Oni; $19.99

In 1925, Juan Calavera was a hero who protected the Chicano barrios where the police refused to work. After successfully stopping a human trafficking deal, the private investigator was shot and killed while trying to prevent another crime. Five years later on Dia de Los Muertos, his associate and reporter Maria Valdez summons Calavera’s spirit to help solve a kidnapping.

Calavera P.I. introduces the private eye, the journalist, and detective Mike Randall, each of whom has some of the stereotypes from detective fiction. Calavera’s a little sardonic and a drinker, Maria is dogged, and Randall is tough. But, writer-artist Marco Finnegan fleshes them out to be more interesting than well worn architypes. For the art Finnegan utilizes the deep shadows, darker colors, and minimalistic backgrounds to give it the mystery-thriller vibe.

Racial tensions during the Great Depression deepen the story as fear and hatred are manifested, adding more complications to the situation. Calavera P.I. is a pulp story with an emphasis on Chicano history in LA, giving it a refreshing new angle on the genre.

Calavera P.I. is a pulp story with an emphasis on Chicano history in LA, giving it a refreshing new angle on the genre.

–Amanda Sheriff