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WHITEOUT
Life
and Death at the Bottom of the World.
 Writer:
Greg Rucka
Artist and Letterer: Steve Lieber
Trade Paperback
Published by Oni Press, 1999
$2.95
Reviewed by Brandon Blatcher
"Hell of a place to die, huh, Marshal?"
The place is Antarctica and the marshal is Carrie Stetko, the
only law officer on the "ice," as the south pole is affectionally
known by its inhabitants. The ice is strange place for humans.
It becomes so cold that nothing can survive. There is no daylight
for half of the year and itıs a vast open space of loneliness.
Still, it is where Carrie has been assigned and the place has
given her a measure of peace from certain memories that haunt
her. But that peace is shattered when a dead body is discovered
out on the ice. Itıs up to Carrie to solve the crime, but what
sheıll find along the way will show just how much the ice can
change someone.
Writer Greg Rucka has created a richly textured character story
and Steve Lieber has lovingly brought it to life. From the opening
words that began this column and begin the story, to Lieber's
depictions of the icy climate, you know you're for something more
than your average story. Carrie Stetko is fascinating character,
a female law officer stationed in a place where men outnumber
the women 12 to 1 and sexual harassment is a way of life.
Carrie has a reputation as a ballbreaker because, well, she is
one. She's tough, smart and supremely confident of her role, and
she's not afraid to remind others of that fact. Yet as the story
unfolds we see that Carrie is well aware of her harsh exterior.
She is even somewhat frightened of it, due to events that occurred
in her past, when she lost control of herself. But is Carrie also
hiding from herself and her memories?
Helping her find the answer is Lily Sharpe, a British woman who
has an agenda of her own. The two traverse the ice by plane, searching
for other members of the scientific team that the dead man belonged
to. But the killer is still loose, tailing the duo and trying
to foil their investigation. As they dig deeper into the mystery,
they're forced to fight for their lives against their assailant
and against the harsh environment and neither comes away without
brutal scars.
The mystery is finally solved but the ending is seen from a long
way off, which works in this case. The focus of the story isn't
nesessarily the mystery itself, but instead itıs on the characters
and how they deal with the mystery and murder. The ice is strange
place for humans and in its environment, the normal rules of society
donıt apply. The ice can change people, even friends.
I could go on and dissect Rucka's writing or Lieber's artwork,
for neither is perfect. Both have some rough spots in the story,
such as Rucka's sometimes wordy, redundant writing and Leiber's
occasionally awkward figures. But Rucka and Lieber have achieved
such a unique synergy that speaks to the best in comics. The words
and pictures have combined to create a harrowing tale of human
loneliness. I was drawn into this world by Rucka's careful words
and Lieber's rich combination of inks, grease pencil, zip-a-tone
and white paint. Simply put, WHITEOUT is an rewarding story
that softly grabs you from the first page and holds you to the
last.
Strongly Recommended.
Brandon
Blatcher is a regular contributor to PopImage. Back
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