Hobtown Mystery Stories Vol. 2 - by Kris Bertin (Paperback)

About the Book

"Intrepid young investigators Brennan and Pauline are excited for Christmas break, until they're sent to an extra-credit boarding school called Knotty Pines. After attending their first classes, however, they grow suspicious of the unusually strict headmaster and headmistress, who seem to be controlling their students and transforming them into boneheads and bullies. On their final night at Knotty Pines, the students are paired up to pledge eternal allegiance to the long-dead Lord Hobb and to each other in unholy matrimony! Isolated from their fellow sleuths, Brennan and Pauline forge new alliances to lift a curse that has plagued the good people of Hobtown for centuries"--Page 4 of cover.

Book Synopsis

2024 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Graphic Novel Finalist

Welcome back to Hobtown, the charming but bleak rural village whose placid exterior belies the surreal underbelly teeming below. . . . The second must-read volume of the page-turning series that the New York Times calls "forceful and haunting" starts here in the first fully colored edition from creators Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes!

Intrepid young investigators Brennan and Pauline are excited for Christmas break, until they're sent to an extra-credit boarding school called Knotty Pines. After attending their first classes, however, they grow suspicious of the unusually strict headmaster and headmistress, who seem to be controlling their students and transforming them into boneheads and bullies.

On their final night at Knotty Pines, the students are paired up to pledge eternal allegiance to the long-dead Lord Hobb?and to each other?in unholy matrimony! Isolated from their fellow sleuths, Brennan and Pauline forge new alliances to lift a curse that has plagued the good people of Hobtown for centuries.

Review Quotes

"A cool story that twists and turns, but rewards you for paying attention.... If you liked Riverdale, this is a great book to check out. There's some romance in here. There are mysteries. It's in a small town. Great, great stuff. I love this. I can't wait for the next volume."-- "Comic Book Club Live"

"Both wholesome and weird." -- "LA Daily News"

"Gritty"-- "Book Riot"

"If, like me, you grew up reading The Hardy Boys (or Nancy Drew) and The Boxcar Children, and you also have a soft spot for Twin Peaks and other comforting yet disturbing Lynchian dreamscapes, then you should find a lot to enjoy within the quaint and creepy pages of Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes' Hobtown Mystery Stories....Eclectic"-- "Daily Dead"

"Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes have remixed the vibe of Twin Peaks, The X-Files, The Hardy Boys, with a dash of Wes Anderson and distilled it into something perfectly unique. It's a phenomenal reading experience and I cannot wait for the next four volumes of the series."-- "Biff Bam Pop"

"Think the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, but directed by David Lynch. We shouldn't have to write anymore. You're sold already.... If you've read Ed Brubaker and Marcos Martín's Friday series and want more and weirder, creators Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes deliver."-- "Comic Book Couples Counseling"

"With its pulpy cast of teen detectives and folk horror elements, this series offers a modern twist on beloved tropes, inviting readers to revisit the thrill of adolescent adventure with a sharp adult edge.... Bertin's confident prose and Forbes' evocative artwork combine to create a narrative experience that is as immersive as it is unforgettable."-- "Toons Mag"

About the Author

Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes are childhood friends who studied separate disciplines in order to reunite and make comics as adults. They grew up in Lincoln, New Brunswick, and live in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes are childhood friends who studied separate disciplines in order to reunite and make comics as adults. They grew up in Lincoln, New Brunswick, and live in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Jason Fischer-Kouhi is a cartoonist who grew up in Los Angeles and cut his teeth in Portland, Oregon. When he's not coloring Hobtown, he's making his own comics. His favorite color is yellow.