Hobtown Mystery Stories - The Cursed Hermit

I can't believe it has been almost five years since I bought and read the first Hobtown Mystery Story, The Case of the Missing Men.  The only reason I bought that first graphic novel was because it's cover and spine paid homage to the yellow-spine Nancy Drew books.  But the story turned out to be really good, if not a bit off-beat - and the characters (Dana Nance?  C'mon, a clear reference to the Dana Girls and Nancy Drew!) were all a hoot!  The series follows the adventures of the Hobtown Junior Detective Club, made up of Dana Nance (its head/chair), Pauline Larmier, Brennan Hale, Denny Hale, and the new honorary member, Sam Finch (who joined in the first graphic novel).  Having helped Sam in the search for his missing father, the Club discovered their hometown was filled with secrets, and they managed to stop not only one, but two sets of killers - and now, the Club is looking for its next big mystery to solve...

The Cursed Hermit opens with the town waiting in the middle of winter for the sighting of the mysterious hermit, who shows up once a year in what the town now calls an annual "tradition."  But this year's tradition ends on a different note, when the hermit, who was thought to be mute, starts screaming - screaming at the distant boarding school known as Knotty Pines.  And with that, the events are set in motion that will divide the Club and send Brennan and Pauline on a dangerous adventure to solve a decades old mystery that has been haunting the town for longer than anyone realizes!

Bertin and Forbes tell an even stranger tale than last time, as Brennan and Pauline find themselves with six other students - three other girls and three other boys - and only three staff members: a headmaster with a smile that hides something dark behind it; a headmistress with a stern expression and even stricter demeanor; and a caretaker who follows orders but clearly does not like what is happening at the boarding school.  It's only for a week, so what could happen, right?  Well, Pauline discovers right away that everything is not quite right at this school.  The girls are divided from the boys, and the headmistress seems to only want to teach the girls how to be submissive, and Pauline is pretty sure she is feeding the girls some kind of drug in their meals.  Brennan doesn't see anything off - at first - but slowly comes around to Pauline's view of the school, and together, they must uncover the truth about what is really going on at Knotty Pines.  Especially after they see the hermit lurking on the school grounds and Pauline starts having visions - visions that she shares with Brennan.

Is it alien?  Is it supernatural?  Is it a strange mix of both?  The tagline on the back of the book that says,"Nancy Drew meets David Lynch in this follow-up to the highly-acclaimed The Case of the Missing Men," is absolutely right.  The mystery at a lonely boarding school is certainly worthy of Nancy Drew, and the strange happenings, the quirky characters, and the dark revelations (that have an impact on what has been going on in Hobtown for generations!) all are worthy of David Lynch in the very off-beat Twin Peaks style.  While this book focuses more on Pauline and Brennan (although the other members of the Hobtown Junior Detective Club make an appearance and provide some assistance), the mystery provides a few more clues to the overarching story of just what is going on in Hobtown.  The headmaster and headmistress are conducting some very strange and very deadly rituals at Knotty Pines that affect the citizens of Hobtown and have for many generations past.  But that poor, cursed hermit holds the key to ending this particular blight upon the town, and it's up to Pauline and Brennan to figure it all out.

In these first two graphic novels, Bertin and Forbes have laid the groundwork for a dark, mysterious world in which a group of bright, determined young teens must face their fears and some incredible dangers to solve the mysteries surrounding Hobtown.  Superb writing and unique, stylistic art make for a great read, and I'm already anxiously awaiting book three in the series!  More information about this series, and its move to Oni Press for future publications, can be found at the author's page Hobtown Titles.  I find the move to Oni Press great news, as it will give the creators a greater outreach for this amazing series!

RATING:  10 urinal drain masks out of 10 for an off-beat mystery with the best new detective team since Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys!

Hobtown Mystery Stories - The Case of the Missing Men

"Nancy Drew meets David Lynch" is how the back of the graphic novel describes this unique small-town, middle-American mystery.  David Lynch is probably most recognized for his off-beat television cult classic, Twin Peaks.  So take a little Nancy Drew, throw her into a Twin Peaks-type world, and that's a pretty apt description for this first Hobtown Mystery Story by author Kris Bertin and artist Alexander Forbes.  (Of course, I'd also say after reading the story that you could add X-Files into that mix, but that's just me.)

The Case of the Missing Men is a twisted sort of mystery - what starts of innocently enough (six men have disappeared in the town of Hobtown) eventually turns into something not only far more sinister, but somewhat depraved and a bit extraterrestrial.  Lucky for the citizens of Hobtown, the local highschool's Teen Detective Club is on the case!  And in case your wondering, it's clear that not only does the writer of this mystery have an affection for the children's mystery series books from the '60s and '70s, but she also manages to throw in a few fun nods to those series - for instance, the leader of the teen detective club is an young lady by the name of Dana Nance ("Dana" Girls and "Nancy" Drew anyone?), whose mother died when she was young, and she has been raised by a very indulgent father. The other members are Pauline Lormier and the brothers, Denny and Brennan Hale.

The cases this after-school detective club has solved?

The Case of the Tire Fire
The Mayor's Old Watch
The Egg-Thief Mystery

Of course, we only know of these prior mysteries because Dana herself mentions them on page 170 (like any good children's mystery story did in years gone by, one has to reference prior mysteries!). This particular mystery finds Dana and her friends coming to the aid of Sam Finch, a young scientific genius already in the process of earning his engineering degree - and who is also a young inventor as well (a la Tom Swift!).  He is searching for his missing father, who they determine to be the sixth missing man in Hobtown.  A strange man digging in the forest.  Paper plates with animal faces drawn on them and their eyes cut out.  Yellow raincoats.  A murdered lunch-lady.  The attempted drowning of a slow, yet quite observant, man.  A body found bricked up outside an abandoned farm.  And more secrets than you can shake a stick at - all spell one very peculiar, yet thoroughly engaging mystery that is enjoyable from page 1 to page 300!

And just in case you were wondering how the X-Files angle comes into play?  Well, let's just say that there may or may not be an alien menace somehow involved in this whole thing.  The truth is out there...you just have to buy the graphic novel if you want to find it!

RATING:  10 chalkboard timelines out of 10 for honoring children's mysteries of a more innocent time and giving them an adult spin without making it dark and gloomy.