IDW - Clue Candlestick #3

Story/Art/Letters by: Dash Shaw

Production Editor by: Neil Uyetake 

Assistant Edits by: Megan Brown

Edits by: David Hedgecock

Plot

When she was a little girl, Peacock would sneak her parent's magazines into her textbooks and read them at night. To stop her from straining her eyes, her father gives her an antique candlestick and tells her to only read until the candle itself goes out.

Over the following years, Peacock's parents die and she meets a man named Milburn, who had mob connections, they fell in love and eventually married, however she eventually started an affair with Mr Green, another mobster.

At some point, a job goes bad, and Milburn needs to be killed, so Green carries out the job by bludgeoning him with the candlestick and burning him in the fireplace.

Afterwards Green and Peacock get together officially, but Peacock is unaware of him killing her husband. he tries to get rid of the candlestick, but due to it being an antique and formerly belonging to her parents, so wont allow him to discard it.

Green claims that he wants to get rid of it because it reminds him of Milburn and upsets him, which she believes and agrees to trade it away. She gets in contact with her friend, Mr Boddy, who agrees to trade an old book with her for it, a book about building hidden passages...

Back in the present, Mrs White reveals that she knows that Peacock and Green arrived together and must know eachother, despite not disclosing this earlier, and due to her family antique business and recent loss of her wealthy husband, she must have wanted to take all the rare items in Boddy's collection for herself to fund her lifestyle.

The police arrive, and White and Plum tell them to arrest Peacock and Green for the three murders. They deny it, but are both arrested and sent away.

Later, at Boddy's funeral, White realizes that Plum was the one who appraised all of Boddy's treasured items, and must also realise their true value, so she bequeaths them all to him on Boddy's behalf, to Plum's apparent shock.

Elsewhere, Peacock and Green talk to eachother over the phone from their respective prisons, but both admit to not being the killer.

One night, Peacock's cellmate suggests to Peacock that they can dig a tunnel out of jail with a spoon, and asks if Peacock knows anything about tunnels, leading her to think about the book she got from Boddy...

She realizes from the doodles in the book that Boddy had tunnels in his house, one that led between the kitchen and study, where  Plum and Scarlett were hiding respectively, meaning he was the one who killed her, he was the closest to the gun that killed Mustard, and was also alone in the house when Boddy was killed, meaning HE was the killer!

At his house, Plum talks to the statue of Scarlett from Boddy's collection and admits that he killed them for the exhileration and just to "win the game". He lights the candlestick, leaves it in his windowsill, and drinks a glass of malted milk with honey to have a restless sleep.

Back at the prison, Peacock whistles through the bars and leads her breath to the candlestick, knocking it over and setting fire to the house, killing Plum as he slept.

Later, Peacock and her cellmate escape from prison and go into hiding.

After a while, Peacock, now in a disguise, goes to see Green and promises to get him free too, he asks her why she loves him, despite his evil ways, but she just says that she sees the goodness in him...and that's what she loves...

Characters

The Dinner Party

Mrs Peacock

Mr Green Imprisoned by Police

Professor Plum Killed by Peacock/Candlestick

Mrs White

Miss Scarlett Killed by Plum

Mr Boddy (Flashback Only) Killed by Plum

Colonel Mustard (Flashback Only) Killed by Plum

Other

Stanley White

Ollie, the Postman

Peacock's Cellmate

The Police

Boddy's Funeral Party

Delivery Men

Other Prisoners

St Peter (In Heaven)

Milburn Pennybags (Flashback Only) Killed by Green with Candlestick and Incinerated

Mr Peacock Sr (Flashback Only) Dead

Mrs Peacock Sr (Flashback Only) Dead

Auctioneer (Flashback Only)

Auction Goers (Flashback Only)

Vicar (Flashback Only)

John Keats (Mentioned)

