IDW - Clue Candlestick #2

Story/Art/Letters by: Dash Shaw

Production Design by: Neil Uyetake

Assistant Edits by: Megan Brown

Edits by: David Hedgecock

Plot

Miss Scarlet models for a few artists, but kills the artists after they complete the art, to make them more expensive pieces and to make herself more appealing.

Soon, Mr Boddy becomes aware of all of this, and becomes obsessed with Scarlet and starts collecting all pieces related to her.

After a while, Mrs Boddy becomes concerned with her husband's collections of macabre weapons and obsession with Miss Scarlet, but on the way to a party, she goes to a mechanic to fix her car and she is murdered by one of the mechanics.

Afterwards, Boddy starts to re-evaluate his life and sends out his invitations to his dinner guests.

After securing Mustard's body in the walk-in freezer, Boddy admits to Scarlet that he lied about the death threats against him, and that he wants to run away and start a new life with her. She's reluctant due to her past, and her not truly loving him like he seems to, and is distracted for long enough for the killer to smack Boddy in the back of the head with the lead pipe.

Mrs White, who is outside investigating the keys for the guests under the stone pieces, when Plum informs her of Boddy's murder. Everyone convenes in the Conservatory where they all agree to split up and wait in different rooms for the police to arrive.

Scarlet hides in the Study, and locks the door behind her, inside she finds a file of Boddy's, where he details how he has been covering up Scralet's murder spree and shows her that he truly loved her. However this revelation comes far too late, and she is attacked from behind by someone with the knife, stabbing her directly through the ribs and into the heart.

Soon, her death screams summon the rest of the guests and they seem to be getting fed up of the constant murders...but White believes she knows who the killer is!

Characters

The Dinner Party

Miss Scarlet Killed with the Knife

Mrs White

Professor Plum

Mr Green

Mrs Peacock

Mr Boddy Killed with the Lead Pipe 

Colonel Mustard Killed with the Revolver

Other People

Mrs Boddy (Flashback Only) Killed by Sam the Mechanic

Jay, the Painter (Flashback Only) Poisoned by Miss Scarlet

Beach Photographer (Flashback Only) Lured to be Eaten by Sharks by Miss Scarlet

Sculptor (Flashback Only) Crushed by Statue, Caused by Miss Scarlet

Sam, the Mechanic (Flashback Only)

Joe, the Mechanic (Flashback Only)

Pat, the Mechanic (Flashback Only)

Spy Photographer (Flashback Only)

Gallery Patrons (Flashback Only)

Beach-goers (Flashback Only)

Dr Orchid (Name on File)

Van Gogh (Mentioned)

The Virgin Mary (Mentioned)

The Police (Mentioned)

Notes

• The first fourteen pages of this comic are set before the events of the previous issue, with the following four happening during the events of the previous issue, with the last six being back to the present (though two pages are also "puzzle pages")
• Scarlet is revealed to be a serial killer in this issue, who kills artists to make their work (usually featuring her) worth more due to the artist's death. She hasn't been caught despite the clear pattern of her meeting them, and then dying, because Body has been protecting her.
• Scarlet is revealed to own a lot of cats...just further proof that they are evil animals!
• Mrs Boddy, mentioned last issue as having died, is revealed to have been murdered by a mechanic when she went to get the car checked out.
• The puzzle that you are supposed to use to determine which of the mechanics killed Mrs Boddy is designed to make you analyse every detail of the page, to help you notice some clues for the murder mystery of the story.
• Mrs White is revealed to have been the one who wrote Mr Boddy's letters to his dinner guests. Did she modify the message in some way?
• Boddy reveals that he hasn't received any death messages, he simply wanted to fake his own death to run away with Scarlet, and give his friends a parting gift in the process.
• Boddy mentions that he has done dreadful things too, akin to Scarlet's murders...was he involved in his wife's death in some way?
• The nonogram (my working out shown below this section) shows that Scarlet is in the Study, White is in the Hall, Green is in the Library, Peacock is in the Lounge and Plum is in the Kitchen
• Dr Orchid, another character from the Cluedo franchise, who was also a main character in the previous IDW Clue series, is referenced on  a book in the study.
• Scarlet isn't shown entering Heaven like Boddy and Mustard did last issue, this may be an oversight, except that she WAS a serial killer, and probably went to Clue Hell instead...
• So, from the nonogram, we can solve who is the killer...it is Professor Plum! He was hiding in the Kitchen, which according to the traditional Clue Board (which is requested by the writer to be used to solve the mystery) is connected by a secret passage to the Study, also his hiding place of the Kitchen is where Mustard's body is being held, meaning he could planet evidence on the body. Additionally Plum was in the Billiard Room alone at the end of the last issue, which is next to the Conservatory, which is where Boddy was killed. Also, he was next to the gun when Mustard was shot, despite the gun being in the chest before that.
• It seems that Peacock (with her still present house key, and general shadiness) and Green (being a Mobster and always nervous) are simply there to be red herrings in this story
• The next issue cover preview even shows Plum with the knife next to Scarlet...wow!
• The back cover features seven more of the Clue playing cards, this time for the Conservatory, Kitchen, Rope, Lead Pipe, Revolver, Wrench and Knife