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Dying is Easy
Comedy is hard... but dying is easy! From New York Times bestselling author Joe Hill (Locke & Key) comes this new graphic novel mystery.
Meet Syd "Sh*t-Talk" Homes, a disgraced ex-cop turned bitter stand-up comic turned... possible felon? Carl Dixon is on the verge of comedy superstardom and he got there the dirty way: by stealing jokes. He's got a killer act, an ugly past, and more enemies than punch-lines. So when someone asks Syd Homes how much it would cost to have Dixon killed, Syd isn't surprised in the slightest. But, once he's accused, he's on the run and it's going to take all of his investigative chops to suss out the real killer before he gets caught.
This crime thriller by writer Joe Hill and artist Martin Simmonds follows in the tradition of fair-play mysteries inviting readers to solve the murder before Syd does!
Meet Syd "Sh*t-Talk" Homes, a disgraced ex-cop turned bitter stand-up comic turned... possible felon? Carl Dixon is on the verge of comedy superstardom and he got there the dirty way: by stealing jokes. He's got a killer act, an ugly past, and more enemies than punch-lines. So when someone asks Syd Homes how much it would cost to have Dixon killed, Syd isn't surprised in the slightest. But, once he's accused, he's on the run and it's going to take all of his investigative chops to suss out the real killer before he gets caught.
This crime thriller by writer Joe Hill and artist Martin Simmonds follows in the tradition of fair-play mysteries inviting readers to solve the murder before Syd does!
116 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 15, 2020
109 people are currently reading
437 people want to read
About the author
Joe Hill
506 books30k followersJoe Hill's debut, Heart-Shaped Box, won the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel. His second, Horns, was made into a film freakfest starring Daniel Radcliffe. His other novels include NOS4A2, and his #1 New York Times Best-Seller, The Fireman... which was also the winner of a 2016 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Horror Novel.
He writes short stories too. Some of them were gathered together in his prize-winning collection, 20th Century Ghosts.
He won the Eisner Award for Best Writer for his long running comic book series, Locke & Key, co-created with illustrator and art wizard Gabriel Rodriguez.
He lives in New Hampshire with a corgi named McMurtry after a certain beloved writer of cowboy tales. His next book, Strange Weather, a collection of novellas, storms into bookstores in October of 2017.
He writes short stories too. Some of them were gathered together in his prize-winning collection, 20th Century Ghosts.
He won the Eisner Award for Best Writer for his long running comic book series, Locke & Key, co-created with illustrator and art wizard Gabriel Rodriguez.
He lives in New Hampshire with a corgi named McMurtry after a certain beloved writer of cowboy tales. His next book, Strange Weather, a collection of novellas, storms into bookstores in October of 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 150 reviews
June 22, 2020
The story of a smart-ass comedian and ex-cop accused of murder. He goes on the run (which can be difficult when everyone can't stand you) to clear his name eventually stumbling upon the truth. This was just an OK crime noir. Martin Simmons channels Bill Sienkiewicz to a lesser degree. I found his art staid instead of innovating though. His characters also had a sameness to them that made them difficult to tell apart as well.
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September 11, 2020I think this may be my first Joe Hill read that I'm this disappointed by, but damn, I couldn't get into this at all and was so bummed about it that I DNFed it halfway through. :(
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
November 5, 2020
A decent hardboil story of a man framed for murder. Nice twist being he's a comedian and so there's a good amount of solid humor. While the twist were easy to see coming it was still an enjoyable read thanks to Joe Hill's solid writing.
July 2, 2023
This is a good self-contained retro/noir-ish crime graphic novel about a failed police detective who's attempting to launch a new career as a stand-up comic. It's a kid of bleak and hard-boiled story not only because he's really not that funny, but also because he's thrust into a situation in which he has to solve a murder for which he's the obvious and most likely suspect. Hill does a good job of presenting all of the clues the reader needs to solve the crime he's investigating, there are a couple of clever twists, and some of the situations are quite amusing. I wonder if Sam Spade could roller skate? The art is a little rough but serviceable.
December 18, 2020
When the author tries to get ahead of criticism but ends up writing the book review for me: "She thinks there's still a market for dumb '80s cop comedies fulla big action scenes and mouthy tough guys. No one going to pay money for that stone-age shit anymore."
Mouthy tough guy Syd Homes is an disgraced ex-cop-cum-stand-up comedian who finds himself accused of murder. On the run from the police, he tries to solve the mystery on his own while making wisecracks and stumbling into big action scenes.
There are some LGBTQ+ characters, but mostly so Homes can be the butt of tired "he's such an awful guy he turned his ex-wife gay" jokes. Y'know, stone-age humor?
