Frankee White – writer
Adam Markiewicz– artist
True crime stories have exploded in the last five years, and at one point, documentary films (of which the biggest subgenre was true crime) were the fastest-growing genre for new releases. Despite this, few graphic novels have used this kind of story as a backdrop.
Enter Who Killed Sarah Shaw?, the latest collaboration between indie darlings Frankee White and Adam Markiewicz. These two tell a gripping tale of a teenage murder victim, feuding coworkers, and a town that’s finally letting its mask slip. By the end, readers will reevaluate everything they know about noir and murder victims.
Who Killed Sarah Shaw? follows true crime documentarians Jes and Dave as they dig into the Michigan town of Hardground’s troubled past.
A talented high schooler and one everyone knew would be somebody someday, Sarah Shaw, was murdered 26 years ago but her killer was never found. To make matters worse, the person everyone assumed did it skipped town six months later.
Facing the imminent cancellation of their show, Jes decides that they will go out on a bang and do the impossible: solve this ancient cold case no matter what. After a second interview with Sarah Shaw’s best friend, things turn interesting as she drops the canned answers and reveals her true thoughts, ones she’s never shared before. Is this the true Sarah Shaw or a picture painted with old biases?
The first thing I noticed about this book is its subtly. The team doesn’t spoon-feed anything to the reader and uses background details, such as text messages that aren’t the focal point of a panel, to give additional context and story. Markiewicz’s facial expressions are phenomenal in this regard as they reveal so much of the character’s motivations without words. The story has little action and focuses more on interpersonal drama and sordid histories, so this was essential and White and Markiewicz nailed it.
Everything is drawn in grayscale with grainy textures on top. It gives the story a lot of character and just a touch of uneasiness. This coloring was a perfect choice to display the themes of Who Killed Sarah Shaw. The reader is never quite sure which version of events is the truth in both narrative and art because the art intentionally leaves out a bit of color, like people with shameful pasts will leave out details.
What is most commendable is the pacing of this story. It’s steady like a train and cleanly leads the reader to the creators’ desired conclusion. Much of this is accomplished because of the dialogue and lettering. White’s words are succinct and avoid any flashy vocabulary that could pull the reader away from the page. There is rarely, if ever, more than one sentence per balloon, and Markiewicz’s balloon placement is some of the smoothest I’ve seen. Nothing delays this train or accelerates it.
I had only a few nitpicky complaints about Who Killed Sarah Shaw. The biggest one comes from a scene during the final twist. It’s a little unclear because it’s done in a silhouette, so it took me a second reading to finally see what happened. Though it is very dramatic, I think it could have been more effective with some details.
There are also a few spots where things like a character’s dark hair or other objects blend with the background and the amount of space in the dialogue balloons could have been more consistent at times.
All of that aside, Who Killed Sarah Shaw is a fantastic book. It twists genres and leaves the reader thinking. I fully expect it to be nominated for some awards next year, and any comics fan would be remiss not to seek it out.
WHAT DO I READ NEXT?
If you like the writing:
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Eat My Flesh, Drink My Blood by Frankee White & Adam Markiewicz
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Broken Bear by Frankee White & Adam Markiewicz
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Criminal by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips
If you like the art:
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The Great Divide by Ben Fisher & Adam Markiewicz
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Nailbiter #12 by Joshua Williamson, Mike Henderson & Adam Markiewicz
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100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello & Eduardo Risso
ABOUT THE CREATORS
Frankee White (@DaydreamComix) – Writer
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White is a rising talent in comics. They are also the writer of Eat My Flesh, Drink My Blood (Dauntless Stories), 20 Fists (Source Point Press), and Broken Bear (Caliber Comics).
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They also organized the mecha-inspired collection Starless Daydream which raised money for the Trevor Project.
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White is also a poet.
Adam Markiewicz (@AdamMarkiewicz) – Artist
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Markiewicz has penciled work for Image, Dynamite, and Dauntless Stories
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He has recently taken the role of writer as well as artist for his newest series Trench Coat Samurai which is published on GlobalComix.
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Markiewicz is also a musician, creating music under the moniker Man-Machine Interface, sometimes for his own comics such as the soundtrack to his and White’s Eat My Flesh, Drink My Blood.
HOW DO I BUY IT?
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Coming Soon to Kickstarter!
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The image(s) used in this article are from a comic strip, webcomic or the cover or interior of a comic book. The copyright for this image(s) is likely owned by either the publisher of the comic, the writer(s) and/or artist(s) who produced the comic. It is believed that the use of this image(s) qualifies as fair use under the United States copyright law. The image is used in a limited fashion in an educational manner in order to illustrate the points of the author and not for the purpose of entertainment or substituting the original work. It is believed the use of this image has had no impact on the market value of the original work.
All Who Killed Sarah Shaw characters and the distinctive likeness(es) thereof are trademarks of and copyright of Frankee White and Adam Markiewicz or their respective owners. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
