Little Rock, Ark. in
the 1940s was plagued with racial inequality, the mafia, and corrupt cops.
Gideon Kemp is a newly christened police lieutenant who is terrified of using
his gun. He is tasked by the mayor to find any incriminating evidence against a
disgruntled detective. Abraham Bailey is the aforementioned disgruntled
detective who is constantly yelling, way too quick to pull a trigger, and is
haunted by his dead police partner. He is obsessed with taking down a mob boss
who also practices dentistry as a hobby and torture method.
Meanwhile, across town, Jacob Davis is a war veteran who runs an amateur police
force because the white folks in the actual police won’t touch anything
on their side of the tracks. Jacob’s brother Esau is working with the sadistic
dentist mentioned above and isn’t necessarily evil, just trying to make ends
meet in a society that won’t let him do it legally.
This book is a heavy-hitting piece of crime drama filled with everything gritty
you would see in a Scorsese mob movie. Car chases, backstabbing, political
corruption, casual racism, and… the creepy dentist thing.
And like most of Nate Powell’s books, the artwork is amazing: beautiful ink on
paper drawings that make each page give you an eyeball massage. With the help
from colorist Erin Tobey, there were some tea bags used in the coloring for the
comic to give it an antique-like pulp feel.
I mentioned in my review for Powell’s Come Again in Razorcake #114, that he has the most original
and weird lettering seen in most comics. Lots of big shaky words that Blambot™
could never recreate along with some very creepy cursive writing.
My one complaint was that ending left a bit to be desired. But the book is
based on real events, so I guess that’s how real life just goes. Quick and
abrupt. Two Dead is an insightful, exciting and eye-popping piece of
work. I’m stoked to see what Jenson and Powell do next or if they will give
someone the rights to turn this into a movie. –Rick V. (Simon And Schuster)