Writer: Derek McCulloch
Artist: Shepherd Hendrix
Publisher: Image Comics
In the vein of investigative fiction like From Hell and The Red Diaries which seek to posit the origins behind famous legends steeped in uncertainty, Stagger Lee delves into the life of Lee Shelton and his murder of Billy Lyons at the end of the 19th century. However, unlike its predecessors in the genre, the tale of Stagger Lee is less remembered for the murder itself and better known in popular culture as a blues song of which there are almost endless variations.
The main tale examines what McCulloch imagines to be the real personality of Shelton and the circumstances surrounding the murder. While legend likes to credit the inciting incident to a scuffle over a Stetson hat, McCulloch introduces much deeper motivations involving race and politics. In regards to the time period, it’s interesting that while issues of racism are given a fair amount of cover, the matter of race is primarily explored in terms of education and societal status. Moreover, Shelton’s personal politics, being the only black Democrat in an era where Lincoln is glorified for his fight against slavery, transforms him into much more complex a character than the old song lyrics would believe.
Since the songs themselves are such an integral part of the legend, much of the narrative is surprisingly given over to a dissection and comparison of the many lyric variations and what they reveal about the true story. Even though these parts are interspersed between the ongoing drama of the murder and trial, they’re that much more entertaining for poking fun at the various rumors and reinventions of the story. Some great examples include a visual reinterpretation of Stagger Lee as sung about by The Clash or Shelton’s commentary on the role of the Stetson hat in the tales by concluding, “Me, I think it was all just product placement for ol’ man Stetson”.
What’s hard to believe is that before working on this project, artist Hendrix was known mostly for being an inker. Seriously? His character design, expressions and storytelling abilities are spectacular. Even if the writing weren’t as strong as it is, his art could hold the story together. On top of knocking all the humor bits out of the park, he really excels at differentiating each character by their mannerisms and emotional range. Instead of shading in the skin tone of the black characters, he inks them like any other characters, relying on the nuance of facial details without relying on stereotypical features. I can’t quite express how it conveys so much realism without being overly realistic in presentation, but it works incredibly well.
As for the script, every line is uniquely sharp and further sculpts the personality of each character. The dialect and diction of the era always feels convincingly natural and says much about the use of profanity and social courtesy. Honestly, the scene composition and dialogue reminds me of the flavor that mainstream writers aspire to nail but often fall short, and it would be a shame if McCulloch wasn’t to join their ranks in the near future. Stagger Lee is an instant classic with the potential to catapult both creators to superstar status, although I’d prefer if they pursued another project of this type. It will only make the comic industry look that much more reputable.
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