Spencer & Locke - an Action Lab mini-series

What would happen if Calvin & Hobbes grew up to become police detectives?  And what if Calvin's home life was not all sun and roses?  And what if a childhood friend of Calvin's was murdered, leaving behind a child that was his?

All of those questions (and more!) are answered in Spencer & Locke, a four-issue mini-series published under Action Lab comics' Danger Zone imprint.  Written by David Pepose and art by Jorge Santiago, Jr., this series tells the story of Locke and his stuffed blue tiger, Spencer (who Locke imagines is a real, live, talking tiger that assists him on his investigations).  Of course, he is nothing more than a stuffed animal, but for Spencer, he is a life-long friend that has always been there for him, through some of the worst moments in his life (such as being beaten by his mother or sexually abused by his babysitter!).

I have always loved the Calvin & Hobbes strip, so I wondered just how this dark/noir take on the characters would go.  I'm not a fan of the dark turn that comics have taken lately, as comics should be an escape - they should be entertainment, not reflections of the darkness in the real world.  Spencer & Locke pleasantly surprised me, and for that, I am glad.

While there's no getting around the dark nature - his best friend and mother of his child murdered, his abuse, both physically and sexually as a child, and the violence galore - there is actually an almost child-like innocence to the tale, sort of like a child Locke playing grown up with his imaginary friend (in fact, I could almost imagine this whole story as nothing more than a made up game little Locke was playing with his stuffed tiger as a child).  As a reader, you immediately get drawn into Locke's world.  You feel his pain at finding his childhood friend left for dead.  You admire the fact that he moved past all of the pain in his childhood to become a police officer and fight to protect the innocent.  And you smile at his continued dependency on Spencer, an imaginary friend who proves more useful than one might expect!

The mystery, as you can obviously tell by now, is who murdered Locke's friend and why.  Pepose spins a good yarn and reveals a lot of secrets about the town, about his friend, and even about his own father.  In solving this crime, Locke has to face a lot of unresolved issues with his past and his family, and Pepose provides a really sweet twist ending that I honestly did not see coming.  He writes a very satisfying mystery that is neatly tied up, but definitely leaves you wanting for more.

Santiago's art is spectacular.  The "real" world sequences are beautifully rendered, even during the violent scenes - and yet his panels of Locke's childhood play a loving tribute to the Calvin and Hobbes strip - one of my favorites was the one with the snowmen fighting each other - so classic!

I would definitely love to see where Spencer and Locke go from here, so I'm hoping that Pepose and Santiago have more stories to tell.

RATING:  9 stuffed rabbits named Hero out of 10 for creating such a great twist on a classic strip and keeping it fresh and enjoyable.