical copy, because my computer had issues with formatting, and I prefer to read graphic novels in paper format so I can go back and forth between pages. Highly suggest this for all mystery lovers, graphic novel fans & for those interested in trying out something new mystery-wise!

I loved this quick little whodunit!!! Honestly, I don't put much expectation on a short graphic novel but this was extremely enjoyable. We got to meet each character and get individual breakdowns on their backgrounds without extra explanation or information. Each character was built up so you didn't know who did it and could reasonably believe any one of them had done it. Great twists, with connected storylines and plenty of scandal.

I admit that I only picked up this novel because of the author and artist, but I am very glad that I did! It was a super intriguing and engaging story about life in general, and how different people on vastly different paths all interact with one another. The characters were incredibly diverse and each one was flawed in a unique, realistic way. The overarching plot - who killed character X - was brilliantly interlaced with "current day" interviews of the other characters, each of whom ended up in different parts of the world, doing their own things. The ending was believable and satisfactory and the artwork, as usual, was incredible!

I really love the Kill or Be Killed series and I was really eager to read this one. I really enjoyed it, the art is really awesome, the story is interesting, and the characters are well thought-out. I could not put it down

Where the Body Was has many meanings. Layers of the plot build on each other and keep you engaged throughout. A whodunit of sorts that will leave you wondering until the end. Nudity in multiple panels.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publishers for my review copy! 'Where the Body Was' is a fun, engaging & quick read for all murder mystery lovers. If you are hesitant with reading graphic novels or comics, this is a good one to try out! It's got all the things I love in a whodunit caper; a list of characters (with pictures!), a map and a really engaging plotline. I'm looking forwards to reading this on a physical copy, because my computer had issues with formatting, and I prefer to read graphic novels in paper format so I can go back and forth between pages. Highly suggest this for all mystery lovers, graphic novel fans & for those interested in trying out something new mystery-wise!

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Image Comics for an advanced copy of this new crime graphic novel that tells about what lurks behind the closed doors of what seems to be a quiet little neighborhood.

Even the nicest of neighborhoods have secrets. Years ago police shut down a small road by my parents house, had all sorts of activity, and yet nothing was ever reported, nor were the couple who owned the place ever seen. A couple of years ago I was parking my car outside my house, when a cop car rolled up and the officer asked me, "Did you hear any sounds of, uh, violence recently?" Sound of violence. That threw me. Actually it was the uhh that really confused me. I said no, and the cop drove off. Another mystery in my small town. Which is one of the many reasons why I enjoyed this slice of life story about the happenings of a small town in the 1980's. And a body that suddenly disappears. Where the Body was is a graphic novel by the team of Ed Brubaker, writer and Sean and Jacob Phillips on art dealing with crime, love, being someone you want to be, and looking back and letting go.

The book begins with a map of the area, pointing out houses, the 7/11 and the tent location of a local homeless person. This really sets the mood as is seems like Anytown USA. The book is told in flashbacks from some of the characters in out modern day, looking back at a summer that for some was magical, for others not so much. A young Vietnamese girl who dresses as a superhero while patrolling her neighborhood, and her friend a homeless vet, who is getting treatment for his violent actions. Two young kids, one in love, the other trying to find herself, but who share a love of drugs and breaking into houses, A doctor and his wayward wife. And a man with a badge who tries to keep the peace. Into this comes a private detective looking for a missing daughter, whose appearance knocks the delicate balance of the neighborhood for a loop, and soon the sounds of violence are heard.

Brubaker and Phillips, father and son, really have a wonderful collaboration. This is not a typical story for them, a crime story, but one where the crime is secondary to the characters. Brubaker's gift as a writer is the ability to tell a story cleanly and concisely, developing characters that readers care what happens to. Be it eternal happiness or a cold end in a grave. The use of flashbacks allows the characters to share much about themselves, telling why they were doing dumb things, or acting the way they were. The story works really well telling all these little stories and bringing them together for an ending that is surprising, and for some of the characters then end of the best times of their lives. The art is as usual from Phillips excellent. The characters are all unique, all perfectly rendered with rich backgrounds and lots of props to make one think yup this is the 80's. Phillips makes the art fit the scenes, bright with new love, dark with anger, and sometimes cruel. A really great graphic novel.

Recommended for fans of this team. This work seems different, not the usual crime story, but a real look at people just trying to get by and be happy, be it afternoon encounters, breaking into houses, or trying to patrol a neighborhood in a mask. A great gift for one's self with for an after the holidays read.

