Whiteout – 1998 (Oni Press) – Mystery, Thriller
Author: Greg Rucka
Art: Steve Lieber
Series Contents: Whiteout #1-4
A mystery thriller set in the frozen countryside of Antarctica, with bodies piling up surrounding a small research station. Will U.S. Marshall Carrie Stetko be able to solve the crime and escape the cold before a storm settles in and traps her through another winter?
Story:
Greg Rucka crafts a winner with Whiteout both in setting and story. An interesting and contained murder mystery is enhanced by natural dangers of Antarctica, while delivering multiple forms of tension and intrigue. The frozen bottom of the Earth; a hell of a place to die.
Tough girl Deputy U.S. Marshall Carrie Stetko has a traumatic past which drove her to an outpost station such as McMurdo Station. What fun it is to find a corpse out on the ice, face smashed in, and frozen solid. Joined by Dr. Furry, he can’t tell if the male victim has been shot or stabbed in the face, or possibly both? It will take a week to thaw and autopsy, of course.
As Stetko calls the event in to her superior, U.S. Marshall Brett McEwan over in Hawaii, she tells him about the five men missing from a tiny research camp that was supposed to be near where she found the body. With the winter staff change coming up, it’s possible that the camp itself relocated or packed it up to come in, but the body makes events unclear, and reflects that there could be additional victims. Just what is going on?
With five likely candidates for the dead body, she at least has a starting point, but where the threads will lead her are unlikely to be guessed. Join the Marshall as she hunts for clues, and tries to avoid becoming another body stuck in the ice forever.
Art:
The black and white pages are full of detail and good character design. People are mostly easy to identify which is important in a mystery piece with a large enough cast of characters. Backgrounds look nice and the weather is accurately represented with blustery winds and cold looking ice.
While readers may be used to color, this black and white art is a fitting choice for the story and does not hold it back at all. It looks good in action scenes which show enough motion and movement, and I liked its style overall.
Reasons to Read:
Greg Rucka is a great author whether it is his novels or comics. His focal points of crime, mystery, spies, action, excitement, Sci-Fi and more almost always work for me. His superhero stuff is always quite good, but I find his smaller press and creator owned stuff is usually even better. I like his characters and worlds that he creates, and a lot of his stuff has a cinematic feel.
Whiteout offers a good mystery, realistic characters and a strong setting for the adventure. In general, it is a very fast read as the story pushes you along to its resolution, and it only runs four short issues. Easy to digest in one setting, Whiteout is a great time, and it likely will leave you looking for its follow up story.
Similar Titles:
Where the Body Was; Criminal; Velvet; Queen & Country; A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance; Houses of the Unholy; Night Fever; The One Hand & The Six Fingers