HEAD WOUNDS

A crooked cop inexplicably suffers others’ physical pain while hunting kidnappers in this supernatural graphic novel.

New Orleans cop Leo Guidry revels in his own seediness. He’s a perpetual drunk who steals and sells evidence and proceeds to have an affair with another cop’s wife. But lately, he’s seeing things he can’t explain, such as people who appear as glowing creatures. Things really take a turn when a fellow detective dies in the line of duty—a gunshot to the head—and Guidry suffers an identical injury simultaneously. Guidry survives with a hole in his head that never stops bleeding, though only he can see this dreadful wound. He doesn’t know what’s happening even as the detective’s apparent ghost materializes before him. Perhaps it’s time for this dirty cop to “settle up,” which he attempts to do by looking into the abduction of a drug addict. He later witnesses the same kidnappers grab a young Honduran man. Guidry tracks down the victims while facing an especially huge obstacle. When certain individuals suffer injuries, like a savage pistol-whipping, the detective feels the same thing and sees the results on his increasingly battered mug. Along the way, he encounters people he’s let down and deals with the guilt caused by the loss of his son. But his dangerous, graphically psychedelic journey seems to revolve around his choices that have hurt others and a newfound chance to clear his conscience. And Guidry soon realizes he’s only a small part of a much bigger fight and a much larger world.

Buccellato’s novel—based on a story by Robert Johnson and John Alvey—moves at the pace of a Hollywood action film. That’s hardly surprising, as it was also developed by movie producer Jason Spire and actor Oscar Isaac. Guidry is the quintessential world-weary detective hiding in a dark city’s squalid underbelly. As he sees more and more bewildering things, a mystery slowly creeps into the narrative that couples well with such familiar sights as cops chasing baddies. Despite his flaws, Guidry is an appealing hero who eventually strives to do what’s right. Most of the police, meanwhile, see him as a peculiar guy with “mummy bandages” pointlessly covering his head; they can’t see the bloody and bruised agony on his face that he and readers spot. No one else in the cast gets as much focus, though Suzie, Guidry’s paramour, stands out as a woman who craves an emotional connection. Some characters are intentionally enigmatic, from a biker gang to the truck driver transporting the abductees. Ward’s richly hued artwork complements this somber detective story with blue-gray nights and glaringly bright lights. But the most striking visual is Guidry’s head wound, as its mesmerizing blood floats in the air and sometimes even covers the panels with spatter. As to what’s going on, there are few answers until the final act rolls around. While the creators provide a good deal of clarity, questions remain, and it’s clear they have planned this as the start of a series.

A superb noirish tale with otherworldly glimpses and a gruff, likable detective.