Murder Mysteries

For the fiction genre "murder mystery", see crime fiction.
Murder Mysteries
Publication information
Publisher Midnight Graffiti, Dark Horse
Format Short story, Graphic novel
Genre
    Publication date 1992
    Creative team
    Writer(s) Neil Gaiman
    Artist(s) P. Craig Russell
    Creator(s) Neil Gaiman

    "Murder Mysteries" is a fantasy short story by Neil Gaiman first published in the 1992 anthology Midnight Graffiti and later collected in his collection Smoke and Mirrors.

    Plot

    The angel Raguel is called upon to solve a mystery in the Silver City - an angel has been murdered and he has to find the killer.

    Adaptations

    It was adapted by the author into an audio drama, which was produced by Seeing Ear Theater in 2000, starring Brian Dennehy and narrated by Michael Emerson (also known as Ben in the television series Lost). (Gaiman and Seeing Ear Theatre went on to collaborate on an adaptation of another story, "Snow, Glass, Apples", and the two adaptations have been released together on CD under the title Two Plays for Voices.)[1]

    In 2002 it was adapted into a comic book by P. Craig Russell, and published by Dark Horse Books.

    Reception

    Reception to the various incarnations of the story have been positive,[2] with Publishers Weekly saying that the graphic novel's "crisp and vividly rendered drawings capture the haunting sense of loss and isolation Gaiman expresses in this mythic tale of love and jealousy." [3] Valentinelli of FlamesRising.com praised the casting for the audio drama, but said that the plot was "a bit too vague and almost leaves too much to the imagination."[4]

    Connection to other works

    The depiction of the angels and their city is similar to the depiction in Gaiman's earlier The Sandman series of the Silver City and its angelic inhabitants, but there is nothing to say that the two are the same. (Particularly in light of the fact that the subsequent comic-book adaptation of "Murder Mysteries" was published by a different company.) Also, in this story Azazel is presented as an angel, but in Sandman it is strongly implied that Azazel is a demon who was never a fallen angel. However, the events in the story provide a rationale for Lucifer's eventual revolt against the Presence.[5] At the end of the story Lucifer leaves dissatisfied with the justice of the conclusion.

    References

    1. ↑ Neil Gaiman- Interview Biting Dog Press
    2. ↑ Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions Publishers Weekly]
    3. ↑ MURDER MYSTERIES Publishers Weekly
    4. ↑ Neil Gaiman’s “Two Plays for Voices” Audiobook Review FlamesRising.com
    5. ↑ Joshi, S.T. Icons of Horror and the Supernatural. Greenwood Press, 2007, p. 184