Notes

• This issue ends with an interview with Dash Shaw by Suzette Smith
• The back page of the comic features the last seven custom Clue game cards: The Lounge, Billiard Room, Hall, Library, Study, Ball Room and Dining Room...now we just need a custom game board too (maybe the TPB will give us that!)
• AHEM! About the mystery in this series....I CALLED THE RESULT LAST MONTH!! BWAAHAHAHAHHAHAH!! I'm a detective now I guess!
• As predicted by the title and it's constant references, the Candlestick was ultimately the one to kill the killer.
• The "Milburn" man whom Peacock marries in this issue's flashback is the Monopoly Man....is this series secretly the start of a Hasbro board game comic universe?
• Despite the claims that the Candlestick was never used in a murder, like the other items were, we learn here that Green used it to kill Peacock's husband
• As predicted last issue, we learn this time that the Boddy Mansion uses the hidden tunnels from the real board game
• We learn that the thing Peacock kept hidden from the group in issue one, is that she and Green are in a relationship.
• Mrs White is revealed to be the one who watched Plum arrive at the party in issue one. She also followed the red-herring clues and believed that Peacock, and by extension Green, were the killers due to their prior relationship (though since they were the only two with no prior contact with anyone but Boddy before this night, it makes no sense why no one else is a more likely suspect...)
• In case you missed the motive for the murders, plum wanted to kill off all the other party guests and frame it on Peacock and Green, so he could get all the items in Boddy's collection by default to make money from them. He knew Peacock would get blamed due to her family auction house, and knew people would believe she wanted to sell on the items for her own profit.
• The panels of Peacock and Green being sent to jail appear to be based on the same panels on a Monopoly board
• So...the Candlestick is sentient it seems....this is disturbing, because it also seems to have an attraction to Peacock!
• The prophetic dream from issue one is revealed to actually be a premonition of Plum's own death caused by Peacock whistling for her candlestick falling over at her command kill Plum...she has magic breath I guess!
• Despite his murders and Scarlett not getting there previously, Plum is shown at Heaven in the end (though St Peter does look annoyed at him, so maybe he's about to be plummeted to Hell?)
• Mrs Peacock's "disguise" after breaking out of jail is just a pair of sunglasses...good work!

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

IDW - Clue Candlestick #1

Story/Art/Lettered by: Dash Shaw

Production Design by: Neil Uyetake

Assistant Edits by: Megan Brown

Edits by: David Hedgecock

Plot

Professor Plum wakes up from a strange nightmare of a mysterious woman whistling through his window, when he hears a door bell ringing.

The postman brings Plum his usual mail of correspondence, coupons, and a parcel from his old friend Mr Boddy, which intrigues him, due to it being in code. He manages to decode the message, and learns that Boddy feels threatened by someone and wants to offer some of his old friends a part of his prized collection of antique murder weapons.

On the night of August 3rd, Plum heads to Boddy's manor, where he recovers a key for him from a plum coloured stone piece and joins the rest of the guests at dinner.

There, he meets Miss Scarlett, Colonel Mustard, Mr Green and Mrs Peacock, as well as Mr Boddy's chef and housekeeper, Mrs White.

Whilst beginning their meal Boddy refuses to explain his reasons for believing he is due to die soon, and he implies that everyone is likely to die at any moment. This leads to Mustard agreeing, due to his developing a paranoia, following his time in the military, that everyone could be out to get him for his actions during the war, which has led to him not trusting anyone.

Mrs White brings out the trunk of the prized weapons, when he sees the candlestick and freaks out that it has intent of murder within it, when suddenly Mustard is shot by an unseen shooter and dies.

Green is quick to accuse Plum, who was sitting closest to the pistol that was in the trunk, and is now on the table, but no one saw due to the lights going out. Peacock points out that the doors were open, so someone could have shot him from the hallway and ran off.

Accusations start to fly around, whilst White proceeds to phone for the police. The group soon decide that there was probably another person in the house, who shot Mustard and split up into small groups to try and find the killer, or at least some clues. Boddy and Scarlett take Mustard's body to the kitchen to keep it cold in the cooler, whulst Peacock and Green search one side of the house, and Plum and White take the other side.

On their way to the Billiard room, Plum notices that Boddy has a lot of paintings of Scarlett in various styles, and appears to have an obsession with him, but also asks White about where she got the knife of Jack the Ripper for Boddy's collection. She explains that her former husband proposed to her with the knife and she later gave it to Boddy. However Plum noticed that the knife in the collection wasn't old at all, so she admits that she lied to Boddy about it being Jack the Rippers, but only because she wanted to make him happy, since he was in a depression spiral following his wife's death, and he loves historical weapons.

White suddenly gets an idea, and goes outside alone to check uinder the stone pieces outside, only to find Mrs Peacock's key was never taken, before being approached by someone from behind....

