A comiXologist Recommends
ALOHA, HAWAIIAN DICK #1 (Image Comics)
Aloha, comic book fans. If you’re not a fan of detective fiction, you should really examine the lack of solved-mysteries in your life and add some amazing works of fiction from Chandler, Poe, and Hammet to your reading list immediately. But before you dig into those classic texts, why not try this delightful revival of Aloha, Hawaiian Dick #1 from B. Clay Moore and Jacob Wyatt because detectives + Hawaii = usually a good antithetical combination and who doesn’t love a good Revival? That’s a very different comic, also by Image, also excellent.
I wasn’t aware of the original series, but I will be soon enough, and you can be too, just click here and here. I selected this title because I can’t resist a full color cover with white block lettering and well…Aloha, Hawaiian Dick is hard to forget. This issue is classic detective fiction setup, a man recalling an event to the bed of his memory to a reporter. all of a sudden we’ve flashed backward in time to 1951 and were in, you guessed it, suburban Kansas City following Byrd (but not that Byrd, a new Byrd, a sibling Byrd named Mike) on a typical case (in detective fiction) of “catch the cheating wife.” What follows is a setup to get two Byrd’s in one Hawaii and is a brilliant move by Moore to give the audience an introduction into the world of a Byrd of Paradise mystery and not boring fans of the previous series.
Wyatt’s art bridges the fine line between being wonderfully low-fi and amazingly cinematic. The bright, hand drawn aesthetic if continued throughout the series will be a give this universe a wonderful laid back feeling like a “Visit Hawaii” travel poster drawn by your favorite 80s alt-comic creator. The book also contains a short at the end with art by Jason Armstrong that you should not miss. It’s features wonderfully blue impressionistic art, excellent 50s jargon, and introduces us newcomers to the titular Hawaiian dick, himself.
Aloha, comic book fans. Forgive me for that bad joke. Read Aloha Hawaiian Dick #1.
Josh Doyle-Elmer is comiXology’s Email Marketing Specialist. He has never been to Hawaii.
