Comic Review: Clue: Candlestick #1

Clue: Candlestick #1

IDW

Writer and Artist: Dash Shaw

Clue always struck me as one of the more narrative-driven popular board games. At least, comparatively speaking. It’s always benefited from a consistent, fleshed out focus. Six eclectic guests end up searching a mansion to determine which of them murdered their host. With that, Clue has a clearly defined goal, central premise, field of play, and cast of characters. It’s certainly not the most intensive storyline but it was coherent enough to warrant a feature-length movie in 1985. The new IDW series Clue: Candlestick leans into the game’s unique strength to produce a very enjoyable comic.

Written and illustrated by Fantagraphics powerhouse Dash Shaw, Clue Candlestick continues IDW’s tradition of putting out surprisingly high quality licensed comics. Shaw’s curious and at times morbid narrative makes it easy to forget that you’re reading a board game adaptation. At the same time, the carefully worked in references to the game ensure that this series isn’t just Clue in name only. Shaw adheres to the fundamental premise but also adds an And Then There Were None twist to the story. It all works together surprisingly well, producing a genuine and enjoyable comic.

The murder mystery aspect is prominent but it’s also used to explore the cast. While not super in-depth, Shaw presents some memorable takes on characters that are quite literally playing pieces. At times it feels like the tragic turns of the cast’s misadventures are little more than a pretense to introduce their motivations and histories. I’m hardly complaining, as even in this first issue we get some compelling, bizarre identities. Most entertaining are Miss White’s well-meaning deceitfulness and Colonel Mustard’s paranoia. The story properly establishes every other character even if not in particular detail.

Shaw’s art for Clue: Candlestick has a clear sense of direction and identity. He plays around with the layouts, often in a way that calls back to the series’ board game origins. Shaw uses the relatively simplistic premise as a chance to experiment and that’s especially evident in his artwork. Even then, it’s never difficult to tell what’s going on and there’s a clear flow to everything. Similarly, even with a general lack of detail, Shaw still conveys everything he needs to, particularly the characters’ emotions. I never thought a Clue comic book would be one of the better-looking series I picked up this year. But Dash Shaw seems fully committed to making Clue: Candlestick the best it can be.