Whiteout, Vol. 1

This book is great in spite of (not because of) the Frank Miller covers. Solid story, perfect conveyance of tone, interesting ending. Above all, some great characterizations, including two of the better female leads I've read in comics. One small flaw, if it can be called that, was a fairly easily-spotted bad guy in hiding. But in crime genres, that's not always a flaw...

This graphic novel collects the four-issue mini-series published by Oni Press. The story is by Greg Rucka, illustrated by Steve Lieber with additional artwork by Frank Miller, Matt Wagner, Mike Mignola, and Dave Gibbons. Rucka's tale about a U.S. Marshall serving in Antarctica and investigating multiple murders on the ice, is lean and taut. The black and white artwork fits the stark location and the main character's personal demons nicely.

Published in trade paperback by Oni Press.

Crime stories, noir ones at least, tend to have a love/hate relationship with their setting. Their plots are almost always dependent on them being in large cities, yet they often seem disdainful of cities - the city is seen as a hive of scum and villainy, one that corrupts those living in it. Whiteout reverses the expectations of noir, both on a visual and a story level.

The art in the book relies heavily on the use of white for negative space, which makes a lot of sense given the setting (Antarctica, which is lots of snow and ice punctuated by the occasional animal or human settlement). This is an environment that could easily kill you, and the starkness of the black and white is a constant reminder of that.

Despite the homicidal nature of the environment, though, it's presented as a welcome aspect of the story, rather than a hostile one - this makes sense given the fact that Antarctica isn't naturally inhabited, and the people who are there are there exclusively by choice. Even Carrie, the US Marshall who is the protagonist of the story, has her reasons to see the Ice as a welcome place despite not being there for scientific purposes. The Ice of Antarctica is a refuge, so when murder strikes, it's seen as even more of a violation than it is in the World that we live in. It's a nice marriage of plot, character, and setting, which really help make the story stand out as unique even if the plot by itself is a little by-the-book for a noir story.