History ComicBook / BrodysGhost

* HairDecorations: Talia wears a skull hairclip.

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Landon has ties to the mob, and has attempted to kill Brody twice: not only does he ''not'' get punished, he actually gets the credit, and presumably the reward, for taking down the Penny Murderer. Likewise, despite proving herself a ManipulativeBitch and threatening/endangering Brody numerous times, all Talia gets is a WhatTheHellHeroSpeech from Brody, who nevertheless lets her stay his friend. Justified, in that the city is corrupt, and Talia's a ghost: there's no real way Brody or anyone else could punish them even if they wanted to (that, and she's suffered plenty in advance).]]

* CrapsackWorld: The story takes place in an urbanized environment where biker gangs run unhindered, and the police are controlled by the mob.

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Landon has ties to the mob, and has attempted to kill Brody twice: not only does he ''not'' get punished, he actually gets the credit, and presumably the reward, for taking down the Penny Murderer. Likewise, despite proving herself a ManipulativeBitch and threatening/endangering Brody numerous times, all Talia gets is a WhatTheHellHeroSpeech from Brody, who nevertheless lets her stay his friend. Justified, in that the city is corrupt, and Talia's a ghost: there's no real way Brody or anyone else could punish them even if they wanted to.]]

Created, written and drawn by Eisner nominee Mark Crilley (''ComicBook/{{Akiko}}'', ''ComicBook/MikiFalls''), ''Brody's Ghost'' is his darkest (if not necessarily dark) work to date. It is currently being published as a six-volume mini-series by Dark Horse. Four preview mini-stories can be seen [[http://myspace.com/darkhorsepresents?issuenum=30&storynum=1 here]], in issues 30, 31, 32 and 33.

* UrbanFantasy: The setting is reminiscent of Cyberpunk works, like Blade Runner or Batman Beyond, albeit much less futuristic and more run down, but the presence of ghosts and spiritual powers counterbalance the crime elements.

* {{Expy}}: Talia is similar to another CuteGhostGirl from a graphic novel whose name is [[ComicBook/AnyasGhost someone´s ghost]]. Like Emily, Talia is the ghost of a teenage girl with a connection to a mysterious murderer who befriends the protagonist. Also, both of them [[spoiler: are manipulative, have an unpleasant personality behind their cute facade (albeit Talia is somewhat snarky from the beginning), lie about their deaths, and use the protagonist to achieve their goals. Also, both Talia and Emily can be considered JerksWithAHeartOfGold due to their backstories]].

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Both Brody and Talia are snarky, self-pitying, but ultimately well meaning. [[spoiler: Talia's jerk side takes center stage as the climax approaches, however. On the other hand, in her last scene with Brody, she appears to be remorseful (even though she doesn't admit it) and she calls Brody a hero.

* TookALevelInJerkass: [[spoiler: Talia becomes markedly unpleasant the moment Brody reveals that he knows how she really died in Book 4, and just gets worse from there on out, to the point that she threatens Brody and bluntly reveals that she just wants the Penny Murderer dead, whether or not Nicole dies as a consequence.]] It's not until the ending whereupon she finally lets up.
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: The Penny Murderer [[spoiler: is a normal looking man who works as an ice cream vendor in his day to day life. Turns out, he selected his victims from the various customers who bought from him.]]
* TrainingFromHell: Kagemura puts Brody through this in Volume 2, which included making him climb up one hundred telephone poles in one day. ''And he did''.
* UnfinishedBusiness: Aside from some ghosts being "locked out" of heaven, some end up remaining on earth because they have unfinished business to do with their mortal life. [[spoiler:Actually, Talia says word for word that the latter are the ''only'' type of people who don't get into heaven, with her and Kagemura included. His unfinished business is cleaning up the corruption in the world. Hers is having vengeance on her murderer.]]
* YouHaveToBelieveMe: When Nicole confronts him about his stalking, Brody attempts to explain the events of the preceding books, [[YoureInsane with predictable results.]] Learning from this, [[MindOverMatter he gives a visual demonstration of his powers]] to Gabe when trying to explain what's going on, to much better effect. [[spoiler: Notably inverted when he meets with Talia's mother however. Attempting to use believable but easily dissected cover stories just makes her suspicious, [[HonestyIsTheBestPolicy and he has to admit to seeing Talia's ghost for her to be willing to talk to him.]]]]

