Murder Mysteries

Last updated

Murder Mysteries
Publication information
Publisher Midnight Graffiti, Dark Horse
Format Short story, Graphic novel
Publication date1992
Creative team
Created by Neil Gaiman
Written by Neil Gaiman
Artist(s) P. Craig Russell

"Murder Mysteries" is a fantasy short story by Neil Gaiman first published in the 1992 anthology Midnight Graffiti and later collected in his collections Angels and Visitations and Smoke and Mirrors .

Contents

Plot

The narrator, a young Englishman, visits Los Angeles for the first time, and has an upsetting encounter with an ex-girlfriend, Tink, and her child, that ends ambiguously. Rattled from the meeting, he sits on a park bench next to a man claiming to be the angel Raguel, once the very first detective, who was called upon to solve a mystery in the Silver City— another angel has been murdered and he has to find the killer, who ultimately turns out to have been the Creator himself, through influencing another angel. The murdered angel was the designer of love, and his co-worker fell in love with him, only to be scorned when the pair moved on to designing death. This sequence of events angers Raguel’s by-the-book superior, Lucifer, ultimately prompting his doubt and subsequent fall. Raguel has since fallen himself, and become something akin to a grizzled noir detective. In discussion with Raguel, the narrator learns he likely murdered Tink and her child, and so Raguel uses the remnants of his angelic powers to wipe the atrocity away from his mind, setting him on a path towards a stable happy life. On his flight home to England, he reflects on the imagery in Raguel’s story.

Adaptations

It was adapted by the author into an audio drama, which was produced by Seeing Ear Theater in 2000, starring Brian Dennehy and narrated by Michael Emerson. (Gaiman and Seeing Ear Theatre went on to collaborate on an adaptation of another story, "Snow, Glass, Apples", and the two adaptations have been released together on CD under the title Two Plays for Voices .) [1]

Hollywood scriptwriter David S. Goyer wrote a script for a potential film. Although it was never made, according to him, Gaiman himself still refers to it as being one of the best adaptations of his work. [2]

In 2002, it was adapted into a comic book by P. Craig Russell, and published by Dark Horse Books. [3]

Reception

Reception to the various incarnations of the story have been positive, [4] with Publishers Weekly saying that the graphic novel's "crisp and vividly rendered drawings capture the haunting sense of loss and isolation Gaiman expresses in this mythic tale of love and jealousy." [5] Valentinelli of FlamesRising.com praised the casting for the audio drama, but said that the plot was "a bit too vague and almost leaves too much to the imagination." [6]

Connection to other works

The angels and their city are also depicted in Gaiman's earlier Sandman series. S. T. Joshi suggests the events of this story provide a rationale for Lucifer's eventual revolt against the Presence. [7] At the end of the story Lucifer leaves, dissatisfied with the justice of the conclusion.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Gaiman</span> English writer (born 1960)

Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic book series The Sandman and the novels Good Omens, Stardust, Anansi Boys, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book. In 2023, he starred as the voice of Gef the talking mongoose in the black comedy film Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose.

<i>Neverwhere</i> British television series

Neverwhere is an urban fantasy television miniseries by Neil Gaiman that first aired in 1996 on BBC 2. The series is set in "London Below", a magical realm coexisting with the more familiar London, referred to as "London Above". It was devised by Neil Gaiman and Lenny Henry and directed by Dewi Humphreys. Gaiman adapted the series into a novel, which was released in September 1996. The series and book were partially inspired by Gene Wolfe's novel Free Live Free.

<i>The Sandman: Season of Mists</i>

Season of Mists is a 1990-1991 American eight-part comic and the fourth collection of issues in the DC Comics' The Sandman series. It collects issues #21–28. It was written by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Kelley Jones, Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Matt Wagner, Dick Giordano, George Pratt, and P. Craig Russell; coloured by Steve Oliff and Daniel Vozzo; and lettered by Todd Klein.

<i>The Sandman</i> (comic book) Comic series by Neil Gaiman

The Sandman is a comic book written by Neil Gaiman and published by DC Comics. Its artists include Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, Jill Thompson, Shawn McManus, Marc Hempel, Bryan Talbot, and Michael Zulli, with lettering by Todd Klein and covers by Dave McKean. The original series ran for 75 issues from January 1989 to March 1996. Beginning with issue No. 47, it was placed under DC's Vertigo imprint, and following Vertigo's retirement in 2020, reprints have been published under DC's Black Label imprint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death of the Endless</span> DC Comics character

Death of the Endless is a fictional personification of death who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in The Sandman vol. 2, #8, and was created by Neil Gaiman and Mike Dringenberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corinthian (comics)</span> Comics character

The Corinthian is a fictional character in Neil Gaiman's comic book series The Sandman. He first appeared in The Sandman #10, which is part of the second story arc, The Doll's House. The Corinthian is a nightmare created by Dream, who destroys him in the same collection for going rogue and failing to fulfill his original design. Dream later recreates him with "some changes", though the exact nature of these changes is not explicit. His most notable physical feature is his lack of eyes: in their place, two rows of small, jagged teeth line each eye socket, which he often covers with sunglasses. He can speak, eat, see, and even breathe through these mouths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vertigo Comics</span> Imprint of comic-book publisher DC Comics

