Part Twin Peaks, part Hardy Boys, New Brunswick expats create spooky graphic novel
Sarah Petz | CBC News | Posted: November 5, 2017 12:00 PM | Last Updated: November 5, 2017
The Case of the Missing Men tells the tale of a gang of teenagers investigating a murder mystery
A group of teenagers investigating the mysteries of their strange Maritime town is the story behind a new graphic novel produced by two New Brunswick expats.
The Case of the Missing Men, just published by Conundrum Press, was created by Kris Bertin and Alex Forbes.
Set in small-town Nova Scotia, the novel is described as "Nancy Drew meets David Lynch" by the publisher.
It follows a gang of teens whose extracurricular activities involve solving the town's various petty crimes.
Their world gets turned upside down when people start turning up dead.
Bertin wrote the book, while Forbes developed the story and illustrations.
Forbes said he was inspired by the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books he grew up with.
"But I always found that when you read them, they weren't as spooky or as interesting as the cover would indicate," he said.
"So I wanted to do what I wanted those books to always be, which is make them as creepy as the cover would indicate."
The two friends now live in Halifax but grew up together in Lincoln, N.B. They started drawing and writing stories together when they were in the first grade.
It wasn't until after high school that the pair decided to take their collaboration seriously.
"We realized that we might actually be able to do something with all the work that we'd put into things," he said.
The Case of the Missing Men is the result of several years of work.
Forbes said they're hoping to turn it into a series.