Whilst White is checking the keys Boddy and Scarlett are in the conservatory, when Boddy is struck by someone with the lead pipe, killing him instantly, Scarlett screams, bringing everyone to the room, bar White and they find her with the dead Boddy. They accuse her of the murder, but she says that she didn't kill him, she didn't love him enough to kill him...

Characters

Mr Boddy Killed with the Lead Pipe, in the Conservatory

Professor Plum

Miss Scarlett

Mrs White

Mrs Peacock

Mr Green

Colonel Mustard Killed with the Pistol, in the Dining Room

Ollie, the Postman

Saint Peter (In Heaven)

Dog Walker (Flashback)

Mustard's Date (Flashback)

Hugo White(?) (Flashback)

The Killer (Mentioned/Implied)

The Police (Mentioned)

Mr Peacock (Mentioned) Dead

Mrs Boddy (Mentioned) Dead

Officer Ketchup (Mentioned)

Mustard's Former Team Members (Mentioned)

Calico Jack (Mentioned) Dead

Jack the Ripper (Mentioned)

President Garfield (Mentioned) Dead

Albert Camus (Mentioned)

Gallienus (Mentioned)

Notes

• This story is NOT a sequel to the earlier IDW Clue series, or at least there's no apparent connection so far. 
• This issue includes an article on how Cluedo/Clue is a game about murder by Tim Hodler, used for recreational purposes..it's an interesting read!
• We aren't outright given any information on the location and date of this story, but from the letter sent to Plum at the start, we know he lives in London, implying this may be set in the UK, much like the original game.
• Due to the stamp being noted as from 1940, and only a collector having it, we can assume that this is set in a relatively modern age, but with Mustard seeming to be a pretty openly gay military man, we can assume it's from the past decade or so.
• The date given for the night of the main story, August 3rd, is a mystery to me, I can't find any connection to Clue/Cluedo and that date anywhere. Please tell me if you know the connection! Thanks!
• The main characters in this series are mostly based on the original design for the characters in the game (Here's a reference pic from Wikipedia of them) with Green being pretty much untouched. Mustard and White look the same, but a bit younger than their game counterparts, and Scarlett is more pronounced as Asian. Plum and Peacock are completely different though.
• The series uses Mr Boddy as the host, as he was in the American version of the game, Clue, where in the UK versions he would be Dr Black
• All of the usual murder weapons in the game are revealed here to be gifts from the six usual suspects, and were originally, supposedly, connected to famous deaths and killers.
• The rope hanged Calico Jack, and was authenticated by Plum. The lead pipe was used to kill Gallienus and was given by Mustard (though he was actually stabbed...). The pistol was used to assassinate President Garfield and was gifted by Green. The wrench was used to fix Albert Camus' car, who later died in a car crash, and was given by Scarlett. The knife supposedly belonged to Jack the Ripper by White. And the candlestick was just an item that fascinated him, and was given by Peacock after her husband's premature death.
• The stone pieces in the garden where people's keys were hidden are based on the game pieces from the original game
• Mustard reveals that his force from the military took on code names based on condiments upon returning to civilian lives
• Any time there's a "Kra-boom" sound effect, it seems to be based on what would normally be a player action in the game, such as an accusation, deduction, movement, getting ideas etc. This implies that this scenario is actually happening in an actual game being played by an unseen character.
• In a stark inversion of normal events, the murder that begins this story is Colonel Mustard, and not Mr Boddy! (Though Boddy dies at the end of the issue regardless)
• After a character is confirmed dead, they appear in heaven with Saint Peter..this makes my job of figuring out if someone did die or not SO MUCH EASIER!!!
• The map of the manor is the traditional game board to the actual game
• Given the evidence so far, it appears that Peacock is probably the killer. She is mentioned by Green to have withheld some information, and her key was still under her stone piece, so she shouldn't have access to the house. Someone could have replaced their key with Peacock's to incriminate her, but it seems unlikely. Also, her gift to Boddy was the Candlestick, which is what set off Mustard's rant that led to his murder, it is also the only item in the set that was not mentioned in connection with a famous death, but with Mr Peacock's instead. Also, given the characters available, Peacock best fits the mysterious woman in Plum's opening nightmare, could this have been a warning? She's also apparently a vegan, so there's another red flag! :)
• The back page features a set of cut-out custom Cluedo character cards, and a Candlestick weapon card, with the promise of more to come in future comics. Since there are nine loactions in the map shown in the comic, and five more weapons, that makes fourteen more cards, perfect for seven an issue (assuming this is indeed a three part series)