If you are expecting your average mystery, do not read this book? A compelling story from the team of Brubaker and Phillips. A enjoyable graphic novel that combines whodunit with small town drama. Thank you Image Comics and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Where the Body Was is the ultimate in (larger-than) slice-of-life, a microcosm of American suburbia - that is, American suburbia as it was on Pelican Street, circa 1984. It's a pacey, well-crafted whodunit with a cast of archetypal characters that never feel stereotypical; in fact, they're the beating heart of this story. Drawing inspiration from the "mapback pulp books" 0f the 1940s, Where the Body Was manages to feel both fresh and familiar, and never lets up on the fun.

Brubaker and Phillips have once again crafted an amazingly beautiful stand-alone graphic novel. Phillips art is so amazing, and the colour pallet of the inks (by Jacob Philliips, Sean’s son) add so much to this story.
I loved Brubaker’s comment that he started out to write a crime story and ended up with a romance, as you can really see that layer of unrequited love. This is their best work to date.

I'm a big fan of Brubaker and Phillips, and this was very different! A self-contained work that reminded me of the Serial podcast meets Agatha Christie. There's a map, a cast of characters, and a crime told from multiple perspectives. An interviewer asks all the characters questions. It's lighter, more of a comedy, and less complicated than some of their other muti-volume work. I read it in one sitting, and I think anyone who likes the creative team's work will like it, but also, people who haven't liked it before might enjoy checking this one out. Thank you to Image Comics for an ARC.

WOW! Ed Brubaker’s WHERE THE BODY WAS just blew me away! This is my first graphic novel and I now have the highest expectations for any others! How do you fit so much story into so few pages?

If you can’t tell by now, I found this one a great addition to my library. The artwork was so clear, I felt like I was right there on the page. I will certainly look into this pair’s other works. Great job!

Thank you to NetGalley and Image Comics for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

Thank you Image Comics for providing me an ARC.

I've been a fan of the works of Ed Brubacker and Sean Phillips for a long time now.
I've read most of their books, and this one is probably in my top 3.

It's a standalone, a slice of life of a few suburbs residents in the summer of 1984. The cast is fairly diverse and the story is told their POV, present and looking back.
We fallow them during the few weeks preceding the discovery of a body in the neighboorhood.

It's a "who done it" on paper, but with a twist and I found it mostly character driven.

Like always with Brubacker, the characters are complex and compelling.
Like always with Phillips, the art is beautiful and immerses you in the perfect ambiance and nostaligia for the time period.

Again, one of my favorite books of the duo. I highly recommend it.

This duo never fails to deliver something that leaves you sitting, thinking for hours afterward.

Where the body was is a great round-robin sort of storytelling discussing a summer in 1984 on one street. Each of the residents tell the story from their own perspectives, sharing another facet of the world as they saw it as we try to understand the pivot of the story and understand whose murder we are trying to understand. The characters discussed the Twilight Zone, and I think it fits the tone of those episodes so very well. Each of the characters have compelling stories and drives and even in the snippets you see if them in the years later, it's so compelling to see how the world continued to move, but never quite left that summer.

Thank you Netgalley and Image for the advance copy, I always love the chance to enjoy and share!

The illustrations are spectacular and the story is interesting and well-done. I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Ed Brubaker, Image Comics and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

WHERE THE BODY WAS is a tale of murder and love in the suburbs, told from different points of views. We have multiple opinions about the murder from a neglected housewife, a young girl who thinks she’s a superhero, a boarding house full of drug addicts, a private detective looking for a runaway girl and a cop who just wants to be left alone. All the neighbors on the block have an opinion, but which of them is telling the truth? I was provided an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Where the Body Was is like a true crime doc style murder mystery romance. This is a wild ride told through multiple points of view- the neighborhood addicts, the lonely housewife, the recluse cop, the strange homeless man, and the weird comic book kid. All the juicy suburban secrets unravel as we learn about the murder plot. Where the Body Was is really well written with a little pulpy feel, I devoured it in one sitting. Brubaker & Phillips have a new fan!

Where the Body Lies takes place in the summer of 1984. It's a series of interconnected stories from various points of view revolving around the lead up to the discovery of a dead private eye in their neighborhood and what really happened to him.

I'm a big fan of Brubaker and Phillips and will read anything the pair publish. This has the typical pulpy feel to it that made me fall in love with pulp/noir to begin with. The art is great as usual, and I like the color palette that was used.

I highly recommend for fans of crime thrillers.

My thanks to Image Comics, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this graphic novel. My opinions are my own.

An unusual mystery story. The thorough approach to all of the different perspectives felt a little like a podcast. I liked the twist ending.

"Where the Body Was" unfolds as a captivating murder mystery presented in graphic form, skillfully crafted by the dynamic duo of writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips. Brubaker's narrative prowess is evident in the intricate plot, rich characterizations, and seamless integration of mystery and suspense.

