Dust Bunny is a graphic novel from Brett Brooks that features an anthropomorphic rabbit detective named Dust Bunny, a matchstick named Aiden Flint and copious amounts of style and genius. I’m going to cut to the chase on this one. You need to read it. You really do.
Dust Bunny is a noir detective story. Don’t let the ears fool you, Dust has more in common with Max (Sam and Max) and the likes of Spike Spiegel (Cowboy Bebop) and Jimmy McNulty (The Wire) than Peter Rabbit or Bugs Bunny. That comparison should show the caliber of writing in the book. It’s a rather serious crime drama. Not to say there aren’t lighthearted moments, but for the most part it’s gritty and serious. It follows Dust on what starts out as an ordinary bust turns into something much more and deeper than he ever thought it would go. By time he confronts the ringleader, Dust will question the very foundational truths of Basement City. Will it be too much for one rabbit and a mite? I’m not spoiling it for you. Read the book!
Dust Bunny may be the star of the show, but he’s far from the only interesting player in this game. You’ve got his partner Mite, a dust mite who can duke it out with the best of ’em. Or even better. Also, we have The Moth, Dust’s boss. A grizzled veteran of the force, he’s not one to mess around with. One of my favorite characters, Professor Chip Hoffmazor is a microchip and the founder of Basement City. And then we have our rogues’ gallery who range from mob boss mops, information grinding spiders and floss comedians. It’s a strange world, let’s keep it that way.
The story plays with familiar tropes in the genre, but it doesn’t cheapen it, rather the tropes make the story more accessible. Things like the loud shouting tough-guy boss, or the talented but headstrong detective. In a world as foreign and strange as that of Basement City, these familiar themes give the reader something to relate to. That said, it’s not 100% by the book, and Brooks throws plenty of curve balls to keep the pages turning.
Normally I’m not one for black and white comics, it’s one of the reasons Satellite Sam didn’t click with me. But in this case, it matches the neo-noir setting and tone of the story. Like Sin City. The stark art style mirrors that of the narrative. Brooks incorporates a great amount of detail into each panel that really brings the vibrant world to life. And what a strange, but developed and highly intricate world it is.
The world is like Bug’s Life meets Sin City. And that’s a sentence I never thought I would ever write. The characters are all animals or other objects, and the things they use are on a much smaller scale. But it’s an anthropomorphic world mixed with ‘scum and villainy’ if I may put it so. There’s crime, murder, dark alleys, fast cars, faster women and short tempers. In other words, for those of us that like tales on the darker side of things, it’s perfect. It’s a very unique world and one of the joys of the book is seeing it grow, seeing how things are put together. It’s very different, particularly their uses for everyday objects, but once you wrap your head around it, it makes total sense. Very clever, actually.
My biggest gripe (alas, no book is perfect) is that it take a little while until we meet our hero, about eighteen pages. What comes before that is essential and interesting world building, but I’m a character based reader and like to have that character hook early on. That said, once we meet Dust Bunny, we don’t leave him. But I would have liked to meet him a little earlier. Very minor issue though.
Dust Bunny is simply an incredible amount of fun to read. It takes all the right pages from our favorite detective stories and puts them in a unique world with great characters and a grand epic story. Well written and beautifully drawn, it’s very easy to recommend to anyone. Everything about the book is of the highest quality. It deserves a place on the shelves right along with anything from Marvel, Image or DC. I had a blast reading it, and really hope you do too. Brett Brooks will be a name to keep an eye on, mark my words.
For more information and ordering information, check out the Dust Bunny website.