* WithFriendsLikeThese: [[spoiler: After everything she's done (including, but not limited to, attempting to use Brody's ex as bait for a SerialKiller, and threatening to leave Brody in the hands of vicious mobsters to be tortured to death unless he agreed to kill the Penny Murderer with his bare hands) Brody bluntly, and not without justification, calls Talia one of the most manipulative and immoral people he's ever met. [[TheyReallyDoLoveEachOther But he still lets her stay around as a friend, because as a fugitive in hiding, he needs all the friends he can get at this point.]]]]
* ZettaiRyouiki: Talia's outfit is a thigh-high pair of stockings and pleated skirt.

* {{Expy}}: Talia is similar to another CuteGhostGirl from a graphic novel whose name is [[ComicBook/AnyasGhost someone´s ghost]]. Like Emily, Talia is the ghost of a teenage girl with a connection with a mysterious murderer who befriends the protagonist. Also, both of them [[spoiler: are manipulative, have an unpleasant personality behind their cute facade (albeit Talia is somewhat snarky from the beginning), lie about their deaths, and use the protagonist to achieve their goals. Also, both Talia and Emily can be considered Jerks with a heart of Gold due to their backstories]]

* HotBlooded: Brody is a sharp deconstruction. While good natured, his short temper just gets him into more trouble as the story goes on, and he bluntly acknowledges to Talia that his temper was the reason he fell out with Nicole.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Talia claims that she's searching for the Penny Murderer to fulfill her life task, and despite thinking they're a monster, refuses to treat the hunt as a form of revenge, as she doesn't like where that path would take her. [[spoiler: Turns out, not only ''is'' there no life task for ghosts, her actual goal is ''entirely'' about revenge, and she doesn't remotely attempt to deny it when exposed.]]
* IntangibleMan: Talia as a ghost can move through objects, and any human possessed by a ghost can do this as well.

* JacobMarleyApparel: Possibly played straight with Kagemura. [[spoiler:''Averted'' with Talia -- what she wears as a ghost is not the outfit she was murdered in.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Both Brody and Talia are snarky, self-pitying but ultimately well meaning. [[spoiler: Talia's jerk side takes centre stage as the climax approaches however. On the other hand, in her very last scene with Brody, she appears to be remorseful (even though she doesn't admit it) and she calls Brody a hero. Apparently, Talia cares for Brody a little ]]
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Landon is almost certainly a mobster, and has attempted to kill Brody twice over at this point: not only does he ''not'' get punished, he actually gets the fame, and presumably the reward, for taking down the Penny Murderer. Likewise, despite proving herself a ManipulativeBitch of the highest order, and threatening and endangering Brody numerous times, all Talia gets is a WhatTheHellHeroSpeech from Brody, who nevertheless lets her stay as a friend. Justified, in that the city is very corrupt, and Talia's a ghost: there's no real way Brody or anyone else could punish them even if they wanted to.]]
* ManipulativeBastard: [[spoiler: Talia. She uses the cover story of GhostlyGoals, and the offer of a bounty to convince Brody to play along with her revenge scheme against the Penny Murderer. When Brody proves too uncooperative and moral for her liking, and directly defies her request to not see her mother for information, she ''lets'' him get caught by the police, and then extracts a promise to kill the Penny Murderer personally under threat of torture and death by corrupt police. And when the moment arrives, and he proves unwilling to kill him, even under threats, she waits until the last second while Landon prepares to shoot, and then possesses Brody to move him out of the line of fire, keeping Brody safe, and causing Landon to kill the Penny Murderer.]]
* MindOverMatter: Part of the standard ghostseer power set.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler: Nicole is horrified to learn that her turning to Landon to stop Brody from stalking her lead Landon to vandalizing Brody's home and trying to get him outright killed--as well as learning that Brody was trying to protect her from the Penny Murderer]]

* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: While his involvement with Talia forces Brody to get his life together, he ends up in some hair raising scenarios he wouldn't have been before he met Talia. [[spoiler: By the end, all the effort he put into bringing the Penny Murderer to justice is credited to the man who put the mob and the police on him, and he's forced to hole up at Kagemura's temple as a fugitive. Thankfully, Gabe and Nicole manage to make his situation manageable in the aftermath.]]
** Horrifically enough, this is the Penny Murderer's Modus Operandi. [[spoiler: If any of the women who buy ice cream from him return any excess pennies, he chooses them as a target for being "pure" enough to show such kindness. Several women died, including Talia, because they were perceptive enough to realise when they'd been given excess change, and honest enough to correct the vendor's "error". Talia is clearly shaken by the realisation that she died over something so minor and petty.]]

** Regular ghosts, like Talia, are invisible and intangible, but can interact with the world in one specific way that's different for every ghost.

* UrbanFantasy: The setting is very reminiscent of Cyberpunk works in the vein of Blade Runner or Batman Beyond, albeit much less futuristic and more run down, but the presence of ghosts and spiritual powers counterbalance the crime elements of the tale.
* RedemptionQuest: Talia's self-imposed mission of stopping the Penny Murders.
** [[spoiler: Subverted; as it turns out, Talia was the first Penny Murder victim, and the whole RedemptionQuest deal was a ploy used to con Brody into helping her avenge her death while keeping him from interviewing and potentially upsetting her still-living mother. She reveals to him that the only ghosts that are left behind in the living world are the ones that ''choose'' to stay because they have "unfinished business."]]
* TeensAreMonsters: In Book 1, Brody gets into an encounter with one of the many biker gangs troubling the city, and after antagonising them, gets brutalised, and very nearly murdered by [[CuteAndPsycho a dorky looking twelve year old member]] before Talia steps in.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Brody isn't exactly happy being forced to work a MurderMystery with Talia, and vice versa. The two do develop a rapport, [[spoiler: but they end up back to this when Brody learns just how much Talia has hid from him.]]
* TheSlacker: Brody before he undertakes the training to improve his powers.
* TheyFightCrime: One's a "scuzzy" slacker human who has ghostseeing powers and whose life is a wreck, the other is a proactive and snarky teenage ghost girl.
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: Deconstructed: [[spoiler: The Penny Murderer believed his victims to be this, and killed them so as to prevent them from being "corrupted" by the CrapsackWorld they lived in. Many of the families the victims belonged to were traumatised and broken as a result, and while the other victims presumably passed on, Talia was understandably pissed at being robbed of her life at such a young age, and came back as decidedly less good as she had been in life.]]

* {{Animesque}}: While Crilley's style has always had manga influences, he specifically mentions that Brody's and Talia’s designs are partly inspired by Takeshi Obata's depictions of [[Manga/DeathNote Light Yagami and Misa Amane]].
* AntiHero: Brody's a clear ClassicalAntiHero, with Kagemura effectively a KnightInSourArmor. [[spoiler: Talia is either a NominalHero or an outright AntiVillain, given her ManipulativeBastard tendencies, her desire to go after the Penny Murderer being largely personal, and her utter lack of remorse in threatening or endangering innocents to get what she wants.]]
* BeingGoodSucks: [[spoiler: All Brody wants is to protect his ex-girlfriend from a serial killer, but because of his situation, no one other than his friend Gabe believes he has powers, and thinks he's either a crazy stalker that's obsessed with his ex, or a crazy, pathetic loser that's desperate for the reward money of capturing the Penny Murderer, often leading to him getting into fights and got his home vandalized. And because of this, his ex girlfriend hates him, and calls the police on him after getting back at the guy who vandalized his home (who just happens to be her new boyfriend). It doesn't help that he was tricked by Talia to become her instrument of vengeance towards said serial killer, either. Poor guy can't catch a break.]] Summed up by Brody himself, when all's said and done:

