I'm still surprised just how few people, i.e. comic readers and fans of the medium, are aware of Private Eye given the immense fanbase of Vaughan for comic series such as Ex Machina, Y: The Last Man, Runaways, and currently with his Fiona Staple's epic space opera: Saga (which is phenomenal btw). Vaughan is also a working writer in Hollywood having written for Lost, and currently writing for Stephen King's Under The Dome.
See what I mean? You should be reading this guy's stuff!
Tangent: I read mostly digital comics these days because I've asked my wife and friends to schlep countless longboxes of comics in and out our houses as we've moved over the years. They're also a pain in the ass to store. They take up So. Much. Room. It's like having another child. I also read comics digitally now because of another key element: access. I don't have to pull down 1400 comics in 4 boxes just to get to the box I need, only then finding myself having to pry comics out that are pressed so tightly you can barely fit your fingers between them. The whole ordeal of bagging and boarding comics, alphabetizing them as well as filing them chronologically by publishing date... I don't miss it at all. At. All.
Now, I bring up digital comics for a good reason, that being that The Private Eye is only published online and, according to the creators, it will always only be available online. On top of this absolutely abnormal publishing scheme the price of The Private Eye is determined by the one person who never usually gets to decide how much they'll pay for a comic: The reader. When you go to their website Panel Syndicate you can pay market price of an average comic these days ($3.99 US), you can pay $1, or you can pay nothing. It's totally up to you. The creators are saying that this delivery method is working out just fine for them, as people are generally good natured and know that if they like it, and want more, then they're going to have to cough up some greenbacks.
Back on track, aside from the interesting delivery method and pricing, the book is a work of art. A lot of times a book gets off to a shaky start and might have to find it's legs. It's normal. You can't usually have real drama without getting to know the characters a little, and that takes time.
The Private Eye is not your "normal" book by any means. It comes out of the gate fully formed and racing away from the starting line, complete with characters that have real genuine emotions, backstories, and not to mention the fact the whole world of Private Eye is a futuristic, alternate reality where the internet told everyone's secrets and where EVERYONE now has a secret identity. And personal information is the most closely guarded secret.
The protagonist is easily one of the most interesting new characters I've read about in 5 years. The story takes place in the near future, but the protagonist is deeply infatuated with the 20th century. Posters of The Maltese Falcon and vinyl by The Flaming Lips and other remnants of our time adorn his office and I'm sure a lot of his thoughts. And he's your guy if you want pictures of someone without their disguise, or someone's real name and address. Oh yeah, and private detectives are illegal. That just adds to the fun.
I'd be remiss without talking about the fantastic art by Marcos Martin. Not only is his cartooning some of my all-time favorite, but his art exceeds the norm. His creativity is unchecked and it shows in every line of his art and every panel and layout of this book. This guy should be a flippin' comic rock god. A household name! There's not a lot of people working in the industry today that are immediately recognizable and as unique as Martin.
Speaking of that, you can buy prints of his work from Private Eye on the Panel Syndicate site and they look amazing. I haven't yet, but I've got to get at least one for my wall.
The first arc is the first 5 issues and I won't say too much about it plot-wise, as it is a mystery, but it reminds you immediately of The Big Sleep and Little Sister and maybe a dozen other hard boiled detective stories, all the while being very much it's own thing... and crushing it.
The series is supposed to run 10 issues and I think it would be a real shame if we only got that many. There are so many places I want to see this book go, so many stories they could tell, so many issues just waiting to be hatched. But if we just get 10... they're going to be some of the very best issues you can find.
I'd also be just fine if they decided to put together a nice hardcover I could put on my shelf eventually. I read digital, but I'm not a soulless robot!
This series is something you can spend a lot of time with, making it worth far more than the $0.00 you could pay for it and a series that deserves your attention.
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