Graphic Novel Ruse: Enter the Detective by Mark Waid

I read this in the beginning of May, when I was attempting to finish a book every day for a month.  I made it four days, one of which was because I read this graphic novel (the other three were all books half read in April).

Graphic Novel: Ruse: Enter the Detective by Mark Waid (writer), Butch Guice (Penciler), Mark Perkins (inker), and Laura DePuy (Colorist)

Summary:  Ruse follows Simon Archard, a Sherlock Holmes type detective who is way too smart for his own good and his supernatural sidekick, Emma Bishop.  Since Simon is unaware of the supernatural world, he struggles to solve the supernatural mystery surrounding Miranda Cross, an evil baroness new to their town.


Characters:  Simon is a complete jerk.  Because it is a graphic novel, he is neither unbearably abrasive nor surprisingly charming.  He's just kind of a jerk.  Miranda Cross is a sexy villainess who is totally evil, however I was never clear on what she wants or who she really is.  The graphic novel's redeeming grace, though, is the main character, Emma Bishop, who is constantly overlooked and underestimated in the story, but comes off as completely charming to the reader.


Plot/Pacing: It's a graphic novel, so it moves pretty fast.  There are six different stories in the first volume (I believe it is a collection more than an actual graphic novel) and each follows its own little mystery.  I enjoyed some better than others.  However, there is an overarching mystery that had me a little bit confused.  This is probably because there are so many story lines weaving together that I didn't get ANY answers in the first volume.  I will probably have to read volume 2 before I can effectively evaluate this series (I've ordered it, so maybe I enjoyed this more than I thought).


Moments I Loved: Simon makes Emma hide in a suit of armor which I thought was pretty hilarious.

WTF Moments: The first time Emma stopped time--I guess I didn't pay attention before I had read it, but I didn't realize that she had super powers.  On GoodReads, I commented that there were moments creepy enough to cause me to literally curse out loud, but I waited too long to write the review and can't remember these moments.  That's a win, though.


Artwork: I don't know enough about art to tell if I should have been blown away or not, but I enjoyed that the entire story is in color.  Also, the historical element meant that there were lots of pretty dresses and I love pretty dresses, even if they aren't real.


Overall:  A supernatural Sherlock Holmes that is occasionally cliche, but still manages to have a special charm.  If you want any answers, make sure you have both volumes one and two when you start reading.

Ruse gets a FakeSteph rating of...