Oni has quickly, but quietly, developed a strong reputation for crime-genre comics. Most recently, Skinwalker dazzled readers with its mix of American aboriginal culture and serial-killer suspense, and now, there's every indication that Midnight Mover is going to be just as fascinating a drama. The visual style is much different, though, but the story is told just as effectively. The main strength of the book, though, is how well grounded the characters are.
An ex-pornstar turned hooker turns up dead in an empty house, and the goon who served as her driver and part-time lover quickly figures out that he'd better skip town before the police link him to the victim and a crime he didn't commit. Meanwhile, two homicide detectives -- partners with radically different personal lives -- advance the investigation quickly thanks to sharp instincts and remarkable resourcefulness.
There's a far less gritty tone to this piece of crime fiction than we've seen on past Oni releases, but replacing the grit is an inky darkness that reinforces the nastier side of the plot. The art reminds me of a cross between the styles of Tim (The Copybook Tales) Levins and Bart (The Path) Sears. Of course, that former influence comes as no surprise, since the inker, Jeff Wasson, has worked with Levins several times in the past. Love's style is simple but still manages to convey a strong level of realism. On the other hand, he still conveys the extreme nature of some of the characters -- such as the transsexual Remy -- with a more exaggerated approach.
Easily my favorite aspect of the book is the study in constrasts that we find in the two cops. Frank's the wholesome family man, a guy who does his job well but just doesn't understand the weirdness he encounters every day. His partner -- Detective Oh -- is his opposite number. The reason she does her job so well is that she lives her private life in the dark places into which she and her partner delve in the course of their work. She's twisted and sexy and dangerous, but her effectiveness as a character is far greater against the backdrop of her vanilla, conformist partner.
The intriguing thing about this story is that it's really multi-faceted. Though Danny, the driver, is the main character, the detectives are in the spotlight just as much. In fact, the book opens by showing just how different the two cops are. As for Danny, while he's resourceful and calm in the middle of this crisis, there's also an everyguy air to him, and he serves as the reader's bridge into the dangerous, kinky world of mystery. This is a far more accessible read than Phillips's previous series, Shot Callerz.
