Spencer & Locke

Spencer & Locke
Spencer and Locke stand in a doorway. Locke has drawn his gun.
Spencer and Locke from the cover of issue 1.
Art by Jorge Santiago, Jr.
Publication information
Publisher Action Lab Comics
Genre Crime, Noir, Action, Parody, Psychological Thriller
Publication date 2017
Creative team
Written by David Pepose
Artist(s) Jorge Santiago, Jr.

Spencer & Locke is a neo-noir psychological thriller comic book by writer David Pepose and artist Jorge Santiago, Jr. Its first issue was published April 2017 by Action Lab Comics.[1] The series parodies Bill Watterson’s comic strip Calvin and Hobbes and Frank Miller's comic books Sin City, Daredevil: The Man Without Fear, and The Dark Knight Returns.[2]

Plot

Spencer & Locke follows hard-boiled Detective Locke, as he returns to the bleak urban neighborhood of his youth to investigate the brutal murder of his childhood sweetheart, schoolteacher Sophie Jenkins. As Locke is forced to confront memories of his abusive upbringing, he turns to his childhood imaginary friend — a giant talking panther named Spencer — to help crack the case. But when a vicious crime syndicate led by Locke’s father, Augustus, kidnaps Sophie’s young daughter, Hero, Spencer and Locke must overcome overwhelming odds as well as their own traumatic pasts in order to learn the truth about Sophie’s death.

Characters

  • Locke is a tenacious and aggressive detective whose temper is dwarfed by the scars of his abusive upbringing. Determined to bring in Sophie Jenkins' killer at all costs, Locke has developed a unique coping mechanism that he has carried with him through adulthood: his imaginary talking panther, Spencer. [3]
  • Spencer is Locke's partner, a seven-foot-tall imaginary talking panther. A psychological byproduct of Locke's harrowing childhood, Spencer acts as Locke's instincts as a detective, as well as his conscience, empathy, and desire to protect the innocent.[4]
  • Sophie is Locke's childhood sweetheart, whose murder brings Locke back to the old neighborhood. A schoolteacher at the embattled Parkwood School, Sophie's death triggers a chain reaction among the city's criminal underworld, bringing Locke head-to-head with his drug kingpin father, Augustus.
  • Hero is Sophie's precocious young daughter, and unbeknownst to Locke, also his child. After putting Spencer and Locke on the trail of former schoolyard bully and current low-level enforcer Stanley, she is kidnapped as a bargaining chip by Augustus.
  • Augustus is Locke's long-absent father, who has become a powerful crime lord in the intervening years. Ruthless and terrifying, Augustus is willing to kill anyone who interferes with his business, including his police detective son Locke and his granddaughter Hero.

Reception

According to the review aggregator site Comic Book Roundup, Spencer & Locke has received an average rating of 8.4 out of 10.[5] IGN reviewer Jeff Lake called the first issue of Spencer & Locke "a fiendishly fun take on an age old classic," describing the book as "a stylish noir mystery, not to mention a layered examination of mental health."[6] Batman and Justice League writer Scott Snyder called the series "a richly imagined and darkly original tale"[7] and "a fantastic debut."[8] Hannibal Tabu also praised the book in his "The Buy Pile" column on Comic Book Resources, saying the series "will yank you to the edge of your seat."[9] In June 2018, Spencer & Locke received five nominations for the 2018 Ringo Awards, with the book earning a nomination for Best Series, as well as David Pepose being nominated for Best Writer, Jorge Santiago, Jr. being nominated for Best Cover Artist, Jasen Smith being nominated for Best Colorist, and Colin Bell being nominated for Best Letterer[10].

Film adaptation

Spencer & Locke was officially announced in October 2016 by The Hollywood Reporter as part of its New York Comic Con coverage.[11] In July 2017, producer Adrian Askarieh and Prime Universe Films announced they had optioned the film rights to the comics series.[12]

Sequel

A sequel to Spencer & Locke was officially announced in October 2017 by Action Lab Comics during New York Comic Con. The series, which will feature a dark parody of Mort Walker's Beetle Bailey named Roach Riley[13], will be released in 2019.[14]

References

  1. ↑ Moran, Sarah. "An Interview With David Pepose, Writer of Spencer & Locke". Kabooooom!. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  2. ↑ Lorah, Michael. "Calvin & Hobbes Meets Sin City in Pepose's Spencer & Locke". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  3. ↑ Brownfield, Troy. "NYCC 2016: Talking to David Pepose About Action Lab's Spencer and Locke". ComicBook.com. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  4. ↑ Offenberger, Rik. "David Pepose talks about Spencer & Locke". First Comics News. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  5. ↑ based on 58 reviews, "Spencer & Locke," Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved August 15, 2017
  6. ↑ Lake, Jeff. "Advance Review: Spencer and Locke #1". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  7. ↑ De Leon, Jeremias. "Spencer & Locke #2 Races Into Stores and Digital This May". The Broken Infinite. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  8. ↑ Gaumer. "Action Lab's Spencer & Locke Optioned For a Movie". Outright Geekery. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  9. ↑ Tabu, Hannibal. "The Buy Pile: Avengers, Transformers, A Time Lord & Romulus". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  10. ↑ "SPENCER AND LOCKE earns multiple Ringo Awards nominations". www.comiclist.com. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  11. ↑ McMillan, Graeme. "New Comic 'Spencer & Locke' Solves Murder With Help From an Imaginary Friend (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  12. ↑ Kit, Borys. "'Spencer & Locke' Getting Movie Treatment From 'Hitman' Producer (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  13. ↑ Estrella, Ernie (2018-07-13). "Spencer & Locke 2 sneak peek: David Pepose unveils exclusive details and the making of a variant cover". Syfy. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  14. ↑ Schenker, Brett. "New York Comic Con 2017: 'Spencer & Locke' Gets A Sequel". Graphic Policy. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
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