As a lover of stories I have always been enamored with “oddball” relationships. There is some so magnetic and enigmatic of watching two people who are nothing alike but must work together for the greater good. As some of the best examples of these type of relationships, usually happen in crime procedural stories, with a crime or murder at the center of the story. One of my favorite examples, though it has been off the air for a few years now, is Castle.

As the story revolved around a bestselling crime fiction writer and his partnership with a smart but jaded police detective. The show cleverly used the genre’s tropes but also injected humor and humanity to balance the story where you least expect it.  Since its cancellation, there have been more than a few imitators, but none that could match the show’s charm. Which is why I was surprised to see that charm and grit replicated in Ovi Demetrian Jr. and Jen Hickman’s off kilter duo in Lifehacks.

In the opening panels, a home invasion goes awry, leaving the victim unconscious ad mostly unbothered. We then meet Lisa Adams, an intuitive police investigator, whose demeanor and fortitude, makes her a force to be reckoned with, as she uncovers a hacker, Joe McIntosh, whose reminiscent of the criminal they are on the hunt for. She convinces her boss to hire him, this is where we meet Joe, a stoic yet seemingly unfazed individual, whose attention to detail is immaculate as he finds an ad that Lisa left for him and finds out more about the detective through online files. Meanwhile, a shadowy killer is ruthlessly taking out random victims in the most arbitrary ways. As they look to meet, Adams’s boss makes capturing Joe the priority, which he quickly realizes and escapes but through his online search, he helps her anyway as the lives of people around the city are at stake. As the two works together, they follow the clues, and they get closer to whom they believe is the murderer, witness by witness, while at the same time, he leaves victims across the city. Eventually, Adams finds out more about Joe, and his past, how his mother was killed, while at the same time, Joe finds out who the serial killer is.

Overall, an excellent story which challenges the reader’s perceptions of technology and first impressions. The story by Demetrian Jr. is smart, action packed and suspenseful. The art by Hickman is gorgeous, especially the line work. Altogether, a fine noir that combines the standard procedural and technology in the most elegant way.

Story: Ovi Demetrian Jr. Art: Jen Hickman
Story: 10 Art: 9.6 Overall: 9.4 Recommendation: Buy