Actually, the whole thing is just tired, and I'm tired of writing about it.
Mouthy tough guy Syd Homes is an disgraced ex-cop-cum-stand-up comedian who finds himself accused of murder. On the run from the police, he tries to solve the mystery on his own while making wisecracks and stumbling into big action scenes.
There are some LGBTQ+ characters, but mostly so Homes can be the butt of tired "he's such an awful guy he turned his ex-wife gay" jokes. Y'know, stone-age humor?
Actually, the whole thing is just tired, and I'm tired of writing about it.
June 12, 2023
Dying is Easy is a comic book series by Joe Hill that I found quite enjoyable. It tells the story of Syd Homes, a former cop who became a stand-up comedian after a traumatic incident. He gets into trouble when he is accused of killing another comedian who was notorious for stealing jokes from others. The comic has a lot of suspense and mystery, as Syd tries to clear his name and find out who the real killer is. Along the way, he encounters some interesting characters and situations and delivers some humorous lines that made me chuckle. However, not all of his jokes were funny, and some of them felt forced or inappropriate.
The comic also features the artwork of Martin Simmonds, who uses a lot of abstract and distorted shapes and colours. I did not like his style very much, because it made it difficult to recognize the characters and their expressions. I think a more realistic and clear art style would have suited the story better.
The comic also features the artwork of Martin Simmonds, who uses a lot of abstract and distorted shapes and colours. I did not like his style very much, because it made it difficult to recognize the characters and their expressions. I think a more realistic and clear art style would have suited the story better.
December 17, 2020
A disgraced cop turned comedian finds himself accused of murder and now has to resort to his investigative skills to find the real killer before he falls for something he never did. Writer Joe Hill looks to deliver a cynical comedic tone and noir-crime pacing, the latter being killer, to tell his story. While it makes for a fascinating mystery, it quickly struggles to keep the reader hooked. Artist Martin Simmonds offers a unique and highly-tinted artistic vision that is visually exciting but not enough to keep the reader engaged till the final reveal.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
October 27, 2022
Buena historia policiaca de un ex policía vuelto comediante que tiene que limpiar su nombre. Lo mejor de la historia es sin duda el arte de Martin Simmonds que logra la tensión y acción necesaria para tenerte al filo de la página. Larga vida al profe Simmonds.
January 2, 2021
This was awful.
I'm a huge Joe Hill fan, and this is probably the worst thing of his that I've read, right up there (Down there...?) with the TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE comic. The art is muddled and incomprehensible, the characters all looked alike, the coloring is muddled and ugly, the characters are flat and uninteresting....This was just a huge misfire for me.
I'm a huge Joe Hill fan, and this is probably the worst thing of his that I've read, right up there (Down there...?) with the TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE comic. The art is muddled and incomprehensible, the characters all looked alike, the coloring is muddled and ugly, the characters are flat and uninteresting....This was just a huge misfire for me.
January 2, 2021
An average crime mystery with very crude artwork. The sketchy drawings often made the main character look like Frankenstein's monster. Meh, this was an alright read.
https://youtu.be/APYazDNtTLs
https://youtu.be/APYazDNtTLs
December 27, 2021
(4,5 of 5 for this Joe Hill's Criminal story)
Yeah, it's like that. Joe Hill apparently wanted to do some Brubaker Criminal stuff and so he did. And also wanted the art to fit the example. And this confessed inspiration went very well. We got a former beat cop, now, even more, beat stand-up comedian framed for something he didn't do and only he is the man to clear his name. It's very nice, funny, it has a good tempo. The story has a few layers of twists, but all of them are well prepared with hints and support in the previous story, usually unnoticed by the reader, so I can't slash this one as common dumb "surprise" twists sucked on the spot from writers toe. This is totally worth a try for all Criminal lovers.
Yeah, it's like that. Joe Hill apparently wanted to do some Brubaker Criminal stuff and so he did. And also wanted the art to fit the example. And this confessed inspiration went very well. We got a former beat cop, now, even more, beat stand-up comedian framed for something he didn't do and only he is the man to clear his name. It's very nice, funny, it has a good tempo. The story has a few layers of twists, but all of them are well prepared with hints and support in the previous story, usually unnoticed by the reader, so I can't slash this one as common dumb "surprise" twists sucked on the spot from writers toe. This is totally worth a try for all Criminal lovers.
July 4, 2022
A pretty average story elevated by art I really dug. The main character is likeable enough for filling the "put upon white schlub" archetype.
There's a lot of by-the-numbers detective stuff here. Syd seems to know every twist just before it comes along. However, as mentioned, I really liked the art style. Severe lines and muted neons. It really works. A pretty decent read overall.
