Tom King's Six of Us #1 takes our collective obsession with '90s ensemble sitcoms and drags it straight into a pitch-black, gripping noir. We all know how easy it is to obsess over what celebrities are doing off camera, and King plays right into that split between fake TV smiles and messy real-world drama. Teaming back up with his Vision collaborator Gabriel Hernández Walta, King turns what could have been a standard celebrity whodunit into a sharp, uncomfortable look at fame, ego, and the baggage we dump on the people around us.
The One Where Tim Dies
The first issue kicks off at the funeral of Timothy McQueen, the lovable joker of the fictional hit comedy Six of Us. In a classic Sunset Blvd. nod, Tim narrates his own memorial service from beyond the grave, talking to us with a casual, almost breezy intimacy that sets an immediate dark-comedy vibe. Using Tim as our posthumous tour guide is a slick move. It lets him introduce his former castmates on his own terms, laying out years of shared history, lingering grudges, and quiet rivalries before we even get the full story on how he ended up in a coffin.
Behind the Laugh Track
The book jumps around in time, contrasting the wide-eyed excitement of the young cast before their pilot airs against the burnt-out, bitter reality that comes after hitting it big. On television, they were the picture-perfect found family millions tuned in to see every week. Off camera, things were curdling into jealousy, creative resentment, and messy private entanglements. As the money and fame drive wedges between them, King drops subtle clues that their squeaky-clean public dynamic was basically a house of cards.
A Casting Call of Suspects
What makes Six of Us #1 tick so well is that it nails classic murder mystery fundamentals: everyone has a motive. King writes these actors as genuinely flawed, relatable people rather than cartoon divas, turning the mystery of Tim's death into a character study. By digging into the ugly impulses simmering under the surface, the story makes you wonder who these people really were once the stage lights cut out and the cameras stopped rolling.
The Noir Treatment
Gabriel Hernández Walta's art is the true heartbeat of the book, giving every single page a grounded, melancholic weight. His panel layouts and expressive character acting say more than dialogue ever could, zeroing in on tiny side-eyes, forced smiles, and awkward silences that feel loaded with bad history. Even while the plot is still setting up the suspect list, Walta’s storytelling keeps you completely glued to the quiet heartbreak playing out in the room.
Six of Us #1 is a stellar kickoff to a miniseries that balances nostalgic sitcom love with the sleazy underbelly of Hollywood. It is a haunting look at what happens when the punchlines run out, laying the groundwork for a tense, deeply human mystery.
Verdict: 8/10
Tom King and Gabriel Hernández Walta team up for a moody, compelling neo-noir in Six of Us #1 that turns cozy TV comfort food into a gripping story about grief, fame, and fallout.