Vertigo Comics was an imprint of American comic book publisher DC Comics started by editor Karen Berger in 1993. Vertigo's purpose was to publish comics with adult content, such as nudity, drug use, profanity, and graphic violence, that did not fit the restrictions of DC's main line, thus allowing more creative freedom. Its titles consisted of company-owned comics set in the DC Universe, such as The Sandman and Hellblazer, and creator-owned works, such as Preacher, Y: The Last Man and Fables.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucifer (DC Comics)</span> Comic book character

Lucifer Samael Morningstar is a character who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is an adaptation of Lucifer—the Biblical fallen angel and devil of Christianity—and is one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe. Though various versions of the Devil have been presented by DC Comics, this interpretation by Neil Gaiman debuted in The Sandman #4 in 1989. Lucifer appears primarily as a supporting character in The Sandman and as the protagonist of the spin-off Lucifer.

<i>Smoke and Mirrors</i> (Gaiman book) 1998 collection of short stories and poems by Neil Gaiman

Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions is a collection of short stories and poems by Neil Gaiman. It was first published in the United States in 1998, and in the United Kingdom in 1999. The UK edition included five stories not in the US edition, four of which were included in the US edition of Fragile Things.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cain and Abel (comics)</span> DC Comics characters

Cain and Abel are a pair of fictional characters in the DC Comics universe based on the biblical Cain and Abel. They are key figures in DC's "Mystery" line of the late 1960s and 1970s, which became the mature-readers imprint Vertigo in 1993.

Snow, Glass, Apples is a 1994 short story written by Neil Gaiman. It was originally released as a benefit book for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and was reprinted in the anthology Love in Vein II, edited by Poppy Z. Brite.

"We Can Get Them for You Wholesale" is a 1984 short story by Neil Gaiman. The story was first published in the British magazine Knave, and has also been included in his short story collections Angels and Visitations (1993) and Smoke and Mirrors (1998), and in the anthology Bangs & Whimpers: Stories About the End of the World.

<i>The Dreaming</i> (comics) Monthly comic series published by DC Comics

The Dreaming was a monthly comic series that ran for 60 issues and was revived in 2018. It is set in the same dimension of the DC universe as The Sandman and the stories occurred primarily within Dream's realm, The Dreaming, concentrating on characters who had played minor roles in The Sandman, including The Corinthian, Matthew the raven, Cain and Abel, Lucien the dream librarian, the faerie Nuala, Eve, and Mervyn Pumpkinhead. It also introduced a number of new characters, Echo and a new (white) dream raven, Tethys. After those characters were retconned the 2018 version of The Dreaming introduced new characters such as Hyperion Keeter, WAN, and the night hag, Dora. The 2020 spin-off / continuation, The Dreaming: Waking Hours introduced other new characters such as Linsy, Ruin, and most notably, Heather After, a direct descendant of Roderick Burgess. There were brief appearances by The Endless during the series, including cameos by Dream, Death, Destiny, and Desire.

Two Plays for Voices is a sound recording of two of Neil Gaiman's short stories, "Snow, Glass, Apples" (1994) and "Murder Mysteries" (1992).

"A Study in Emerald" is a short story written by British fantasy and graphic novel author Neil Gaiman. The story is a Sherlock Holmes pastiche transferred to the Cthulhu Mythos universe of horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. Gaiman describes it as "Lovecraft/Holmes fan fiction". It won the 2004 Hugo Award for Best Short Story. The title is a reference to the Sherlock Holmes novel A Study in Scarlet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Gaiman bibliography</span>

This is a list of works by Neil Gaiman.

<i>The Graveyard Book</i> 2008 young adult novel by Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book is a young adult novel written by the English author Neil Gaiman, simultaneously published in Britain and America in 2008. The Graveyard Book traces the story of the boy Nobody "Bod" Owens who is adopted and reared by the supernatural occupants of a graveyard after his family is brutally murdered.

<i>The Sandman</i> (TV series) Fantasy drama television series

The Sandman is an American fantasy drama television series based on the 1989–1996 comic book written by Neil Gaiman and published by DC Comics. The series was developed by Gaiman, David S. Goyer, and Allan Heinberg for the streaming service Netflix and is produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television. Like the comic, The Sandman tells the story of Dream / Morpheus, the titular Sandman. The series stars Tom Sturridge as the title character, with Boyd Holbrook, Vivienne Acheampong, and Patton Oswalt in supporting roles.

References

  1. Neil Gaiman- Interview Biting Dog Press
  2. Archived 2018-01-13 at the Wayback Machine Crave
  3. Alverson, Brigid (31 December 2013). "P. Craig Russell on the new edition of 'Murder Mysteries'". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  4. Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions Publishers Weekly]
  5. MURDER MYSTERIES Publishers Weekly
  6. Neil Gaiman’s “Two Plays for Voices” Audiobook Review FlamesRising.com
  7. Joshi, S. T. Icons of Horror and the Supernatural. Greenwood Press, 2007, p. 184