Dead Boy Detectives is a supernatural horror detective comedy-drama TV series based on the DC Comics characters created by Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner. The show follows Charles Rowland and Edwin Payne, two guys who choose not to move on to the afterlife. Instead, they stay on Earth to solve supernatural crimes. The series stars a talented cast, including George Rexstrew, Jayden Revri, Kassius Nelson, Briana Cuoco, and more.
Dead Boy Detectives started streaming on Netflix on April 25, 2024. The show was initially planned to be connected to the Doom Patrol universe. It wasn't until Netflix picked it up that it was finally adapted into The Sandman universe. The show received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised the writing, directing, tone, actors' performances, and visuals. However, the series was canceled after only one season in August 2024.
Exploring all major differences between the Netflix show Dead Boy Detectives and the comic
The age of The Dead Boy Detectives:
In the comics, Crystal is portrayed as very young, likely just entering her teenage years. Similarly, Edwin and Charles appear to be around 13 years old, despite being dead for decades. This younger appearance changes the way we see the characters and their stories, making their deaths a darker and more tragic event.
In the Netflix show Dead Boy Detectives, the characters are older, probably in their late teens. This difference in age affects how the story unfolds. While their deaths are still tragic, the older characters are better able to stand up for themselves against adults without being dismissed or disrespected. The younger characters in the comics are clearly not taken as seriously by adults due to their age.
Edwin’s Romance:
The original comic series tells the story of Edwin, a student at a British boarding school, who gets bullied and accidentally dragged to Hell. The bullies try to summon demons, but it backfires, and Edwin ends up in the underworld while the bullies hide his bones.
The Netflix series takes a slightly different approach, adding a romantic twist. Edwin starts dating Simon, but things take a dark turn when Simon and his friends tie Edwin up and summon a demon. The demon kills the bullies and takes Edwin away. At the end of Dead Boy Detectives, Edwin finds Simon in Hell, where Simon confesses that he did have feelings for Edwin but was afraid of being labeled as gay.
Crystal’s storyline:
In the comics, Crystal Palace is almost killed by a bomb meant for her parents. Luckily, Charles and Edwin are there, and Charles saves her.
In the TV series Dead Boy Detectives, Crystal is introduced as a grown-up possessed by a powerful demon. Charles and Edwin rescue her by driving the demon out, but it escapes with her memories. With no recollection of her past or family, Crystal decides to stay with them to try to recover her memories.
Charles’s demons are different:
In Neil Gaiman's origin story, Charles encountered ghosts at school, including Edwin's, which terrified him. Yet, he didn't freak out, showing some ghosts he was a kind person.
In the Netflix series, Charles doesn't sense ghosts. His struggles are with bullies and his dad. However, when Edwin meets Charles, he realizes that Charles is a gentle and caring guy.
The dead boy detectives don't teleport; instead, they travel using mirrors:
In the original story, ghosts could use mirrors to move around the world and teleport using a method called "sqwooshing." However, this would leave them feeling unwell.
The Netflix series takes a different approach by removing teleportation altogether. Instead, the ghosts rely solely on mirrors and reflections to get around, which makes them a bit more relatable. This limitation also helps keep Edwin trapped due to the Cat King's spell and prevents the ghosts from becoming too overpowered. They can still pass through walls and other obstacles, but teleportation might have been too much of a convenient solution.
Appearance of the Cat King
In the Dead Boy Detectives comics, cats are a big deal. Edwin always thought they had some kind of special power, and when he died, he realized it was even truer than he thought. Whenever the Detectives solve a mystery, cats are always there to help them out. One cat is even split into two parts, and it carries the spirit of some smart guy.
The TV show features cats too, but they're handled differently. The boys meet some talking cats in Port Townsend, and Crystal is shocked. However, when Edwin tricks the cats into helping him, he messes with the Cat King. The Cat King becomes a big part of the rest of the season, putting a magical bracelet on Edwin that keeps him in town, and making him count all the cats in town.
Tragic Mike is different:
Tragic Mike is a character you can find in both the comics and the series, but he's pretty different in each. In the comics, Tragic Mike runs a pawn shop in London and is a helpful source of info for the detectives. He's also a human-walrus hybrid, but it's not clear why. His name, Tragic Mike, suggests he's had a tough past.
In the series Dead Boy Detectives, Tragic Mike has an antique shop in Port Townsend and looks like a normal human being. But his past is revealed in more detail. He used to be a walrus but was turned into a human and cursed to never see his family or home in the sea again. This is just one of the many changes made from the comics to the series.
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Dead Boy Detectives is now available for fans to stream on Netflix.
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