* BeYourself: Deconstructed. Kagemura demands that Brody destroy all but his most essential belongings so he can focus on his training, to which Brody initially refuses, citing that Kagemura is trying to change who he is. Given that at this point Brody has proven to be an out of shape slacker who let one break up ruin much of his life, Talia bluntly points out that he ''needs'' to change who he is, because who he currently is is ''not'' good.
* BigNo: Talia near the climax of the series, [[spoiler:when Brody refuses to carry out her revenge and strangle the Penny Murderer to death.]]
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: The Penny Murderer's dead, and Nicole survives. But Landon, who's used every cop and mob connection he has to ruin what's left of Brody's life at this point, gets the credit, and Brody has to stay with Kagemura, as he has no where to go after becoming a fugitive. However, he does patch things up with both Talia and Nicole, who's learned the whole story from Gabe, and the ending implies that Nicole and Brody will get back together, with Nicole pulling some strings to get him a new identity and a steady job away from the limelight.]]

* CerebusSyndrome: While the story is essentially a crime thriller with supernatural elements from the get go, there's some humour in the first few issues, as it mostly focuses on Brody's crap life, and getting him out of it. Then Brody finds out Nicole is a potential target for death, he gets to encounter several of the families affected by the Penny Murders, and Talia's backstory comes to light, and things get dark real fast.
* ConsummateLiar: [[spoiler: Talia. She's completely sincere about wanting to see the Penny Murderer brought to justice, but beyond that, everything she says about herself prior to Brody learning otherwise either happened to someone else, were half-truths, or outright lies.]]
* CrapsackWorld: The story takes place largely in an urbanized environment wherein biker gangs run unhindered, and the police are controlled by the mob.
* CuteGhostGirl: Talia, of course. [[spoiler: In looks anyway. In terms of ''personality'' however, turns out she's something else.]]

* ExactWords: In Book 1, Talia explains that she suffered from leukemia and died five years prior, with Book 2 having her discuss her time at a hospital. [[spoiler: She ''did'' die five years ago - at the hands of the Penny Murderer instead of leukemia. Whether she ever suffered from leukemia is also up for debate, as it turns out it was her father who had been hospitalised and died there, not her.]]
* {{Expy}}: Talia is very similar to another CuteGhostGirl from a graphic novel whose name is [[ComicBook/AnyasGhost someone´s ghost]]. Like Emily, Talia is the ghost of a teenage girl who has a connection with a mysterious murderer who befriends the protagonist and helps him. Also, both of them [[spoiler: are manipulative, have an unpleasant personality behind their cute facade (albeit Talia is somewhat snarky from the beginning, lie about their deaths and use the protagonist for achieveing their goals. Also, both Talia and Emily can be considered Jerks with a heart of gold due to their backstories]]
* FakeUltimateHero: [[spoiler: Landon gets all the credit for bringing the Penny Murderer to justice. Not only was he never involved in the investigation, he was actually using his connections to the mob and the police to get Brody killed, and was in the process of attempting to shot Brody from behind before Talia did a last minute possession of Brody. Gabe and Nicole, thankfully, know better.]]
* FemmeFatale: [[spoiler: Talia doesn't exactly scream MsFanservice, but in every other respect, she's this. She cajoles Brody to go after the SerialKiller in the first place, and despite feigning the role of a PunchClockHero in the first few issues, it becomes clear she knows more than she's letting on. She's one hell of an opportunist and a manipulator when push comes to shove, if that's not enough.]]
* FilmNoir: A ''very'' unconventional example, but Brody's Ghost has all the hallmarks: troubled, down on his luck protagonist who nevertheless proves his moral fiber, approached to solve a MurderMystery; internal monologues and ruminations over future and past events; a city setting in an advanced state of urban decay, dominated by criminals; and a FemmeFatale figure, who's involvement with the protagonist brings him into trouble, and arguably leaves him worse off by the end.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: At the end of Volume 2, [[spoiler: Brody has a vision of Nicole's[[note]]Brody's ex-girlfriend[[/note]] lifeless corpse with a penny on her forehead.]]
** As early as volume 1, Brody questions as to what Talia did that requires putting her through her life task for, to which Talia responds by dodging the question and fleeing the scene. [[spoiler: In hindsight, this is the biggest sign that Talia's cover story of GhostlyGoals is utterly bogus.]]
* GoodIsNotNice: Brody's a hot tempered slacker, Talia is a sardonic teen ghost, and Kagemura is the ancient Japanese equivalent to the grouchy old man, but all three are ultimately good people with their heart in the right place.