Set in the eighties on Pelican Road, in a house with a compelling history, the story introduces a fascinating cast of characters, each grappling with their own setbacks and struggles. The collaboration between Brubaker and Phillips is nothing short of extraordinary. Phillips' exceptional artistic talent brings the world of Pelican Road to life with a distinct visual style, capturing the essence of each character and the atmospheric intricacies of the setting. Their synergy elevates the graphic novel to storytelling mastery, solidifying their status as one of the preeminent writer-artist duos in contemporary comics.

As the narrative unfolds, the authenticity of the storytelling, including some wild twists, adds an element of unpredictability. The intricate plot, rich character development, and attention to themes like nostalgia and love make "Where the Body Was" a joy to read. Brubaker's exploration of complex themes with depth and nuance complements Phillips' evocative illustrations, creating a narrative that transcends the boundaries of the graphic storytelling format. The duo's dedication to detail is evident, making the graphic novel not just a compelling murder mystery but also a testament to the magic that happens when a writer and artist are in perfect sync. "Where the Body Was" is not only a gripping crime caper but also a testament to Brubaker and Phillips' trailblazing impact on the contemporary landscape of comics.

It's Brubaker and Phillips at their best. A neatly plotted series of interconnected stories revolving around the discovery of a body in a small U.S town. Perspectives shift with each character as you get closer to the truth..I really liked the Ellery Queen style page introducing the resolution of the whodunit element, and because it really stood out for me, the colouring by Jacob Phillips is exquisite. Overall, a great package and very recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and Image Comics for the opportunity to review this

This is my favorite Brubaker-Phillips work so far; the narrative is coherent yet innovatively engaging with its flashbacks and multi-character POV. The art feels classic and lends itself to the mystery of the story (namely, who killed the detective and moved his body?), and I appreciate that it's a sort of crime novel that accidentally turns into a romance.

Who was lying? Who was spying? Just what were those folks on Pelican Road up to? It was back in 1984 and it was quite a scandal. Happily Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips decided to let us in on the details. We would never have figured it out without them since it seems unlikely that these characters could all have been connected. They have to explain the before and after. It’s a really good story. Oh, and it does include a body.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

It’s the summer of 1984 and the body of a dead PI has turned up on Pelican Road.
The story is told in the form of interviews with the local residents who all have their own ideas on the murder and all seem to be hiding secrets of their own…

What could be better than a juicy soap opera with both naked and DEAD bodies?

Set in the mid-eighties, we see all the goings-on with the folks of Pelican Road through the eyes and reminiscences of the characters themselves. I had a fun time with this, and the ending made me chuckle.

I love cozy type mysteries and thrillers! This one was awesome! It kept me up most of the night because I had to know what happened next. Great storyline and characters to go with it!

I was excited when I found out Net Galley would provide me with a copy of this comic. Author Ed Brubaker writes awesome stories and this one is no different. The story takes place in Summer 1984 in an abandoned boarding house on Pelican Road that junkies have taken over.

The story opens with an introduction to the boarding house. We meet the couple who were the original owners as well as their neighbors. After they pass on the boarding house falls into disrepair and junkies and other criminals move in. A girl who thinks she is a superhero, wearing a mask and a cape, has a crush on Palmer who is doing drugs with a woman he is sleeping with, Toni. In order to get cash for their fix, the couple burglarize homes. She threatens him with going to the cops if he doesn’t stop. Palmer tells everyone that he is a cop and flashes a badge at anyone whose behavior he does not like. Despite this, I found him to be a sympathetic character. Another character that I liked was Ranko. He is a homeless man who sees everything happens on the street even though no one sees him.

There were alot of characters introduced in the beginning and I didn't even try to remember who was who. I knew I would get them straight during my read which I did. Each of these characters get to narrate their own chapters and the reader begins to see the well crafted plot through their eyes. The body was not introduced in the book until the halfway point. Normally I would complain about this but the story was so absorbing that I didn't even notice its absence.

Where the Body Was is an entertaining mystery that satisfies. Comic fans will want to read this one.

Where the Body Was is a graphic novel of sort of vignettes (apparently all semi-based on true stories) about not just the (dead) body, but the (live) bodies moving around the neighborhood, all touching each other (metaphorically, though sometimes quite explicitly not metaphorically) as they go about their lives before and many years after an event-- that is, the finding of the body.

I liked the classic sort of art/character designs and the sort of differences in perspectives about what was going on but man there were a LOT of explicit panels so there should definitely be a plastic wrap or front cover content warning.

Rounding up to 4 stars but probably more 3.5 - 3.75.

Thanks to Image Comics and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for review!

