The Winter Men isn't a super-hero book, but it has some super-hero elements hidden within. On the surface, it's a police drama, or an espionage story, but in the end, it's not one of those genre stories no more than it's a super-hero tale. The Winter Men is ultimately a personal story, the tale of one man who's been broken by his past and finds himself lost in his own life. Brett Lewis's script challenges the reader with its complexity and its immersion in modern Russian culture. And he's been paired with an artist whose style is perfect for bringing the cold, stark and dingy quality of the backdrop to life. The Winter Men isn't always an easy read, but it's a worthwhile one.
Armed figures in black clothing and masks burst into a Moscow apartment, shoot a babysitter dead and spirit away a child, never to be seen again. A cop named Kalenov ends up in charge of the case, and he soon learns it's no run-of-the-mill kidnapping. The child was the beneficiary of a black-market liver transplant, and it's possible somebody decided to come and get the organ back. But Kalenov notices something unusual, something trans-human about the case, but given his background as one of Russia's four "Rocket Soldiers," he's no stranger to unusual circumstances.
Leon's artwork seems simple on the surface. Thin lines converge to allow the characters and background details to take shape, but the artist squeezes so much out of those simple, thin lines. He brings a relistic tone to the story, but not in the way Alex Ross does or George Perez does. His style isn't meticulous in the same way. He has an eye for shapes and how to effectively suggest human movement and city streets. Dave Stewart's muted colors do an excellent job of capturing a sullen, tired mood and the starkness of Moscow, not to mention the cold.
Lewis tries to be mysterious and coy with the kidnapping plot, but it's pretty obvious what's going on. The superhumans of the past are being drawn into a drama involving a new breed of super soldiers, but without the Cold War, it's a plot that begins in Russia and leads to America. This is an enjoyable read, but I don't think it's as mysterious as the writer intended it to be.
The intrigue, superhuman/supernatural elements and the intensity if these extreme characters certainly draws the reader into the plot, but what really makes this an interesting read is the fact that it's about a guy who just wants to atone for his sins and spend time with his wife. He's trying to be a normal guy, trying to live an ordinary quiet life without rocking the boat. He knows what's really happening around him, and he has the power to effect some real change. He's striving to leave it behind him, and but the secret world that spawned him and the violence he's known for so long won't let go. 7/10
