Pine And Merrimac #1 Review

 

Writer: Kyle Starks

Artist & Colorist: Fran Galán

Letterer: Pat Brosseau

Cover Artists: Fran Galán, Erica Henderson, Annie Wu, Jae Lee with June Chung

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: January 3, 2023

 

Linnea was a homicide detective. Parker was a Mixed Martial Arts fighter. Now, they operate the Pine & Merrimac Detective Agency. What kind of people do they help? What sorts of crimes do they refuse to investigate? Let's leap into Pine And Merrimac #1 and find out!

 

Story

Linnea grew up in Jamesport. The picturesque East Coast fishing village, founded nearly three centuries ago, boasts a rich and storied history. Linnea's childhood took a tragic turn when the tide washed her kidnapped sister ashore a few weeks following her disappearance. Like many young people, Linnea traded her hometown for the big city. Alma's unsolved death led Linnea to join the police. Linnea met Parker while investigating the murder of his best friend and sparring partner. They fell in love and decided to build a future together. So they married, Parker retired, and they founded a detective agency in her hometown.

 

Working for the police, Linnea discovered she hated investigating murder. Nor did she enjoy tracing missing persons, as they usually ended up dead. So, the couple specializes in infidelity and insurance fraud in Pine And Merrimac #1. Linnea weeds out problem clients. She pays the price for their success when the targets of their investigations seek revenge. Parker protects her and keeps her happy. Linnea may be coasting, but she's earned her comfortable and undemanding life. Then comes a missing persons case she can't turn down. Now Linnea's looking for Tabitha and hoping the girl’s fate is better than Alma’s.

 

Kyle Starks makes it clear right away that Linnea is whip-smart. Parker protects her in extreme cases, but Linnea can handle most who walk through their door. Parker doesn't overthink life. He knows Linnea's past and snatches every opportunity to make her happy. He's felt the pain of betrayal and the sting of losing a beloved friend. That's something they share and hope never to feel again. Yet despite all his hard work, Linnea is determined to take Tabitha's case in Pine And Merrimac #1. Will Linnea's investigation immerse her in despair like Alma's death and her police work? Or might it bring healing by addressing her sister's death?

 

Art

Like the rice that wedding guests shower upon the happy couple, images cascade across three pages, bringing us up to speed with Linnea. Hand-in-hand, the happy couple walk toward their office at the Pine Street and Merrimac Street intersection. Neighboring tenants welcome them as they pass beneath the flowering vine that forms an arbor over the business’ entrance in this vibrant seaside community. Cheating spouses’ exaggerated features clash with the good citizens’ realism. Linnea and Parker's features and manners underline their storybook life in Pine And Merrimac #1. Backgrounds may fade when panels focus on character interactions. Yet they return like a flood when Linnea investigates Tabitha’s disappearance.

 

Fran Galán’s palette is as varied as Linnea's environment. Parker and Linnea's vintage red Chevrolet Camero transports them from their clifftop home through an arboreal wonderland to a sundrenched township that brings the rich and poor to their door. Light colors pervade this oceanfront community. Yet colors grow less diverse to emphasize the dim lighting inside a biker bar, and purples and pinks suffice to enliven the graceful way Parker and Linnea greet the day.

 

Uppercase black letters grace white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes. Pat Brosseau uses sound effects sparingly to illuminate gestures of love and those fraught with peril. Pine And Merrimac #1 generously invites readers from all walks of life to share the couple's investigation. Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Alcohol abuse leads to infidelities and felonies, while a girl's disappearance may illuminate Linnea's painful past in Pine And Merrimac #1.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.