I always write these Brubaker/Phillips book reviews with the opening lines like "The team does it again" or something similar. It's the truth though. Each time out their creator owned books tell amazing stories that blur the lines between genres but always with a crime base. Where the Body Was features the usual Brubaker/Phillips crime beats, but we also get a little teen melodrama romance. Over the course of the story, we get sex, murder, love, theft, drugs, roller-skating, lust, and comic books that blends together in the perfect cocktail of everything I love in a story. As usual, whenever I see the next graphic novel from the team, I grab it and read it from start to finish. The biggest drawback is that having finished it 5 months ahead of its release, I have to wait for the next one. But I will, and gladly do it all over again.

Special Thanks to Image Comics and Netgalley for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.

This was a great story well told. All the hallmarks of an ensemble TV series. There is a real depth to Brubaker's characters.
It's also nice that everything isn't cleared up for those within the graphic novel (who did what) but is for the readers. I've always enjoyed this aspect of graphic novels as it allows the characters to truly seem real.

Another smash by Brubacher and Philips! Very quick and digestible read of a story about the fantastical in the mundane. You understand how well-thought out characters can make any setting alive with personality.

Loved it, highly recommend!

I received a free ARC, and this review is voluntary.

Told from the perspectives of those that lived through the drama, and confusion, this who-dun-it mystery captures the moment. We don't always know who is lying, or feigning the truth, but what's evident is how the story is driven by these character personalities. Through each transition, we learn more about the case of The Body, and how not everything is as it seems, even when told through the perspective of those so self-assured of their own memory. One lie told, unfolding like an umbrella, creating a pseudo sense of security, and enabling a false reality. The actions of the characters have consequences. Not always knowing how far that road will go, let alone how it will impact anyone else.

Surely this couldn't happen in a small town, right?

I really enjoyed the way this graphic novel was told. I liked how the narrative flipped between the future and present, sometimes within the same page. Brubaker did a great job at introducing and getting us to care about the characters and their position in the story even before the mystery is introduced (probably about 80% in). Normally introducing the mystery so late in the story would bother me but I was so invested in the characters and their relationships that it wasn't until I was halfway through that I even remembered there was supposed to be a murder happening at some point. At the moment, I can't think of any weak points. It was a great standalone story and solidifies Brubaker as one of my favorite graphic novel writers.

Brubaker and Phillips continue their run at the top of the crime comic game. This one isn't so much about the crime--if there even is one--but the characters surrounding the incident in a small neighborhood in 1984 California. The story is told from multiple POVs in both the past of when it happened and the present giving Brubaker a lot of new narrative techniques to play with. And because of this framework we get a bigger picture of the interconnectedness of not only lives but human experience.

This book reminds me of Blacksad in the best way possible. This little moment in time noir is so satisfying to read. It is beautifully illustrated, the story is so simple, and yet when given the option to reveal the crime, I found myself wanting to leave it open ended. A very quick read and satisfying.

Reading this graphic novel was like taking a trip through a time machine to witness the turbulent events that happened in this neighborhood years ago. What a story! I've never felt so much satisfaction with how the different points of view are presented, and I felt engrossed in the different stories. This is basically a noir crime story but it's so much more.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

I received a free electronic ARC of this graphic novel in return for an honest review.

More like a 4.5. I am a big, big fan of Ed Brubaker. When I saw a new title from him, I didn't even bother to read the description, I knew I wanted to read it. It's a little different from his other books. It's still gritty. There's still a body (obviously). I found the way he wove so many disparate stories from the same neighborhood together compelling. Add into it breaking the fourth wall and playing a few little games with time and it really kept me reading.

Reading multiple points of view was key to my enjoyment of the story. It kept the action moving in a way that kept me engaged. The various reveals were spread out enough that I was always wondering what would happen next and wanted to keep reading. It was interesting to see the characters interact with each other, and even break the fourth wall, as we get to know them from different perspectives. I would recommend this book comic book and mystery fans alike.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

Where the Body Was is a unique graphic novel that shares a story from multiple neighbor’s perspectives. Each story line adds new elements of love, addiction, and the search for belonging.

I enjoyed the fast paced plot, as well as the great artwork to accompany the story. If anything, I would love for the comic to be longer just to develop some of the characters even more.

I’m definitely interested in picking up more books by Ed Brubaker in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley & Image for a review copy!

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have combined to produce so many classic graphic novels. Their newest title, Where the Body Was, is another enjoyable mystery that doesn't quite reach the heights of some of their other work.

Brubaker's characters feel real and have their own secrets, and Phillips's art (with colors by Jacob Phillips) looks amazing as always, yet the actual mystery didn't really land for me. I found myself more interested in the interconnected lives of the characters than in actually solving the mystery, and when the mystery was solved, it seemed like it was done as an afterthought. Still, this was an enjoyable story from one of the best teams in comics, but one that does not quite measure up to their past works.