In The Deviant #2 from Image Comics, written by James Tynion IV with art by Joshua Hixson, the twisted Christmas tale continues.
We reviewed the book on the Stack podcast. But in the interest of highlighting more about the title, here’s a summary of the conversation with our thoughts. And if you prefer the longer audio version, that’s below as well!
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The Deviant #2 Review:
In The Deviant, a comic book writer is grappling with what story he’s trying to tell by interviewing a notorious serial killer. Meanwhile, someone else is recreating those killings in the modern day. And most importantly, Tynion comes directly for comic book interviewers, which is really uncalled for, @ us next time James.
“This book feels deeply personal to James to the point where the author is saying ‘this book’s about me,'” host Justin Tyler noted. “A lot of times I don’t like when the writer is very obviously inserting themselves into the story. But it really works here. This story is tense. It’s emotional.”
Continuing, Tyler said that in this issue, Tynion is “setting the dominoes up, so they all fall in the right order.”
Pete LePage thought that Tynion is “just killing this.” In particular, LePage was very into the “tension” in a sequence where the cop who took the serial killer down decades earlier is interviewed by our main character, only to realize the cop is a bigot of the highest order. “I was really impressed with this book,” LePage said. “Amazing art, and the last couple of panels… I mean, goddamn. Can’t wait for more.”
Alex Zalben, meanwhile, appreciated the book calling out Silence of the Lambs as a clear reference point for the book, “particularly because you start to feel for this person who might be a killer… At the same time, there’s this little thing in the back of your head… No, this guy is probably bad. Do not feel bad for him when he’s crying. But that’s exactly what you do. So there’s a lot of playing with emotions. There’s a lot of tension. Joshua Hixson paces things out really nicely. A gorgeous, really well done comic book.”
The Deviant #2 Official Synopsis:
The Deviant Killer was apprehended half a century ago. So who’s behind the grisly slaying of a young man in a Chicago department store…and why does Michael see so much of himself in the man locked behind bars for the original murders? JAMES TYNION IV (W0RLDTR33) and JOSHUA HIXSON (The Plot) cut deeper into their Christmas horror tale, just in time for the holidays.
