1949

by Dustin Weaver

By day, Detective Blank is a cop on the trail of a vicious serial killer in the year 1949. But when she sleeps, Blank lives a different life-- two hundred years in the future. Is Detective Blank next on the killer's list? Her dreams may hold the key to the case, if only she can remember them in time. The danger mounts and the suspense builds as the detective closes in, in this genre-bending sci fi-noir thriller.

For Detective Blank, to catch the killer will mean facing her greatest mystery—herself.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Crime, Noir, Time Travel, Graphic Novels Comics, Science Fiction

120 pages, Hardcover

First published July 9, 2024

About the author

Dustin Weaver is an American comics writer/artist.

Reviews

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mix of sci-fi, time travel, robots, serial killers and detective noir.. I can't pretend I completely understood what was happening, but holy crap - the ART! A dense story with even denser art.

(Picked up a review copy through Edelweiss)

[Staceyann2007 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I look at my brother in laws page for 5 star reads every so often and this one did not disappoint! Really enjoyed the time jumps, the sci-fi… the figuring out the case… it is amazing how much the graphic novel illustrations fill in so much information. Really enjoyed this one.

[Annalise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sci-fi graphic novel has a really interesting premise, but it does get a bit confusing at times. I do like the art style though.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of those books where the female main character is so thin and weird that you are left to wonder if the author has ever met a woman in his life. And before someone says it, yes, I know the main character is some kind of cyborg robot from the future but it still doesn't excuse her from being one dimensional and flat. This time period was one where America is in a full post war regression about the role of women in the workplace and in the home and there is nothing of what 1949 would mean for a competent woman detective, just a vague noir aesthetic. It sells short the actual life of my

Also by the end, I'm not even sure I get

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not entirely sure what I just read. There's a murder mystery in 1949 being solved by a female detective and her male partner. It's mostly interesting. But then there's also like, a future society and maybe the detective has been sent back through time?

I could not figure out how the two halves of 1949 fit together. That said, I was never quite bored and the art was gorgeous and detailed. That said, I can't remember much from 1949 now, as I write this review, aside from the fact that it was confusing. I honestly don't think they even solved the mystery...

[Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this book at my Local Comic Shop as they had a sale on their entire store. This sounded very interesting, so I took a chance. The concept of time investigation was very interesting. I think this book touched on a concept that can expand into a universe and many different stories. However, where this one lost me was that there was tension of who is the killer, only for it to happen and suddenly end. It felt rushed and a little incomplete. I think if there had been an extra part/chapter, it might have fit more.

That being said, it was alright for what it was, but I would only recommend if you want to go into something that the concept will be interesting over how it all ends. I will still look at other Dustin Weaver entries, as I see the potential of great storytelling!

[Mirko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is comic ('graphic novel') of the year for me. A brilliant mash-up of 1940s noir and cyberpunk. 1949 has a psychedelic quality to it, not so much in terms of day-glo 1960s colours but in terms of the sense of shifting reality and identity it conveys. The best comparison might be Dennis Potter and Jon Amiel's 'Singing Detective' series, another noir-fused meditation on identity, reality and personal history.

And the art...Weaver truly demonstrates the advantages of the writer-artist vision. There is so much subtle story-telling in the visuals and Weaver manages to resurrect the lost art of ACTUALLY DRAWING BACKGROUNDS. Indeed, there is something of the classic EC Comics style in the backgrounds. Grab the hardcover while you can, it's beautiful thing.

[Cody Wilson]

1949, what a trip. Dustin Weaver's gorgeous art combines so many disparate influences, most obviously Frank Miller and Moebius. His landscapes are breathtaking, and he pulls off innovative, clever tricks in page composition. This story's high-concept sci-fi premise is compelling, even if the characters are underdeveloped.

The ending's ambiguity is frustrating, although I've got a tenuous idea of what happened after a second read. The clone based on Jack Fragos' DNA was an agent sent back in time to solve the Outsider case. However, Jack had an identical twin (with identical DNA), and the clone's personality was split between the two brothers when transferred to the past. One brother received the more noble aspects of Jack and the received his murderous impulse (or some other weirdness happened with transferring the clone's consciousness to identical twins). I could be wrong but that's how I've pieced together this puzzle. Weaver could have better explained the mechanics of it all, and the ending frankly sours the rest of the story.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay…I grabbed this book from the library shelves as the cover jumped out at me as cool and interesting. What I didn’t know was just how entertaining this book would be. I find myself wondering if people will underrate this book, not truly appreciating how wildly entertaining and engrossing it is. Art was perfect and the color scheme enhanced the experience. The main character is Detective Blank and Dustin Weaver does an excellent job of making you immediately love and follow her throughout the case! The mix of future and past works so well too. My biggest complaint is not even knowing it was published! I hope my praise brings interest to this crime filled adventure that makes me long for additional work by Dustin Weaver. DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS ONE!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting fusion of past and future is present in this sci-fi-noir thriller. While I appreciated the stylistic choice for the past and future timelines being shown, and I enjoyed the plot very much, I only gave four stars due to the ambiguous conclusion. Meaning, I didn't really understand what the consequences will be due to the climax and falling action of the story. Regardless, very intricate pencilling, coloring, and world-building; very enjoyable read!

[Peter Evett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Art 4, Story 3. Really enjoyed the look - both the B&W 1940s and full color future (and nice overall conceit well pulled off). The time/clone stuff was a bit too unclear, especially WHY and at what cost was this so important, happening.

The murder mystery was more fun when it was just hard boiled detection than once the conclusion got going. Kind of a mush story in the end. But it was fun to look at the whole time.

[Chien Andalou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un dessin virtuose qui mélange les techniques: noir et blanc, couleurs, Benday dots, hachures, traits de vitesse… Les décors, intérieurs et extérieurs, sont rendus avec précision et le monde futuriste est représenté avec une grande inventivité, notamment les divers véhicules.
L’intrigue est bien amenée, soutenue par des dialogues de qualité et la résolution est très satisfaisante, ce qui est rare pour les récits complets d’une centaine de pages.

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full of interesting ideas, with a half-back plot. Sci-fi and Noir tend to work well together. The case within the book kept me wondering, while the future scenes were really fascinating. And then it just...ends. Very little is explained; that can be forgiven about the world and the lead character, but not the central case in the story.

[Kerowyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

j'ai adoré le jeu de styles différent sur les deux temporalité. le dessin est maitrisé et la pagination est archi bien faite ! le style année 50 est super. et les passages dans le futur sont archi bien fait. un petit côté un peu Bilal.
si j'avais pu j'aurai retiré une demi-étoile a cause de la fin qui bien que logique tombe un peu comme un soufflé.

[Dania · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art was stunning, but the story seemed rushed and part of an anthology, instead of a standalone series. This story was originally published in Weaver 's Paiklis series, which is probably why I didn't feel satisfied with this story being on its own.

[Neil Carey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Majesterial artwork, delirious story. A fever dream you can hold in your hand

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this noir time travel tale, sort of Blade Runner goes gumshoe.
Dustin Weaver delivers some compelling comics storytelling.
Thanks to Fulton County Public Library for the loan.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sci Fi detective thriller. It was decent.

[Charles Eldridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gorgeous art, but a convoluted story that had pacing issues and probably needed some fine tuning.

But that art.