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The Maze Agency #1
The Maze Agency, Volume 1
Represented for the first time since their original publication, The Maze Agency, Vol. 1 collects writer Mike W. Barr's first adventures of private eye Jennifer Mays and her boyfriend, true-crime writer and amateur sleuth Gabriel Webb. Their expanding relationship plays a backdrop to the cases they investigate, all of them whodunits that the reader can solve along with Jen and Gabe-if you're quick enough!
156 pages, Paperback
First published January 18, 2006
1 person is currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Mike W. Barr
829 books77 followersMike W. Barr is an American writer of comic books, and mystery, and science fiction novels. Barr's debut as a comics professional came in DC Comics' Detective Comics #444 (Dec. 1974-Jan. 1975), for which he wrote an 8-page back-up mystery feature starring the Elongated Man. Another Elongated Man story followed in Detective Comics #453 (November 1975). He wrote text articles and editorial replies in letter columns for the next few years. By mid-1980 he was writing regularly for both DC and Marvel, including stories for Marvel Team-Up, Mystery in Space, Green Lantern, and various Batman titles.
Legion of Super-Heroes #277 (July 1981) saw him take on editorial duties at DC, while writing issues of DC's Star Trek comic, for whom he created the native American character Ensign Bearclaw and a pacifist Klingon named Konom. In December 1982, he and artist Brian Bolland began Camelot 3000, a 12 issue limited series that was one of DC Comics' first direct market projects. In August 1983, Barr created what may well be his most enduring work, the monthly title Batman and the Outsiders with art by Jim Aparo. Barr wrote every issue of the original series, and its Baxter paper spinoff, The Outsiders.
His other comics work includes Mantra and Maze Agency as well as the 1987 OGN hardcover book Batman: Son of the Demon (with art by Jerry Bingham), proceeds from which reputedly "restored DC Comics to first place in sales after fifteen years." This title, and Barr's work on Batman with artist Alan Davis have been cited by Grant Morrison as key inspirations for his recent (2006) run on the Batman title.
In 2007, he wrote a two-part story for the pages of DC's JLA: Classified (#47-48, Jan-Feb 2008), returned to the Outsiders with Outsiders: Five of a Kind—Katana/Shazam #1 (Oct 2007), contributed to Tokyopop's Star Trek: The Manga, and relaunched Maze Agency at IDW Publishing. He has also scripted many of Bongo Comics' Simpsons titles, including a Christmas story for 2010.
In May 2010, the Invisible College Press published Barr's science fiction/fantasy novel, Majician/51, about the discoveries of a scientist working at Area 51.
Legion of Super-Heroes #277 (July 1981) saw him take on editorial duties at DC, while writing issues of DC's Star Trek comic, for whom he created the native American character Ensign Bearclaw and a pacifist Klingon named Konom. In December 1982, he and artist Brian Bolland began Camelot 3000, a 12 issue limited series that was one of DC Comics' first direct market projects. In August 1983, Barr created what may well be his most enduring work, the monthly title Batman and the Outsiders with art by Jim Aparo. Barr wrote every issue of the original series, and its Baxter paper spinoff, The Outsiders.
His other comics work includes Mantra and Maze Agency as well as the 1987 OGN hardcover book Batman: Son of the Demon (with art by Jerry Bingham), proceeds from which reputedly "restored DC Comics to first place in sales after fifteen years." This title, and Barr's work on Batman with artist Alan Davis have been cited by Grant Morrison as key inspirations for his recent (2006) run on the Batman title.
In 2007, he wrote a two-part story for the pages of DC's JLA: Classified (#47-48, Jan-Feb 2008), returned to the Outsiders with Outsiders: Five of a Kind—Katana/Shazam #1 (Oct 2007), contributed to Tokyopop's Star Trek: The Manga, and relaunched Maze Agency at IDW Publishing. He has also scripted many of Bongo Comics' Simpsons titles, including a Christmas story for 2010.
In May 2010, the Invisible College Press published Barr's science fiction/fantasy novel, Majician/51, about the discoveries of a scientist working at Area 51.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 10, 2024
I pulled this one down for a reread: HEY COMIC (and other) BOOK PUBLISHERS: WANT TO MAKE SOME EASY MONEY?!
REPRINT THIS ENTIRE SERIES IN NICE, FAT OMNIBUSES. I will buy it ALL!
++++++++++++++
This book collects the first five issues, and two promotional short stories, of Mike Barr's whodunit romance. I'd read the original issues years ago, so I knew the killer for most of these tales (all done-in-one, for you compression fans), although I didn't always remember the motive behind the killing or how they were discovered. Each issue has a parlor scene finale in which our heroes, Jen Mays (head of the PI firm, Maze Agency) and her boyfriend, amateur sleuth/true-crime writer, Gabe Webb, finger the culprit and explain how they deduced his/her identity. It's a charming ending that asks the reader to play along and see how close s/he came to predicting the killer. Some of the clues would be very hard for the reader to recognize, but the clues are there!
Jen and Gabe's romance is the book's real strength, setting it apart from standard mystery stories. Each character's backstory comes in drips and drabs, which can be frustrating, because so much of it impacts on the current stories. But that aspect makes the series intriguing - just as Jen and Gabe are re-constructing crimes with the clues given, the reader is putting together the history of the protagonists.
Adam Hughes does some of his earliest work here - he's already a strong illustrator, and he makes huge leaps as a storyteller during the course of the book. The early chapters are hard to read due to awkward panel arrangements (compounded by poor word balloon placement), but by the final stories, Hughes is already showing signs of becoming a first-rate comic artist. I wonder what ever happened to him?;)
REPRINT THIS ENTIRE SERIES IN NICE, FAT OMNIBUSES. I will buy it ALL!
