Dead Boy Detectives: Spinoff (sort of) of Gaiman's Sandman Intros a New Supernatural Scooby Gang

By John Kirk

Rating: B+

And the era of Neil Gaiman’s comic treasures transformed for TV continues.

Based on the duo of the same name created by Gaiman and Matt Wagner, Dead Boy Detectives is about two dead teens who refuse to go to the afterlife.

Since spirits can’t enter the afterlife until their business on the material plane has been resolved, they decide that their own unresolved business is to help other unfortunate spirits. It was a simple but entertaining concept, with their friendship first introduced in 1991’s The Sandman #25, and it still captures fans’ attention today.

George Rexstrew, Kassius Nelson, Yuyu Kitamura and Jayden Revri solve mysteries on behalf of the dead.

Of course, the detectives in the comic were younger, The Witch (more on her in a bit) was not really a presence, and there’s a bit of a creative license taken to amalgamate their adventures into a cohesive, television-friendly storyline. Still, the spirit, so to speak, of the comic is present and makes for a story fans can thoroughly enjoy onscreen.

We meet Edwin Paine (George Rexstrew), an Edwardian English teen who lived at the turn of the 20th century and his partner, Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri) who died in a boarding school in England in 1991. In the comic, they were from the same boarding school, but this is a detail glossed over in the show. They make up the Dead Boys Detective Agency, who service an active, if restless clientele of the not-quite-dead. Their first case introduces them to living clairvoyant, Crystal Palace (Kassius Nelson), and a new Scooby Gang is born.

The adventures are contained within the episodes, which makes for quick and easy viewing. While a bit abbreviated and rushed -  which takes away some of the richness of the comic stories which ran off-and-on between 1991 and 2014 in various formats - the Netflix series concisely captures the adventures. 

Dead Boy Detectives is a shared universe story set in the same one as The Sandman. Fans of that comic and show were excited to learn that Kirby Jean Baptiste does a cameo and reprises her role as Death. Of course, this only teases the audience with the thought of even more cameos. That, in itself, is a good reason to watch and see what happens. And capturing the attention of The Sandman fans is a smart choice of action as well. More light-hearted than The Sandman, there’s still a similar vibe in this show that could attract those fans too.

Still, to say that they are in the same universe is a bit of a stretch. While first introduced in The Sandman #25, there really isn’t an instance where they show up again in that series. They appear with other characters who occupy the same DC Comics of Magic, and then have their own series. But while valid, it’s a bit of a specious lineage.

If there was a criticism that could be levied against this show it’s that it isn’t fully able to convey the meaningful reasons the characters work together. The Dead Boy Detectives were formed out of a bond of shared circumstances. Though Charles and Edwin are separated in age by about 70 years, we don’t really see the true story in their first appearance together.

Of course, forward momentum trumps backstory. Still, not seeing the true beginnings of their friendship is like skipping the origin story of a superhero.

However, while the series does a fairly good job of touching on the major stories featured in the comics, it does a better job in bringing the characters’ personalities to life (no pun intended). The boys are heroes: dedicated to their purpose, of noble character and utterly devoted to each other. While Edwin represents the learned side of occult lore, it’s Charles who provides the necessary spiritual muscle. They are a typical team who complement each other’s strengths.   

Their friendship is the major draw in this show and while not the only one that fans will enjoy, it’s this theme that branches out to include Crystal and eventually Niko (Yuyu Kitamura), Crystal’s housemate, creating a band of supernatural investigators and an ersatz but atypical family. It’s a simple story formula, but their relationship bonds them to each other. And while at times it might seem a little schmaltzy, this is the type of friendship that endears itself to fans. 

Of course, no story about heroes can succeed without carefully crafted villains. And to my mind, this is the joy of the show. One of my personal favourite performers is Ruth Connell, who plays the Night Nurse, a deliciously strict bureaucrat dedicated to organizing the affairs of lost children whom Death has not yet claimed.

Then there is the witch, Esther Finch (Jenn Lyon), who steals the show with her iron cane, pipe-smoking and devil-may-care attitude. Arguably the best portrayal in the show, Lyon does an amazing job of realizing a relatively new character. While you could thank the writers, it’s the actor who gets the credit for portraying such a thoroughly evil villain. As Charles says in the show: “she’s a sexy, evil witch.”  Finch is my favourite character and Lyon’s performance makes her worth watching.

Gaiman’s comic stories have continued to demonstrate that their appeal is timeless. But it’s his ability to create relationships between characters that make his tales so convincing and widely accepted.

When it comes to Dead Boy Detectives, there’s no mystery here.

Dead Boy Detectives. Stars George Rexstrew, Jayden Revri Briana Cuoco, Kassius Nelson, Yuyu Kitamura, Ruth Connell and Jenn Lyon. Premieres on Netflix April 25.