Cover of Scene of the Crime

Scene of the Crime

Written by Ed Brubaker. Art by Michael Lark.

Ranked No. 84 of 100 · 1999 · DC / Vertigo / USA

Private detective mystery, psychological noir

A missing-person case opens a private detective’s own buried troubles.

Overview

Jack Herriman takes a seemingly simple case, then finds the missing woman dead and uncovers family secrets around her. Brubaker and Lark’s 1999 Vertigo miniseries was later collected as A Little Piece of Goodnight.

Why It Matters

The mystery is anchored in Jack’s unfinished history, so each discovery strains the investigator as well as the suspects.

Genre & Themes

Private-eye noir and family crime mystery.

Art & Visual Identity

Lark’s muted interiors and Phillips’s inks give the investigation a weathered, shadowed atmosphere.

Read This If You Like

  • Missing-person mysteries
  • Vertigo crime comics
  • Michael Lark art