There's a lot of by-the-numbers detective stuff here. Syd seems to know every twist just before it comes along. However, as mentioned, I really liked the art style. Severe lines and muted neons. It really works. A pretty decent read overall.
July 2, 2024
For me, this was just okay graphic novel. The artwork wasn't really my style but it wasn't bad. The story was a bit predictable, nothing overly exciting and yet I stuck with it just to see how it ended. I could see others liking it but just wasn't my type.
October 28, 2020
2.5 rounded up to 3
I can't wait for a Joe Hill book or comic. I was thrilled to receive this ARC from NetGalley and was saving it for the end of my work week. Well, I was disappointed, maybe I should have taken into account that it wasn't his usual genre. It was all right but I've read better; it was a bit predictable and didn't flow well. The graphics were all right.
I can't wait for a Joe Hill book or comic. I was thrilled to receive this ARC from NetGalley and was saving it for the end of my work week. Well, I was disappointed, maybe I should have taken into account that it wasn't his usual genre. It was all right but I've read better; it was a bit predictable and didn't flow well. The graphics were all right.
September 14, 2020
"How long have you been closing your eyes and pretending that I’m Alan Rickman when we have sex? Baby. Honey. You know I get turned on by evil masterminds."
Umm. Okay. This was... how do I put this nicely? It put me to sleep... bored me to tears...not what I was thinking at all. Okay, I guess there was no nice way to say that.
I was excited to see Joe Hill take on old noir and transfer it into a masterful graphic novel but I was pretty bummed reading this. It didn’t hit its mark like it should have. The story wasn’t up to Joe Hill standards and the art wasn’t all that thrilling.
Maybe he just needs to stick to what he’s good at and that’s scaring the pants off of his readers.
Umm. Okay. This was... how do I put this nicely? It put me to sleep... bored me to tears...not what I was thinking at all. Okay, I guess there was no nice way to say that.
I was excited to see Joe Hill take on old noir and transfer it into a masterful graphic novel but I was pretty bummed reading this. It didn’t hit its mark like it should have. The story wasn’t up to Joe Hill standards and the art wasn’t all that thrilling.
Maybe he just needs to stick to what he’s good at and that’s scaring the pants off of his readers.
November 22, 2020
Joe Hill's entry into the comedy-murder-mystery genre. Fundamentally, it succeeds at both of those halves, which is to say the story is funny and it lays out a good murder-mystery, with appropriate twists, and a fair resolution.
There are elements in here that I'd need to reread to really understand their true significance, but it's nonetheless satisfying.
There are elements in here that I'd need to reread to really understand their true significance, but it's nonetheless satisfying.
October 24, 2021
Disappointing. I LOVED “Locke and Key” but “Dying is Easy” read like a checklist of Crime clichés with other unforced errors. The main character is a former cop with a Holmes-like knack for noticing just the right detail—even his name is Homes. Despite his powers of observation, he’s started a new career as a comedian, and his observational comedy sucks. I can’t tell if Homes’s jokes are supposed to suck or if they’re just the best Hill could do. I don’t blame Hill for not coming up with a killer set, but it seems odd to take on such a challenge when Hill just as easily could have left it out. Homes ends up getting blamed for the murder of a more-popular but less-deserving comedian on the brink of a big break, and has to solve the crime before getting arrested by old colleagues who already have it out for him.
The story isn’t all bad, but Homes’s savant-style talents feel out of place with the rest of his average-Joe personality, just like his ability to see what would otherwise be unnoticeable is a poor fit for what is otherwise a more grimy crime caper. There are also weird moments in the art where it’s really hard to tell what’s going on, or simply unbelievable. At one point Homes is wearing roller skates and getting dragged by a Jeep, already far fetched, but he’s all over the car from one panel to another. Later, he’s underwater and holding his breath with an old-fashioned diving suit behind him, but in the next panel he’s somehow put on the diving helmet even though his hands were busy doing something else? What a mess.
The story isn’t all bad, but Homes’s savant-style talents feel out of place with the rest of his average-Joe personality, just like his ability to see what would otherwise be unnoticeable is a poor fit for what is otherwise a more grimy crime caper. There are also weird moments in the art where it’s really hard to tell what’s going on, or simply unbelievable. At one point Homes is wearing roller skates and getting dragged by a Jeep, already far fetched, but he’s all over the car from one panel to another. Later, he’s underwater and holding his breath with an old-fashioned diving suit behind him, but in the next panel he’s somehow put on the diving helmet even though his hands were busy doing something else? What a mess.
May 3, 2022
Great book, man!
This is my first contact with a Joe Hill's graphic novel, as a still didn't get my hands on Locke and Key, and it was very good.
A ex-cop, now working with stand up comedy, is taking as guilty for the murderer of a another artist, that was stealing all his jokes.
It's that kind of mystery to solve, with a lot of comedy and nice dialogues in it. Hill really did this, as everyone had a funny thing to say about someone or something. Every dialogue was like some sketch on SNL.
And the art, at first was weird, but a believe it merges well with the mood of the book. Reminds of a more stylish Alex Maleev, in some way.
If you're looking to something different to read, this probably passed through your eyes and you didn't give it a shot. And it's on Kindle Unlimited, so Dying is probably easier than miss this book now (you got it? Ha!)
This is my first contact with a Joe Hill's graphic novel, as a still didn't get my hands on Locke and Key, and it was very good.
A ex-cop, now working with stand up comedy, is taking as guilty for the murderer of a another artist, that was stealing all his jokes.
It's that kind of mystery to solve, with a lot of comedy and nice dialogues in it. Hill really did this, as everyone had a funny thing to say about someone or something. Every dialogue was like some sketch on SNL.
And the art, at first was weird, but a believe it merges well with the mood of the book. Reminds of a more stylish Alex Maleev, in some way.
If you're looking to something different to read, this probably passed through your eyes and you didn't give it a shot. And it's on Kindle Unlimited, so Dying is probably easier than miss this book now (you got it? Ha!)
January 5, 2021
Ouch - this hurts me more than it does him. But I just couldn’t care about this. And when I almost did, I kept being reminded - the MC is NOT funny. At all. I’m supposed to grin a little during a stand-up routine, right??? Or at least see where he gets the idea other people find him funny. Didn’t happen 🤷🏻♀️.
Also, when the heck is this set??? They’re jealous their rival is going on Jay Leno??? What??? Just ... poorly executed all the way around.
Also, when the heck is this set??? They’re jealous their rival is going on Jay Leno??? What??? Just ... poorly executed all the way around.
January 15, 2023
Dying is Easy by Joe Hill & Martin Simmonds is a bawdy crime thriller packed with dark humor, action, and blood.
I couldn't figure out the case at all on my own, but I would love to hear if other readers put the puzzle pieces together on their own before the big reveal!
If dark humor and gritty crime trillers are your jam, then this is some I would highly recommend to you!
Check out my full review here:
https://www.ericarobynreads.com/dying...
I couldn't figure out the case at all on my own, but I would love to hear if other readers put the puzzle pieces together on their own before the big reveal!
If dark humor and gritty crime trillers are your jam, then this is some I would highly recommend to you!
Check out my full review here:
https://www.ericarobynreads.com/dying...
June 27, 2020
Good stuff. Very noirish. Also funny. And mostly linear and to the point. I liked it. Not too much wasted space and also I always like it when the story actually gives you clues so you can figure it out as it unfolds. Nothing supernatural about this book by the way. Joe hill doesn't write bad stories. Well he doesn't publish bad stories anyway. 4 stars.
August 2, 2020
Based on my experience reading this, I'd say a better title is "Writing a good detective story is hard." This was terrible and it is a real surprise, because Joe Hill has shown himself to be a better than average writer in most circumstances. But this was just bad. Coupled with not the greatest art ever seen in a graphic novel, I'd have to give this a "not recommended."
May 17, 2021
A story of stand up and murder but neither is very satisfying. A veritable pizza cutter of a book, all edge & no point. I can’t really luxuriate in the tale of the guy who’s too much of an asshole for the NYPD.
July 5, 2021
I’m a firm believer that Joe hill is a better comic book/short fiction story teller. I usually enjoy his stuff but this is by far one of if not the worst graphic novels I’ve ever read. The story was ok but the art style and coloring was so muddy and bland that it just didn’t work for me.
July 22, 2021
This is one of the few things by Joe Hill that I just really deeply did not like. The whole story was just sleezy and misogynistic with a little bit of racism on the side. The whole thing had a super fratbro vibe and I just really didn't care for it at all.
January 22, 2022
Near instantly forgettable crime tale. A pale imitation of Brubaker and Philips. At least they’re aware of this. There’s an Easter egg in here that acknowledges their inspiration here. The biggest issue here is that it doesn’t go deep enough, doesn’t go pulpy enough, doesn’t quite get dark enough.
February 5, 2022
FUN!
I really liked this, I really didn't know what to expect but this was like a dark comedy Agatha Christie style twists. This was wild and I hope to see more of Syd!
Also I must say the illustrations in this are stunning!
I really liked this, I really didn't know what to expect but this was like a dark comedy Agatha Christie style twists. This was wild and I hope to see more of Syd!
Also I must say the illustrations in this are stunning!
September 20, 2020
Had hopes this would be great. Was ok at best
Displaying 1 - 30 of 150 reviews