One-time DC artist Mike S. Miller offers up the strongest in Alias's 75-cent debut issues this week. Deal with the Devil succeeds where Killer Stunts and Elsinore fails: it creates an air of mystery and draws the reader into the story rather than confusing with a lack of clarity. Deal also boasts the strongest characterization, but that should come as no surprise. This comic features a cast of only three characters, whereas the other books are weighed down by a large cast that's introduced quickly. Deal boasts a dark edge that's effective mainly because it's much more grounded in nature. What unfolds here is terrifying and horrific in a way, but it's something the reader can imagine, and the main character's sadness and lethargy are ideas to which s/he can relate.
Four years ago, Agent Anthony Goodwin finally got a solid lead on the whereabouts of a notorious serial killer, and he corners him in an abandoned warehouse. What Goodwin didn't know was that it wasn't the killer who'd been cornered, but him. Goodwin manages to survive the encounter, the wounds -- physical and emotional -- are ones that quite apparent even today. No longer with the FBI, Goodwin lives alone in a flophouse, keeping his loved ones -- his son and his young family -- at arm's length, preferring to wallow in self-pity than to live life. But a visit from a stranger from his past promises to change all of that.
Schwatzrock's art reminds me of Michael Avon (Powers) Oeming's style as well as that of Neil (Parliament of Justice) Vokes. The artist does great work in the opening scene, convincingly conveying the notion that the killer seems able to move around Goodwin in the shadows, undetected. The killer's silhouette is subtly incorporated in several spots throughout a two-page spread, and it's great fun picking him out. Schwartzrock captures the protagonist's disorientation perfectly. He also nails the sense of squalor in which he lives later in the book. We can see he's hit rock bottom.
The script hints at secrets the killer is keeping, and we can't tell if he's insane, if there's much more to what he's doing or both. I genuinely want to know more about "Donald" and his murderous activities, if he's even the one responsible for the killings.
The greatest strength here is the exchange between Goodwin and his son. Goodwin's sarcasm and sense of humor really cast him as a thoroughly likeable soul, but his determination to hide from the rest of the world and those who care about it is irksome as well. The reader cheers for Goodwin. The reader pities, and we're angry with him. Ultimately, it's easy to relate to him. We've all had those moments of failure, those times when we feel alone and powerless, when we crave solitude in a desperate effort to cut ourselves off from everything, including our feelings. 7/10
