On the corner of Pine and Merrimac sits a small, unassuming town… Just a simple place, simple people, and one horrifying secret that could change everything… Pine & Merrimac #1 kicks off a detective story that shows a lot of potential but delivers a pretty standard story.

Written by Kyle Starks, Pine & Merrimac #1 is an interesting start. The detective, Linnea Kent, is a former homicide detective turned small town private investigator. She’s joined by her husband, a former professional MMA fighter. The draw of the comic is their relationship and banter which is charming enough, I’d love to see it on the television screen.

Kent is haunted by her past. Her sister was kidnapped when they were young and her body was later found. While she mostly focuses on other work, she’s drawn to a case of a young girl who is kidnapped and looks a lot like her sister. Of course that’s going to lead to some big sinister conspiracy as they dive deeper into what’s behind this, and we assume Linnea’s sister’s kidnapping.

Starks puts the detectives through the motion as they look at cameras and things feel like they come a bit too easy as to where to go next. There’s no real obstacles here and that creates a rather boring start. But, it stands out due to Linnea and her husband who’s personalities pop from the page and makes you want to see what they do next.

The art by Fran Galán is good. With lettering by Pat Brosseau, the comic’s art style matches its leads in that it’s charming with a bit of brutality about it. The key moments Starks sets up are good delivering a good dose of humor and showing off what makes the leads stand out.

Pine & Merrimac #1 is a fine start. It doesn’t deviate too much from the detective formula and entertains enough with its characters. Overall, it’s one that feels like it might be better read as a whole than the individual issues as they’re released. Pine & Merrimac #1 entertains but it doesn’t quite excite.

Story: Kyle Starks Art: Fran Galán Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Story: 7.75 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Read

BOOM! Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle