Two interconnected stories by two authors about the same mystery. The One Hand by Ram V follows day-of-retirement detective Ari Nasser realising he has to solve one last case that he thought he’d closed twice before. The Six Fingers by Dan Watters follows down-and-out archaeology student Johannes Vale realising he stepped on something cataclysmic and scrambling to figure out what to do. A fascinating attempt to blend the different styles of these up-and-coming writers into one cohesive narrative with different art styles. One Hand is illustrated by Laurence Campbell who presents his half as a rain-soaked detective drama while Sumit Kumar’s more expressive and cartoonish style that fits the story of a lanky student realising needs to start looking for the exit.

The central hook of a mystery is strong, Nasser must solve not just this new string of copycat killings but find out why this repeated pattern of death is part of his life. Meanwhile Vale experiences the other side of the case and experiences civilian life in Neo Novena until things start to go wrong.  Unfortunately, the ending feels incredibly limp. Historically I have enjoyed every Ram V book and find his style of prose enjoyable. Yet, for all the very interesting ideas he explores and his talent for homaging something while still having a unique approach, it never converges into a satisfying ending. I have less experience with Waters, outside his very solid Coffin Bound series. He marries the big ideas with his lead character’s anger and panic well with a major asset from Kumar. Yet he is still unable to reach a strong conclusion and I find his handling of characters outside of the Vale more questionable. A detective story can end with disappointment or rob the audience of catharsis as the truth becomes a bitter pill to swallow.  While it is an interesting experiment The One Hand & The Six Fingers does not end with something engaging in its lack of satisfaction. The ending is a dull set of revelations bolstered by the art team. My only hope by the end is that this does not represent the wider bibliographies of either of these creators and I have just been unlucky so far.