Villordsutch reviews Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency #3…
The reborn Egyptians keep walking, the Copycat Killers keep killing, and the museum gala where these and other seemingly random events will converge looms large!
As with last month’s Dirk Gently [review here] our action isn’t as much of a firework display this month – it’s more of a lit fuse occasionally catching the blue-touch paper as it passes the random firework of a serial copycat killer on a murderous knife attack or the risen corpse of a centuries dead Egyptian demanding the lifeforce of the living. However our story this month concentrates on building just that…the story.
With the Hotel Party coming to an abrupt close due to our Egyptian friends stealing the lifeforce from a number of guests, Dirk makes his way to the lobby to complain to the Hotel receptionist about several things including the ice machines. Due to the elevators being occupied by drained husks of party goers, Dirk is forced to take the stairs and interrupters the serial killer – Estelle Parsnip – as she attempts to stab Dirk’s assistant Hamisch. During the disarming of Estelle she stumbles down the stairs and Dirk proceeds to berate the Hotel reception staff. In the process he also goes on to irritate the risen Egyptian Neferthop, who by sheer accident the angered Estelle runs out and attacks; she is promptly removed of life. It’s after this Dirk meets up with his old friend, lover of Thor and now CIA agent Kate, who we discover has had a drone floating above him for sometime. Our story and backstory unfolds from Craig – the other Egyptian – who has left his colleague, unhappy at the path he is choosing and also from Kate too. However, come the closing panels all is not going to well for Dirk and friends.
Don’t be put off if you believe from my opening paragraph that this issue is going to be slow – it really isn’t, this issue is packed. You will believe you’ve picked up a bumper issue by mistake as you feel it has double the pages as normal, due to the amount of story you’re being given. Not only are you getting your “Money’s worth” within this month’s comic but you are seeing Dirk be quite a fantastic detective too, as most people believe he’s a deliberate buffoon leaving everything to chance – or interconnectedness – he uses this belief to his advantage on a number of occasions throughout this issue.
With another excellent issue under their belts everything is coming up roses for Chris Ryall and team. Not only this at the end of this months issue we discover that BBC America and Max Landis are currently in talks with Editor of Dirk Gently – Arvind Ethan David – to being production of a new Dirk Gently TV Series. This is fantastic news! I’d myself would like to see Stephen Mangan reprise his role, if at all possible, for I really enjoyed his take on the Holistic Detective. One final word the Retailer Incentive Cover this month is quite brilliant and as a retailer this bribe should be winning you over!
Villordsutch likes his sci-fi and looks like a tubby Viking according to his children. Visit his website and follow him on Twitter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszFLSgML6ddazw180SXMvMz5&v=8k_v0cVxqEY
Originally published August 26, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