++++++++++++++
This book collects the first five issues, and two promotional short stories, of Mike Barr's whodunit romance. I'd read the original issues years ago, so I knew the killer for most of these tales (all done-in-one, for you compression fans), although I didn't always remember the motive behind the killing or how they were discovered. Each issue has a parlor scene finale in which our heroes, Jen Mays (head of the PI firm, Maze Agency) and her boyfriend, amateur sleuth/true-crime writer, Gabe Webb, finger the culprit and explain how they deduced his/her identity. It's a charming ending that asks the reader to play along and see how close s/he came to predicting the killer. Some of the clues would be very hard for the reader to recognize, but the clues are there!
Jen and Gabe's romance is the book's real strength, setting it apart from standard mystery stories. Each character's backstory comes in drips and drabs, which can be frustrating, because so much of it impacts on the current stories. But that aspect makes the series intriguing - just as Jen and Gabe are re-constructing crimes with the clues given, the reader is putting together the history of the protagonists.
Adam Hughes does some of his earliest work here - he's already a strong illustrator, and he makes huge leaps as a storyteller during the course of the book. The early chapters are hard to read due to awkward panel arrangements (compounded by poor word balloon placement), but by the final stories, Hughes is already showing signs of becoming a first-rate comic artist. I wonder what ever happened to him?;)
on-hold
June 1, 2024Read #1 to #3 and will hopefully return to #4 some day. It's not particularly good because it's slow paced and doesn't feel as clever as other stuff I've read. But eh, hopefully I'll return since I didn't get far. I want to try more because I've heard decent things and am hoping it improves.
June 11, 2021
It’s hard to describe the Maze Agency after reading this short collection that made up the first five issues of the late 80s comic book series, but if I had to I would have to say it’s dated but still fun in a lot of ways.
On a positive note, I loved the interactions between the two lead characters: Jennifer Mays and Gabriel Webb. Mays, the head of a highly respected private investigator firm called the Maze Agency often teams up with Webb, a true-crime writer and amateur detective in his own right. Together they make an effective team, but more importantly they are just plain fun. Mays tends to be more professional, more serious, and more financially well off than Webb, Mike Barr created a pretty plausible and likable “opposites attract” duo in Mays and Webb and its fun to see how they even compliment each other’s weaknesses. Mays sees things that Webb never would and vice versa, but they are both meticulous and highly intelligent.
But in the end much of the graphic novel feels badly dated. Each issue fees like your reading a late 80s “Murder She Wrote” clone with a younger, hipper lead. The police, who is usually represented by a Detective named Lt. Bliss, are completely unable to solve anything on their own without the help of the Maze Agency. I’d almost call them inept but if they were then they had enough self awareness to recognize that they needed the help of Mayes and Webb and tended to stay out of their way. The crimes that sparked the murders in each issue tended to be wildly implausible (trying to destroy a corpse so it can’t be resurrected, killing a panel of Jack the Ripper experts while copying the Rippers messages and style of killing, filming an imitation of a popular 50s sitcom with modern actors to try and gain the royalties and hope nobody notices the actors are either different or 30 years older) and in classic Scooby Doo fashion, when the killer is confronted with the evidence of his crimes he (or she) always ends up confessing everything. With the exception of one murder, where the killer still had the victims blood on them, each of these were solved with the flimsiest of evidence that would, at best, establish probable cause for a search warrant but would have hardly been enough to end the case.
With that being said, it was still a fun read and worth spending a few hours checking out if you come across a copy.
On a positive note, I loved the interactions between the two lead characters: Jennifer Mays and Gabriel Webb. Mays, the head of a highly respected private investigator firm called the Maze Agency often teams up with Webb, a true-crime writer and amateur detective in his own right. Together they make an effective team, but more importantly they are just plain fun. Mays tends to be more professional, more serious, and more financially well off than Webb, Mike Barr created a pretty plausible and likable “opposites attract” duo in Mays and Webb and its fun to see how they even compliment each other’s weaknesses. Mays sees things that Webb never would and vice versa, but they are both meticulous and highly intelligent.
But in the end much of the graphic novel feels badly dated. Each issue fees like your reading a late 80s “Murder She Wrote” clone with a younger, hipper lead. The police, who is usually represented by a Detective named Lt. Bliss, are completely unable to solve anything on their own without the help of the Maze Agency. I’d almost call them inept but if they were then they had enough self awareness to recognize that they needed the help of Mayes and Webb and tended to stay out of their way. The crimes that sparked the murders in each issue tended to be wildly implausible (trying to destroy a corpse so it can’t be resurrected, killing a panel of Jack the Ripper experts while copying the Rippers messages and style of killing, filming an imitation of a popular 50s sitcom with modern actors to try and gain the royalties and hope nobody notices the actors are either different or 30 years older) and in classic Scooby Doo fashion, when the killer is confronted with the evidence of his crimes he (or she) always ends up confessing everything. With the exception of one murder, where the killer still had the victims blood on them, each of these were solved with the flimsiest of evidence that would, at best, establish probable cause for a search warrant but would have hardly been enough to end the case.
With that being said, it was still a fun read and worth spending a few hours checking out if you come across a copy.
December 26, 2015
I just thought that this was a really classy project, from the characters, to the mysteries, to the art. Very clearly a labour of love in the writing, each mystery is fast paced from one reveal to the next and I thought that they gave you enough to keep you interested without giving the game away, which is always hard to do. Love the art, which seemed like it justifiably gave hughes his chops. Very stylish but still excellent story telling.
April 9, 2010
Reads like a really good detective TV show. Clever mysteries, nice bits of humor and a romance that feels real.
Want to read
February 1, 2019Synopsis: collects the first adventures of private eye Jennifer Mays and her boyfriend, true-crime writer and amateur sleuth Gabriel Webb.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews