Who Killed Sarah Shaw?
Adam Markiewicz, artist/letterer; Frankee White, writer
Ko-fi, 2024

This black-and-white true-crime story originated on Markiewicz’s Patreon, where you could follow the work in progress for a monthly pledge of as little as a dollar.  The story follows true crime bloggers Jes (interviewer) and Dave (photographer), whose podcast “Cracking a Cold One” runs on the Trucryme streaming service. They are in Hardground, Michigan, covering an unsolved 1986 murder. Ratings have been declining, so this may be their final episode. Jes suggests avoiding cancellation by giving their audience something new: a solution to a cold case (instead of just reporting on it and “playing some sad, eerie piano music in the background”). “Let’s find out who killed Sarah Shaw,” she proposes.

They interview everyone they can find who knew Sarah: first her best friend Tiffany Gloucek (on a second interview she described Sarah as “a real bitch,” despite her squeaky clean public image); then Isaac James, former head coach of the girls’ basketball team (who was fired for sleeping with a student). James gives them directions to the cabin in the woods where the drinking party happened on the night of the murder, after the big basketball game. He also says that Marvin Rainey was everyone’s favorite suspect at the time, especially when he left town shortly after the murder.

They discover a knife that is the possible murder weapon under a loose floorboard. Then Sheriff Mayberry (who was also the sheriff at the time of the murder) showed up and arrested them for trespassing. An interview with Mary Rainey (Marvin Rainey’s wife) does little to shed light, but Dave has a conversation that reveals that Sarah’s father was abusive. He has ignored interview requests, so they ambush him at home, and he agrees to talk. He has been hiding the biggest secret of all, which leads to a thrilling climax. It provides a satisfying ending to the story and the mystery. Much of the story takes place in the interview scenes–which are basically talking heads–so Markiewicz deserves special praise for his expressive characterization. Flashbacks provide backstory as well as an effective break in the narrative. Hats off to White’s realistic dialog as well.