The Fix, Vol. 1: Where Beagles Dare

Crooked cops Roy and Mac have a problem: they’re swimming in debt to mob kingpin Josh, and with no money coming in from their shady deals, they only have one way to get back in Josh’s good graces—slip some contraband through LAX past Pretzels, the LAPD’s finest drug-sniffing dog. Writer Spencer (Morning Glories) eschews the more extreme, bizarre mystery plots of his other work for a more grounded, darkly comic tale. There’s still gore and some inappropriate humor, but Spencer has compelling points to make about fame, corruption, and love. Artist Lieber (Whiteout) brings Spencer’s script to vibrant life with hilariously expressive characterization and sharp action that works for both quiet and loud scenes; Lieber also gets an assist from colorist Ryan Hill and letterer Nic J. Shaw, whose subtle contributions help elevate a project that could easily have become a middling caper into one of the funniest—and most satisfying—crime books of the year. (Sept.)