CSI: Bad Rap

A rising punk rap superstar knocks a heckler out, killing him, on his way to a rock oldies concert at a Vegas casino. There’s some rivalry between local groups just breaking big, and the obnoxious rapper gets knocked off quickly, as many readers may have been rooting for. CSI: Bad Rap is written by Max Allan Collins with art by Gabriel Rodriguez and Ashley Wood.

While investigating, the team finds more related murders, as well as encountering a company producing a “Girls Gone Wild”-like series of videotapes. The entertainment background makes for a rich setting, as the case sends the team wandering through various aspects of the music business, and it’s interesting to see the listening tastes of various members of the CSI gang.

Grissom’s intellectual reactions to most of the types of music mentioned are a hoot that’s also in keeping with the character. The likenesses are as good as ever, although I miss Grissom’s beard. Still, the book is faithful to the show in lots of ways. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many characters show up, including technician Greg, even if only briefly.

This is a good facsimile of the show, and the art and layout is easy to read, with most of the story clearly spelled out through dialogue. I found it more interesting than the first book because the setting of the music business was more interesting to me than a convention about serial killers.