The outward conceit of Dark Horse Comics‘s Gilt Frame is that it’s Matt Kindt and his mother, Margie Kraft Kindt, writing (and drawing in Matt’s case) a mystery series about an Aunt and her Nephew who solves mysteries. It’s all very cute, quaint, and calls to mind the best of Agatha Christie. That is until the final issue that flips everything on its head in a wild way that makes this series a must-read.
Without getting into spoilers, our crack duo has been investigating the murder of an antique salesman in classic murder mystery fashion. Or rather they’ve mostly been heckling the French detective tasked with solving the murder, mocking him while he — in their opinion — is missing various obvious clues. And thus far that mystery has been an absolute blast to read, full of distinct characters, twisty relationships, and the younger Kindt’s always lovely layouts. In particular, the issues include a birds-eye view of the murder scene and environs that is a delight to explore.
Mind you, it’s hard to talk about this without getting into the second half of the issue. But suffice it to say that as with the best mysteries, all is not as it seems. And when the twist is revealed, as Dark Horse teases, you will want to go back and read the whole series. The great news for mystery skeptics is: it all works, and makes sense. It’s a jaw-dropping, dark punch in the gut, but it fills in a lot of the gaps in the info we were given before. And like the best mysteries, probably should have picked up on it from the beginning.
Whether you pick up Gilt Frame in single issues or the trade, do not miss this killer mystery. And here’s hoping the Kindt duo has a sequel in them because there’s plenty more that could be done with this great duo… Both the creative team and the mystery solvers in the series.
Gilt Frame #3 Rating:
Gilt Frame #3 Official Synopsis:
A classic whodunit murder mystery that spans the globe from Paris to Hawaii to Montenegro as we hustle to keep up with the most unlikely murder-solving duo in the history of murder-solvers.
Can our unlikely detective duo solve the murder? Spoiler: Yes, they can. And do. Multiple times. But solving the murder is only half the battle. It’s the motive for the murder that will be the heartbreaking twist and the reason why you’ll want to go back and re-read the entire thing in a completely new light. This final chapter has it all. Murders (of course), the chaos performance artists, a dupe, a rube, a patsy, a hitman, a femme fatale, and even a homme fatale. Everything you want in a murder mystery plus one thing you didn’t know you needed.
• Three issue series.
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