A 2020 comic series by writer Joe Hill and artist Martin Simmonds, distributed by IDW Publishing.
Syd "Shit-Talk" Homes is a disgraced cop who switched careers to stand-up comedy after being drummed out of the force. His rival at the comedy club is a rising star named Carl Dixon, who has gotten to where he is by stealing jokes. One night a fellow comedian entertains the notion of hiring a hitman to bump off Carl. This inadvertently sets off a chain of events which leads to Carl's death and Syd being pursued as the prime suspect.
This comic contains examples of:
- Asshole Victim: A lot of people have good reasons for wanting Carl dead, as he steals jokes and continuously uses people to advance his career. Ultimately played with when it seems that one suspect, Tom Ulwin, killed Carl while under the impression that he was Syd, but ultimately played straight when it turns out Veronica killed him for cheating on her.
- Big Bad Friend: Veronica, who has presented herself as Syd's ally throughout the whole mess, was the one who killed Carl and directed the police towards Syd.
- Chekhov's Gun:
- The pawnshop receipt Carl used to roll a blunt in his confrontation with Syd is what he uses to track down the initial suspects in Carl's murder.
- The clock hand that Syd broke off when he initially fled from police comes back into play when Mosley uses it to disable Veronica, the killer.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Syd was forced out of the police department following an incident in which an abusive mom told him that her father wanted her to get hit by a truck, Syd caustically suggested she go through with it, and she did so — killing the truck driver in the process. While Syd's ex doesn't blame him for the incident, plenty of other people do, including Syd.
- Everything Is Racist: Syd initially dismisses Mosley and Gil's mother when she claims that Syd has accused her sons because of their race. Subverted when it turns out that Veronica, the real killer, did set up Mosley and Gil to be her scapegoats because of their race.
- Red Herring:
- Gil and Mosley were involved in exchanging stolen goods with Carl, but ultimately didn't kill him.
- Tom physically attacked Carl after he was beaten by Syd, and even confesses to the crime, but it turns out he is a mentally ill Unreliable Narrator who didn't commit the murder either.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Veronica thinks that crime in the city is usually the work of "moolies", and is willing to let Mosley and Gil take the fall for Carl's murder since they make convenient scapegoats.
