In Odd We Trust
Encyclopedia
In Odd We Trust is the first Graphic Novel featuring Dean Koontz
's character Odd Thomas
. It was released June 24, 2008. It is written by Dean Koontz and Queenie Chan, with illustrations by Queenie Chan
in a Manga
style.
Odd asks the ghost of the little boy to help him find his killer, and Joey leads him to a street corner, where he sees a suspicious man. The man flees when Odd tries to address him. Odd gives chase, but loses his quarry when he trips over a lawn gnome.
Four neighborhood children are believed to be targets, as they have each received a note from the killer. Chief Porter assigns police escorts to each of the houses, and Odd and Stormy decide to spend the night with Sherry at the house where she is babysitting a girl named Angelica. The policeman on stakeout at the house finds an empty car containing a mutilated mannequin, and from this Odd deduces that the killer is nearby, taunting them. He throws open the doors of a nearby van, and discovers the man he chased earlier. He and Odd trade veiled threats, but when Stormy shows up with a gun, the man drives off.
Chief Porter traces the van's license plates to a man named Kyle Bernshaw, and gives Odd the resulting address. Odd and Stormy break into Bernshaw's house, to find giant piles of magazines (from which his mysterious notes have been cut and glued together), and a note to Odd, revealing that this was a trap. Odd turns to find himself cornered by a vicious dog, from which he is saved at the last minute by Joey's ghost. Odd and Stormy race back to the house where they left Sherry, only to find out that Angelica's parents have fired her and she has left. Odd realizes that Sherry, not one of the four children under police protection, was the target all along. The two borrow a car and, using Odd's psychic magnetism (an ability that draws him to a person if he concentrates on them while traveling), they locate Bernshaw in an abandoned slaughterhouse. Odd fights him, with limited success, until Stormy shoots him in the leg, and Odd is able to subdue him. They free Sherry from the trunk of Bernshaw's car.
The killer is taken into custody, but refuses to confess, insisting that he will be given a chance to escape, as he has made a deal with the devil and everything he wants always comes to him. He threatens to reveal Odd's identity and abilities to the world, bringing a storm of media attention, one of the very things Odd fears most. Odd lies and pretends that he, too, has sold his soul to the devil for his powers, but just as he begins to make headway with taking Bernshaw into his confidence, a guard collapses and the killer is able to grab the guard's gun. He fires, but the bullet ricochets off a chair Odd is holding. The bullet kills Bernshaw.
Angelica's parents re-hire Sherry, and the story ends with Odd and Stormy musing on the happy ending they have managed.
is the protagonist of the Odd Thomas series. He is a short-order cook at the Pico Mundo grill, who has the ability to see the lingering dead. He uses this ability to try and bring peace to the ghosts he encounters, so that they can move on to the next life. Traumatic childhood experiences left him extremely uncomfortable with guns, so he relies on his resourcefulness to escape the sometimes hostile situations in which he finds himself.
to Odd. He is one of the few people who are aware of Odd's abilities, and has sometimes been able to catch elusive criminals with Odd's paranormal help.
sequel, Odd Is On Our Side, was released in October 2010. It contradicts events in future novels, such as mentioning a Nintendo Wii, released 4 years after the first novel and Stormy's death.
Dean Koontz
Dean Ray Koontz is a prolific American author best known for his novels which could be described broadly as suspense thrillers. He also frequently incorporates elements of horror, science fiction, mystery, and satire. A number of his books have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List, with...
's character Odd Thomas
Odd Thomas (fictional character)
Odd Thomas is a fictional character who first appeared in Dean Koontz's 2003 novel of the same name, Odd Thomas. He is a twenty-year-old man who lives in the fictional desert town of Pico Mundo, California, and is able to see the spirits of the dead. He is able to make himself heard to them but...
. It was released June 24, 2008. It is written by Dean Koontz and Queenie Chan, with illustrations by Queenie Chan
Queenie Chan
Queenie Chan is a Chinese-Australian Original English-Language comic artist who was born in 1980. She originally lived in Hong Kong, but in 1986, she and her family moved to Australia. Through her childhood, she has interest in reading manga and read Chinese-translated versions of Shonen Jump...
in a Manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
style.
Plot summary
In Odd We Trust serves as a prequel to the first Odd Thomas novel. The ghost of a young boy appears to Odd, and he embarks on a quest to bring justice to the boy's killer so that his ghost can move on. Odd's friend, the Chief of Police Wyatt Porter, shares some details of the case, and informs him that the boy's babysitter is the one that discovered the body. The babysitter turns out to be Sherry Sheldon, a childhood friend of Odd's girlfriend and soulmate, Stormy Llewellyn. Sherry relates that a stalker has been leaving her disturbing notes for several months, and believes this stalker may be the murderer. Odd and Stormy resolve to catch the stalker before he kills again.Odd asks the ghost of the little boy to help him find his killer, and Joey leads him to a street corner, where he sees a suspicious man. The man flees when Odd tries to address him. Odd gives chase, but loses his quarry when he trips over a lawn gnome.
Four neighborhood children are believed to be targets, as they have each received a note from the killer. Chief Porter assigns police escorts to each of the houses, and Odd and Stormy decide to spend the night with Sherry at the house where she is babysitting a girl named Angelica. The policeman on stakeout at the house finds an empty car containing a mutilated mannequin, and from this Odd deduces that the killer is nearby, taunting them. He throws open the doors of a nearby van, and discovers the man he chased earlier. He and Odd trade veiled threats, but when Stormy shows up with a gun, the man drives off.
Chief Porter traces the van's license plates to a man named Kyle Bernshaw, and gives Odd the resulting address. Odd and Stormy break into Bernshaw's house, to find giant piles of magazines (from which his mysterious notes have been cut and glued together), and a note to Odd, revealing that this was a trap. Odd turns to find himself cornered by a vicious dog, from which he is saved at the last minute by Joey's ghost. Odd and Stormy race back to the house where they left Sherry, only to find out that Angelica's parents have fired her and she has left. Odd realizes that Sherry, not one of the four children under police protection, was the target all along. The two borrow a car and, using Odd's psychic magnetism (an ability that draws him to a person if he concentrates on them while traveling), they locate Bernshaw in an abandoned slaughterhouse. Odd fights him, with limited success, until Stormy shoots him in the leg, and Odd is able to subdue him. They free Sherry from the trunk of Bernshaw's car.
The killer is taken into custody, but refuses to confess, insisting that he will be given a chance to escape, as he has made a deal with the devil and everything he wants always comes to him. He threatens to reveal Odd's identity and abilities to the world, bringing a storm of media attention, one of the very things Odd fears most. Odd lies and pretends that he, too, has sold his soul to the devil for his powers, but just as he begins to make headway with taking Bernshaw into his confidence, a guard collapses and the killer is able to grab the guard's gun. He fires, but the bullet ricochets off a chair Odd is holding. The bullet kills Bernshaw.
Angelica's parents re-hire Sherry, and the story ends with Odd and Stormy musing on the happy ending they have managed.
Odd Thomas
Odd ThomasOdd Thomas (fictional character)
Odd Thomas is a fictional character who first appeared in Dean Koontz's 2003 novel of the same name, Odd Thomas. He is a twenty-year-old man who lives in the fictional desert town of Pico Mundo, California, and is able to see the spirits of the dead. He is able to make himself heard to them but...
is the protagonist of the Odd Thomas series. He is a short-order cook at the Pico Mundo grill, who has the ability to see the lingering dead. He uses this ability to try and bring peace to the ghosts he encounters, so that they can move on to the next life. Traumatic childhood experiences left him extremely uncomfortable with guns, so he relies on his resourcefulness to escape the sometimes hostile situations in which he finds himself.
Stormy Llewellyn
Stormy Llewellyn is Odd's girlfriend and soulmate. She grew up in an orphanage, except for a six-month stint in which she was adopted by a family, only to be sexually abused. Stormy intends to marry Odd, but she is waiting until she overcomes her traumatic past. She does not share Odd's fear of guns, and carries a pistol with which she provides backup for Odd on his adventures.Chief Wyatt Porter
Wyatt Porter is the Chief of Police in Pico Mundo, and serves as a father figureFather Figure
"Father Figure" is the U.S. number-one song written and performed by George Michael and released on Columbia Records in 1988 as the third single from the album Faith.-History:...
to Odd. He is one of the few people who are aware of Odd's abilities, and has sometimes been able to catch elusive criminals with Odd's paranormal help.
Terri Stambaugh
Terri is Odd's boss at the Pico Mundo Grill, and something of a mother figure to him. Odd does not own a car, and when circumstances force him to drive somewhere, Terri loans him her Mustang.Sherry Sheldon
Sherry Sheldon is a new character introduced in the graphic novel. She is a childhood friend of Stormy's, who grew up with her at the orphanage. She babysits children, one of whom is the murdered boy, Joey. She is being stalked by a mysterious figure who leaves her constant notes.Sequel
The anachronisticAnachronism
An anachronism—from the Greek ανά and χρόνος — is an inconsistency in some chronological arrangement, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other...
sequel, Odd Is On Our Side, was released in October 2010. It contradicts events in future novels, such as mentioning a Nintendo Wii, released 4 years after the first novel and Stormy's death.