Host Mortem: Preview the Carmen Sandiego-Inspired Murder Mystery

We love a graphic novel with a good backstory behind it, and Host Mortem certainly has one. This extremely meta book is not only inspired by classic film noir like The Big Sleep, it's written by and stars two former hosts of the Carmen Sandiego game shows, Kevin Shinick and Greg Lee.

With the Kickstarter campaign for Host Mortem now live, IGN can exclusively debut a new preview of the graphic novel. Check it out in the slideshow gallery below:

Host Mortem is created and written by Shinick, who previously hosted Where In Time Is Carmen Sandiego? before going on to write for shows like Robot Chicken and comics like W.E.B. of Spider-Man. Lee was previously the host of Where In the World Is Carmen Sandiego? The book is illustrated by Damien Torres (Marvel Crisis Protocol) and Andrea Schiavone (Gangsters Versus Nazis), colored by Pippa Bowland (Judge Dredd, Project Cryptid), and lettered by Taylor Esposito (Red Hood and The Outlaws).

Host Mortem sees Shinick and Lee dragged through time after an ill-fated Comic-Con appearance. Arriving in 1947, they find themselves embroiled in a murder mystery involving the stars of The Big Sleep, and only Shinick and Lee's vast knowledge of Hollywood trivia can save them.

“I think what Kevin’s come up with is simply brilliant and it continues to be a blast just getting to be a small part of it,” said Lee in a statement. “With his hilarious and nuanced writing I actually feel I’ve spent time in 1947. Why I didn’t buy some potential stock or at least win an Oscar pool while I was there is beyond me. Instead, Kevin puts me in the middle of a murder scene and expects me to rely on my game show trivia to help him solve the crime. But the real crime is that we don’t know the first thing about being detectives so it’ll probably come down to something random like knowing Humphrey Bogart’s middle name. (It was DeForest, by the way. A fact I know because I’m a game show host and not a detective!) Luckily, Kevin’s a great friend and a talented writer, so this project is nothin’ but “win-win-and more win” for me and, if I’m being honest, for all our backers and readers.”

“Working on Host Mortem has been the biggest and most rewarding story of my career so far,” said Torres. “Comics has been my dream, but film is my first love, and I’ve been afforded the opportunity to bring that love into this graphic novel. As someone who is a fan of the likes of Sean Phillips, Greg Smallwood, Lee Weeks, David Mazzucchelli, and Alex Toth to name a few, channeling the use of heavy black has been key to nailing the noir tone. Researching the 1940s and grounding the scenes with iconic LA landmarks has helped bring pages to life, and I’ve worked to make that authenticity show through in each panel. Watching a good number of Bogart and Bacall films hasn’t hurt one bit either. I’d be remiss in not mentioning how fun and thorough Kevin Shinick’s writing is, and an honor it’s been to work with someone who happened to play a part in my childhood!”

The crowdfunding campaign for Host Mortem is live now.

For more comics with ridiculous backstories, check out our exclusive preview of the heavy metal-themed Dark Regards.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.