December is one of the happiest months for people because Christmas is fast approaching. That and the annual Cosmic Comix Year-End Sale! I’m not sure which event really makes me happier because they are both so super cool. Anyway, because it is such a happy time, I decided I needed to read a happy book.  But I still wanted some adventure, mystery and intrigue, so this week I read LEO PULP written by Claudio Nizzi, drawn by Massimo Bonfatti and published by IDW. 

Leo Pulp is a collection of three stories originally published in Italy. Set during the 1940s, Leo lives in less affluent section of Hollywood and works as a private detective. As such he manages to get involved in all sorts of murder mysteries with some tie to the Hollywood film industry. The first involves a missing writer and the people looking for him. There’s some slight of hand with who the criminal and it’s not incredibly hard to guess the ending but getting there is great fun. The second story has elements of b-grade horror films, while the third is more of the murder with politicians theme.

Nizzi wrote a great trio of stories that manage to balance humor and crime fiction at the same time. Each story is based upon the Raymond Chandler, Philip Marlowe, seedy detective model. Leo is down on his luck until a new mystery shows up on his doorstep. And at the end of each adventure,Pulp is back where he started. Nizzi grounds each story in 1940s Hollywood and there are many references to topical events of the day such as the Black Dahlia murder. 

What sets this book apart is the humor. Leos narrative rarely matches the visuals on the page. If he’s describing how he’s showing the bad guys a thing or two, he’s getting beaten up. If he "leaps like a jaguar" then he falls flat on his face. It makes for hilarious reading. It also makes for interesting reading because you have to think about the book. It’s unsettling the first time you read the words and the pictures aren’t lining up. But, once you realize it’s all in fun it just gets better and better.

Massimo Bonfatti’s art is stellar! It’s cartoonish but not childish. The characters are all caricatures with oversized feet, noses, chins and other extremities. But it’s highly effective. It makes each character distinct and fun to look at. What makes it all work are the backgrounds. While the people may be distorted, nothing else is.  Cars, buildings and even trees are perfectly drawn. It balances the some of the other wackiness. Bonfatti also stuffs the backgrounds full of little details and jokes. You can easily search panels and pages to see what silliness is occurring in the background. Finally, Bonfatti has likeness of famous movie stars from the ’40s littered throughout the pages. 

I don’t often mention colors I have to because they are incredible. I always like color but I find that it typically ruins art more than it helps. This is one of the rare exceptions where the colors are flawless.  While bright and bold, which is perfectly suited for the material, they never overpower the art.

Leo Pulp is that rare combination of great story and great art that shouldn’t be missed. If you like your noir with tongue firmly in cheek then this is the book for you!  

- David Lee