Brody’s Ghost is the story of a man who basically has nothing to live for and ends up being deeply connected to the spirit world. He knows this because the ghost of a dead girl finds him one day and asks for his help in solving a series of murders. Her goal is to get into heaven by helping solve the case. Brody is reluctant at first, but something about him or the situation pushes him to go ahead with it and help this dead girl with her goal. The Midnight Train and Other Tales is basically short stories staring Brody and his supporting cast that in actuality adds a lot of depth to the world and characters. The first story finds a beautiful girl riding the subway alone until a group of thugs get on. They steal her purse with hardly a word and empty its contents on the floor of the train. Brody happens to be sleeping on the train when all of this goes down. He’s basically waiting for a fight and finally one has come to him. He beats the shit out of the thugs and picks up the contents of the bag for the woman who runs from the train at the very next stop.
The next tale has Brody and Talia visiting the crime scene for one of the Penny Murderer’s victims to get some psychic residue. Brody picks up some images just as a man comes by to visit the site himself. They get into a fight that Brody ultimately gains the upper hand in. Then the psychic flash is even more powerful as he can see that this man is the husband of the victim. Brody lets the man go and promises that he’s going to find his wife’s murderer.
There are two more stories that are equally entertaining and as I said add a level of depth that I think was missing from the first volume of Brody’s Ghost. Writer/Artist Mark Crilley continues to improve upon his manga inspired series with this issue. Really this is a solid issue that does a lot right. Sure they’re just short stories that are only connected by the characters, but they really do a great job of adding to the world and reminding people like me why they’re interested in the series. If you’re curious about the series and want a low risk book, then this is the issue to pick up. From there you can pick up volume one and two if this wets your whistle.
Score: 4/5
Writer/Artist/ Creator: Mark Crilley Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Release Date: 12/21/11