Mercy Thompson is a supernatural murder mystery- a werewolf pack uncover human remains that appear to have been murdered in a ritualistic way. Now the werewolves and the cops are working together to solve the case. Mercy is a shifter; she turns into a coyote, and runs with a werewolf pack whose alpha is her husband, Adam. Her stepdaughter, Jesse, doesn’t have shifting abilities, but as the daughter of an out werewolf, she is forced to deal with the consequences of the pack at her high school. And it turns out that coming from a werewolf family doesn’t actually make you popular.

The human bones were found on the property of a woman named Jillian Cross, known by some of the older residents as a mean, old crone. Mean enough to kill? We don’t know, since Jillian conveniently moved out about a year ago, leaving her house abandoned. The property is vast, and the single, decaying house sitting on a long patch of land makes for the perfect spooky crime scene. Was Jillian a serial killer? Was she human? Mercy and co. are on the case.

Meanwhile, Jesse has made a friend at school, the new girl, Jill. Jill’s a bit suspicious so far, and it can’t be coincidence that she shares a name with the murder suspect. So, was Jillian Cross indeed magic, and now living as a teenage girl? It’s too suspicious that she’s made friends with the daughter of the alpha of the pack that found the bodies. On top of that, Jill shows up at school the day after the bodies are uncovered. That’s too many coincidences. Jill’s a suspect in my book.

Mercy Thompson is a great read. It combines some of my favorite genres: supernatural creatures and fantasy with a pinch of police procedural. It’s like if Criminal Minds had a werewolf on the squad, and the unsub is a fae. The comic also has a pretty heavy focus on stepdaughter Jesse; it’s interesting to see the human consequences of the supernatural, particularly in the context of high school. It’s on point, too: Jesse’s different and relatively new to the school. She’s the girl that everyone has a million questions about, but no one’s keen to get to know.

Despite the heavy themes, this isn’t a particularly dark comic. At least, not yet, but I hope it stays this way. It’s not unnecessarily gruesome, and it’s all incredibly realistic and human- werewolves aside. The story is detailed and engaging. I was entertained from start to finish, and I’m very curious to work out the mystery alongside Mercy, Adam, and the others. I’m also interested to see what abilities Mercy has, and to see them at play. So far, she’s shifted into a coyote, and been able to sense that there was magic in Jillian Cross’s house. I want to see what else she can do, and I want to get some answers.

Score: 4 / 5

Writer: Patricia Briggs, Rik Hoskin Artist: Tom Garcia Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment Price: $3.99 Release Date: 11/12/14 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital