John Flood #1-2

I admire Justin Jordan’s writing, although his stories, such as The Strange Talent of Luther Strode, tend to be too violent for my tastes. John Flood walks right on that edge, but I’m so intrigued by the lead character that I keep reading.

Flood was the subject of a government experiment that removed his need to sleep ten years ago. As a result, he can make connections no else sees, but he’s also in a permanent dream state, so he reads to others as crazy. I’m reminded of Warren Ellis’ work, or some of the Coen Brothers’ movies, or Dirk Gently, or if Sherlock Holmes took more hallucinogens.

Flood has just hired Berry, a disgraced ex-cop, to help him with a case, tracking a serial killer who’s been operating for years without suspicion. It’s the typical brains/muscle mismatched pairing — together, they’re detectives! — but with a lot more confusion on both sides, from different causes. It’s a dialogue-driven story, so far, with some great lines, but Jorge Coelho’s art is a terrific partner.

His Berry is blocky and square-jawed while Flood is more slender, elongated as though he’s stretching towards another reality. His eyes are droopy but somehow still crazy, but in a shamanistic, not psycho, way. The detail is impressive, particularly when trying to illustrate Flood’s thought processes.

The pacing is excellent, with just enough given out to the reader to keep them hooked, and a stand-alone case in each issue so far to go along with the bigger plot. By the end of this six-issue miniseries, our mismatched pair will presumably confront the guy responsible for thousands of deaths (as well as deal with whatever’s haunting Berry), but I hope this is only the first of their cases together. (The publisher provided digital review copies.)