* HeelRealization: [[spoiler: During the time between dropping him off at a park, and meeting with him again at Kagemura's shrine, Talia ends up realising that while she doesn't regret the Penny Murderer's death, Brody has plenty of reasons to drop her like a hot potato at this point, since getting involved in the case has ruined his relationship with his ex and turned him into a fugitive. [[{{Tsundere}} Despite claiming that she's not apologising, seeing the situation Brody's in really hurts, and she's grateful that Brody's willing to still have her as a friend in spite of everything.]]]]
* HeroAntagonist: Landon is deeply involved enough in the mob that he has access to personal firearms, can get two criminals to act personal hitmen, and get the police to attempt to have Brody tortured, murdered, and disappeared, ''but'' from his perspective, Brody is a deeply disturbed StalkerWithACrush who's harassing his girlfriend after she's made it extremely clear that what happened between them is over. He's basically trying to keep her safe in an admittedly extreme way.

After Brody regains the power of speech, the girl, Talia, explains her situation: A ghost locked out of heaven for reasons she won’t disclose, she can’t enter until she commits a life task—a "super-good deed". Talia has decided to catch the serial killer known as the Penny Murderer, but as a ghost, she can't affect the world in anything but the most limited of ways. Thus, she has chosen to coerce Brody—who she claims is a ghostseer, a person who can see, and communicate with, ghosts—to aid her, even if she finds him, as she puts it, "skuzzy". With the help of Kagemura -- a centuries-old ghost with some abilities of his own -- the two must find a way to unlock Brody's hidden potential and solve the Penny Murders.

** [[spoiler: In volume three, however, we learn she was actually murdered, and the crime has some disturbing similarities to the Penny Murders even though it was a couple of years before they started, which casts doubt on what Talia's actual motives are.]]
** [[spoiler: Officially subverted as of Volume 4, as it turns out that Talia was indeed a Penny Murder victim, and the whole RedemptionQuest deal was a ploy used to con Brody into helping her avenge her death, as she reveals to him that the only ghosts that are left behind in the living world are the ones that ''choose'' to stay because they have "unfinished business."]]

* WhamShot: At the end of volume 3, Gabe gives Brody a folder with details of a two-year-old murder case similar to the Penny Murders. Brody opens the folder to find [[spoiler:a picture of the murder victim - Talia.]]

* ZettaiRyouiki: Talia.

* [[HeroAntagonist Anti-Villain Antagonist]]: Landon is deeply involved enough in the mob that he has access to personal firearms, can get two criminals to act personal hitmen, and get the police to attempt to have Brody tortured, murdered, and disappeared, but from his perspective, Brody is a deeply disturbed StalkerWithACrush who's harassing his girlfriend after she's made it extremely clear that what happened between them is over. He's basically trying to keep her safe in an admittedly extreme way.

* GratuitousJapanese (so far): For a city that doesn't appear to be in Japan, there sure is a lot of kanji and katakana around. It's implied that there was an influx of Japanese immigration at one point, given the presence of run down Shinto temples that Kagemura has attached himself to, as well as Japanese cafes and bookstores.
* HairDecorations: Talia.

* [[IntangibleMan Intangible Woman]]: Talia.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Both Brody and Talia are snarky, self-pitying but ultimately well meaning. [[spoiler: Talia's jerk side takes centre stage as the climax approaches however. On the other hand, in her very last scene with Brody, she appears to be remorseful (even though she doesn´t admit it) and she calls Brody a hero. Apparently, Talia cares for Brody a little ]]

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler: Due to a series of misunderstandings, Nicole comes to believe that Brody's become a StalkerWithACrush, and reveals everything she knows about him to her new boyfriend out of misplaced fear and anger. She's understandably horrified to discover from Gabe that Brody was ''actually'' trying to protect her from the Penny Murderer, and her boyfriend had made him a fugitive and very nearly had him killed as a result of what's happened. First thing she does when she see him again was to tearfully apology for ultimately making things much worse for him for trying to save her life. Thankfully, Brody loves her way too much to hate her for it.]]

* OurGhostsAreDifferent: So far we have three different kinds of ghosts:

** Demighosts, which can touch things.

** [[spoiler: Subverted as of Volume 4, as it turns out that Talia was indeed a Penny Murder victim, and the whole RedemptionQuest deal was a ploy used to con Brody into helping her avenge her death, as she reveals to him that the only ghosts that are left behind in the living world are the ones that ''choose'' to stay because they have "unfinished business."]]

* TheSlacker: Brody.
* TheyFightCrime

* WithFriendsLikeThese: [[spoiler: After everything she's done (including, but not limited to, attempting to use Brody's ex as bait for a SerialKiller, and threatening to leave Brody in the hands of vicious mobsters to be tortured to death unless he agreed to kill the Penny Murderer with his bare hands) Brody bluntly, and not without justification, calls Talia one of the most manipulative and evil people he's met. [[TheyReallyDoLoveEachOther But he still lets her stay around as a friend, because as a fugitive in hiding, he needs all the friends he can get at this point.]]]]

* {{Expy}}: Talia is very similar to another CuteGhostGirl from a graphic novel whose name is [[AnyasGhost someone´s ghost]]. Like Emily, Talia is the ghost of a teenage girl who has a connection with a mysterious murderer who befriends the protagonist and helps him. Also, both of them [[spoiler: are manipulative, have an unpleasant personality behind their cute facade (albeit Talia is somewhat snarky from the beginning, lie about their deaths and use the protagonist for achieveing their goals. Also, both Talia and Emily can be considered Jerks with a heart of gold due to their backstories]]

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Both Brody and Talia are snarky, self-pitying but ultimately well meaning. [[spoiler: Talia's jerk side takes centre stage as the climax approaches however.]]

* AntiHero: Brody's a clear ClassicalAntiHero, with Kagemra effectively a KnightInSourArmor. [[spoiler: Talia is either a NominalHero or an outright AntiVillain, given her ManipulativeBastard tendencies, her desire to go after the Penny Murderer being largely personal, and her utter lack of remorse in threatening or endangering innocents to get what she wants.]]

* AntiHero: Brody's a clear ClassicalAntiHero, with Kagemaru effectively a KnightInSourArmor. [[spoiler: Talia is either a NominalHero or an outright AntiVillain, given her ManipulativeBastard tendencies, her desire to go after the Penny Murderer being largely personal, and her utter lack of remorse in threatening or endangering innocents to get what she wants.]]

* BeYourself: Deconstructed. Kagemaru demands that Brody destroy all but his most essential belongings so he can focus on his training, to which Brody initially refuses, citing that Kagemaru is trying to change who he is. Given that at this point Brody has proven to be an out of shape slacker who let one break up ruin much of his life, Talia bluntly points out that he ''needs'' to change who he is, because who he currently is is ''not'' good.
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: The Penny Murderer's dead, and Nicole survives. But Landon, who's used every cop and mob connection he has to ruin what's left of Brody's life at this point, gets the credit, and Brody has to stay with Kagemaru, as he has no where to go after becoming a fugitive. However, he does patch things up with both Talia and Nicole, who's learned the whole story from Gabe, and the ending implies that Nicole and Brody will get back together, with Nicole pulling some strings to get him a new identity and a steady job away from the limelight.]]

* GoodIsNotNice: Brody's a hot tempered slacker, Talia is a sardonic teen ghost, and Kagemaru is the ancient Japanese equivalent to the grouchy old man, but all three are ultimately good people with their heart in the right place.
* GratuitousJapanese (so far): For a city that doesn't appear to be in Japan, there sure is a lot of kanji and katakana around. It's implied that there was an influx of Japanese immigration at one point, given the presence of run down Shinto temples that Kagemaru has attached himself to, as well as Japanese cafes and bookstores.

* HeelRealization: [[spoiler: During the time between dropping him off at a park, and meeting with him again at Kagemaru's shrine, Talia ends up realising that while she doesn't regret the Penny Murderer's death, Brody has plenty of reasons to drop her like a hot potato at this point, since getting involved in the case has ruined his relationship with his ex and turned him into a fugitive. [[{{Tsundere}} Despite claiming that she's not apologising, seeing the situation Brody's in really hurts, and she's grateful that Brody's willing to still have her as a friend in spite of everything.]]]]

* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: While his involvement with Talia forces Brody to get his life together, he ends up in some hair raising scenarios he wouldn't have been before he met Talia. [[spoiler: By the end, all the effort he put into bringing the Penny Murderer to justice is credited to the man who put the mob and the police on him, and he's forced to hole up at Kagemaru's temple as a fugitive. Thankfully, Gabe and Nicole manage to make his situation manageable in the aftermath.]]

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Landon is almost certainly a mobster, and has attempted to kill Brody twice over at this point: not only does he ''not'' get punished, he actually gets the fame, and presumably the reward, for taking down the Penny Murderer. Likewise, despite proving herself a ManipulativeBitch of the highest order, and threatening and endangering Brody numerous times, all Talia gets is a WhatTheHellHeroSpeech from Brody, who nevertheless lets her stay as a friend. Justified, in that the city is very corrupt, and Talia's a ghost: there's no real way Brody or anyone else could punish them if they wanted to.]]

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler: Due to a series of misunderstandings, Nicole comes to believe that Brody's become a StalkerWithACrush, and reveals everything she knows about him to her new boyfriend out of misplaced fear and anger. She's understandably horrified to discover from Gabe that Brody was ''actually'' trying to protect her from the Penny Murderer, and her boyfriend had very nearly had him killed as a result of what's happened. Thankfully, Brody loves her way too much to hate her for it.]]

* Hypocrite: Talia claims that she's searching for the Penny Murderer to fulfill her life task, and despite thinking they're a monster, refuses to treat the hunt as a form of revenge, as she doesn't like where that path would take her. [[spoiler: Turns out, not only ''is'' there no life task for ghosts, her actual goal is ''entirely'' about revenge, and she doesn't remotely attempt to deny it when exposed.]]

* CerebusSyndrome: While the story is essentially a crime thriller with supernatural elements from the get go, there's some humour in the first few issues, as it mostly focuses on Brody's crap life, and getting him out of it. Then Brody finds out Nicole is a potential target for death, he gets to encounter several of the families affecting by the murders investigated, and Talia's backstory comes to light, and things get dark real fast.

* GratuitousJapanese (so far): For a city that doesn't appear to be in Japan, there sure is a lot of kanji and katakana around. It's implied that there was an influx of Japanese immigration at one point, given the presence of run down Shinto temples that Kagemaru has attached himself to.

* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: While his involvement with Talia forces Brody to get his life together, he ends up in some hair raising scenarios he wouldn't have been before he met Talia. [[spoiler: By the end, all thePenny effort he put in bringing the Penny Murderer to justice is credited to the man who put the mob and the police on him, and tried to personally kill him twice, and he's forced to hole up at Kagemaru's temple as a fugitive. Thankfully, Gabe and Nicole manage to make his situation manageable in the aftermath.]]

* BeingGoodSucks: [[spoiler: All Brody wants is to protect his ex-girlfriend from a serial killer, but because of his situation, no one other than his friend Gabe believes he has powers, and thinks he's either a crazy stalker that's obsessed with his ex, or a crazy, pathetic loser that's desperate for the reward money of capturing the Penny Murderer, often leading to him getting into fights and got his home vandalized. And because of this, his ex girlfriend hates him, and calls the police on him after getting back at the guy who vandalized his home (who just happens to be her new boyfriend). It doesn't help that he was tricked by Talia to become her instrument of vengeance towards said serial killer, either. Poor guy can't catch a break.]]

* GratuitousJapanese (so far): For a city that doesn't appear to be in Japan, there sure is a lot of kanji and katakana around. It's implied that there was an influx of Japanese immigration at one point, given the presence of run down Shinto temples that kagemaru has attached himself to.

* FilmNoir: A ''very'' unconventional example, but Brody's Ghost has all the hallmarks: troubled, down on his luck protagonist who nevertheless proves his moral fiber, approached to solve a MurderMystery; a city setting in an advanced state of urban decay, dominated by criminals; and a FemmeFatale figure, who's involvement with the protagonist brings him into trouble, and arguably leaves him worse off by the end.