Created by Marco Finnegan
“I don’t know what I am.”
Rest in peace? If only… it’s Dia de los Muertos, 1930, and Los Angeles private eye JUAN CALAVERA is summoned to help an Maria Valdez, a lady reporter and an old friend, rescue her kidnapped son; a case that may (or may not) involve human trafficking.
Only catch?
He’s dead.
And has been for five years.
That’s the basic premise of this trippy four-issue comic book mini-series, Calavera P.I., by writer/artist Marco Finnegan, inspired by his love of film noir and detective stories, and his affection for Mexican folklore and the drawings of legendary and iconic Mexican illustrator and cartoonist Posada. For those of you craving some classic noir tropes and don’t mind walking the slippery, supernatural side of the mean streets, this is a real treat.
Calavera was a rough-and-tumble, hard-drinking shamus with a growing rep and an ego to match — particularly in the Mexican neighborhoods of LA where he grew up and the cops seldom ventured — as a man you could trust.
Until he tangled with a mysterious cloaked and masked femme fatale known only as La Fantasma, and ended up shot to death while trying to intervene in an attempted suicide.
But that was back in 1925. Five years ago.
Now, on the Day of the Dead, Calavera finds himself resurrected (at least temporarily) in a Los Angeles he barely recognizes. He’s also found himself — thanks to Maria’s tireless promotional efforts — that he’s become something of a local hero in the five years since he died; a star of comic books, pulps and even films. But the Depression has not been kind to the City of Angels, or to its Hispanic citizens, many of whom have been rounded up and deported.
And nobody’s going to mistake Calavera for any kind of angel — he’s been reduced to a flesh-free version of his former self, his skeletal remains clad in the standard fedora and trenchcoat, and tasked with helping Maria find her missing son.
And then he soon discovers La Fantasma, may be involved.
UNDER OATH
- “Latin influences are obviously a significant part of Calavera P.I.‘s initial appeal, as it creates a rich history of stories/mythology and cultural nuance to add to the tale. But it’s also just a solid tale outside of the noir and supernatural elements, about a man trying to do good for his people at a time/place when that wasn’t always so easy or straightforward. RIYL: ghosts, Mexican culture, pulp vibes, and complex hero types.”
― AIPT - “Introducing a fairly heavy character and premise rooted in classic Mexican noir and folklore at a blistering pace… The artwork from Finnegan is a very modernized, both in style and subject matter, iteration on the old dominant style of comic strips from the same era depicted… Conveys the setting impressively… The color palette is intriguing throughout.”
― League of Comics Geeks
COMICS
- CALAVERA P.I.
(2024-25, Oni Press)
4 issues
Written by Marco Finnegan
Art by Marco Finnegan
GRAPHIC NOVELS
- CALAVERA, P.I. | Buy the graphic novel
(2025, Oni Press)
Written by Marco Finnegan
Art by Marco Finnegan
Collects all four issues.
Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.
