A year ago, Christopher Freeman was nearly killed by unseen gunmen on a New York street. His cop dad, with whom he was always arguing, took the bullets for him. Ever since, Freeman had guilt-ridden dreams and a special power. As a coroner for the city morgue, Freeman was always late, and Captain Phillips routinely on his case. It didn't help that Freeman would pull up a gurney, touch the deceased, and find himself visiting some sort of purgatory to borrow their soul for the day to solve their murder. The latest, Darby Quinn, was heavyset, middle-aged, balding, and a well dressed black man tried to keep him from temporarily crossing over. Freeman carried Quinn off anyway, shaking the bald, goateed gentleman loose.
The trip had taken Freeman much of the night, so when Captain Phillips caught him talking to "himself," he wasn't happy that the autopsy hadn't even started yet. Phillips sent Freeman on unpaid leave for a week to get his act together.
Freeman and the invisible spirit of Quinn visited the scene of the crime, Darby's squalid resale shop. Quinn had a mouth on him, but his recent memories were a jumble, a common side effect from the trip back to the land of the living. Putting together the clues, Freeman finally determined that Quinn had tried to rape a young singer who was renting a room above his shop, only to be killed by his own antique Luger. Freeman kicked Quinn back to the netherworld, talked Sally off a ledge, and closed the case. Captain Phillips still wasn't sure what to make of Freeman, but he called him back to work and hoped he "might just have more of your father in you than I realized."
The well dressed bald man reappeared, identifying himself as Mr. Keeper, to warn Freeman "If you bring too many more bad eggs back like Mr. Quinn back, things are going to start getting very dangerous for you, very quickly... I told you... Quinn was mine. I've said as much as I'm willing to. Consider yourself warned." Mr. Keeper then disappeared off the ledge Sally had been talked down from.
Twenty-seven year old Christopher Freeman returned to work feeling "better," renewed by his breakthrough. Unfortunately, the cute precinct receptionist that made him late each day because he lollygagged to pass her on the way to work was herself now quite late, lying on a gurney...
"Kid Eternity" was by Jeff Lemire, Cully Hamner & Derec Donovan. I think Rich Johnston saw this as a television pilot in comic book clothing, and that sounds about right. Specifically, it's Tru Calling Medium. I liked the original premise of Kid Eternity better, but if you enjoy paying four bucks for a fair procedural that only runs 10-15 minutes, this may be your bag. Lemire's script is serviceable, while the art team of Hamner and Donovan makes it look better than it is.
More New 52's Day
- Superman Annual #1 (October, 2012) @ The Idol-Head of Diabolu
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