Spencer & Locke #4

   This is the wrap-up to the opening storyline for the Spencer & Locke series, which is a dark homage (of sorts) to Bill Watterson's classic Calvin & Hobbes comic strip.

    The idea is that the boy, Locke, has grown up and become a police detective - one whose only partner is a stuffed toy panther, Spencer.

   But this is not for kids - it's dark and dangerous as Locke tries to sort out a murder mystery, save a young girl and sort out some issues from his past.

   I'm still on the fence with this one - it's a solid story, with the twists and turns one expects with a mystery, and some good revelations about Locke's story.

   But it still feels very derivative. I wish the creative team had told the story on its own terms, rather than cribbing so much from a classic.

Grade: B

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