Where the Body Was

Genre/Award/Honor

Graphic Novel, Mystery

Age Group

Adult/Mature (nudity, sexual situations, and foul language)

Plot Summary

When a private investigator is found dead on Pelican Road in 1984, all of the neighbors had a motive. Each neighbor shares their point of view of what happened that summer in this good, old fashioned, whodunnit.

Justification

I learned about Where the Body Was in my graphics novels class. I chose it because I don’t often read mysteries and felt the graphic novel format might help me enjoy the genre more.

Characters

The quirky characters in Where the Body Was quickly caught my interest, especially Lila Nguyen, AKA The Roller Derby Kid, who dresses up as a superhero and roller skates around the neighborhood. Brubaker and Phillips help you uncover each of their secrets, revealing that no one is exactly what they seem.

Pace and timeline

The story revolves around the residents of a boarding house and their neighbors on Pelican Road. The action takes place in 1984, but flash-forwards allow each character to share their points of view in the present. I was a bit disoriented by the first flashback: “Who is this person? She’s not in the Cast of Characters.” Once the flash forwards were established, it became easier to follow.

Art

I was disappointed by the art in Where the Body Was. Even though it was full color, the faces lacked detail which could have added clues to the characters’ motivations. Two of the characters have an affair during the summer of 1984, which leads to the sexual situations and nudity mentioned earlier. It was a bit gratuitous and the information about their relationship could have been conveyed just as well without it.

Holly’s Verdict

Where the Body Was tells a compelling story about people who have something to hide. Don’t we all have secrets that we don’t want other people to know about us? Would it be any different if you got to know the intimate details about your neighbors today? Even though I didn’t appreciate the nudity, it is a good selection for people nostalgic for the 1980’s, Ed Brubaker fans, and whodunnit fans.

About the author

Ed Brubaker has won many awards for his graphic novel and comic books, including 2 Harvey Awards and 7 Eisner Awards (“Ed Brubaker”, 2024). He is well known for superhero comics, having worked on Batman and Captain America. Recently, he was an executive producer and writer for Batman: Caped Crusader which was released in August 2024 on Amazon Prime.

References

Brubaker, E. & Phillips, S. (2023). Where the body was. (Phillips, J., colors). Image Comics, Inc.

Ed Brubaker. (2024, September 11). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ed_Brubaker&oldid=1245172241