Author and comic writer Sarah Gailey has a knack for crafting truly fantastic murder mysteries in a unique setting. Neighborhood Watch is just such series. Featuring stellar illustrations from Haining and colors Rebecca Nalty, by this new series sees two completely different communities forced together when a body is discovered.
Jill Hewett, community leader and wife of a respected police officer, has turned up with a gunshot wound in a tunnel connecting the Will Haven Gated Community with the neighboring Open Arms Collective. And now, the VP of the HOA and the Kitchen Steward of the Collective have stumbled upon her body at the exact same time — instantly casting blame across the divide.
Forced into an uneasy alliance to discover the truth, they’ll need to work together to uncover the secrets both communities hold to figure out who’s responsible for this crime — and what they could possibly gain from it. And what was Jill doing in that tunnel in the first place?
Gailey, along with Liana Kangas, gave us a fantastic murder mystery set in outer space with Know Your Station, now they are back for a horrific story based in what everyone thinks are perfect communities. Each of the different places have their own inner struggles and hierarchy, but portray this sense of being all put together. However, deep down there is some sketchy stuff happening and we are getting the first taste of this in the premiere issue.
The way the book is laid out is wonderful. We are tossed back and forth between each of the communities with one community bordered in blue and the other in orange, a perfect way to easy tell which community we are in at each moment. This really in addition to each community being nearly opposite of the other. One with strict rules on the color of your fence, while the other is more focused on working together for the better good.
It would be difficult to discuss the best part of issue one of Neighborhood Watch, so I won’t. What I will say is this first issue has a fantastic ending, one that sets the rest of the series up beautifully.
The illustrations by Haining fits this book very well, in stunning fashion. But it’s the colors by Nalty that truly shine. This combination of excellent lines and wonderful color palette allows the eyes to follow what is going on with each 1-to-2 page community switch. The creative team swung for the fences here and nailed it, and by fences I mean the ones approved by the HOA.
Neighborhood Watch is another one of those stories by Sarah Gailey where you never know what to fully expect, in such a great way. A murder mystery in the most unlikely location, beautifully brought to life by Haining and Rebecca Nalty. Add this one to your pull list.
Neighborhood Watch #1 hits local comic shops on April 8, 2026 from BOOM! Studios. Gailey joins the Capes and Tights Podcast for Episode 277 on April 15 to discuss this comic and more!
Neighborhood Watch #1 Preview
