REVIEW: 'The Deviant' #2 by James Tynion IV and Joshua Hixson

 

THE DEVIANT #2 

Writer: James Tynion IV

Artist: Joshua Hixson

Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Publisher: Image Comics

Release Date: December 20, 2023

Cover Price: $3.99

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.

Score:

★★★★1/2 (4.5/5)

QUICK REVIEW: 'The Deviant' #2 by James Tynion IV and Joshua Hixson plays like a really great prestige television thriller in the vein of David Fincher's 'Mindhunter.' It's a slow burn with emphasis on character development and grisly murder. Doing research for a graphic novel involving real-life murders is taking a toll on Michael and isn't sure he's up to the task. It's a relatable imposter syndrome aspect of the story especially when a comic character is a writer of comics complaining about comics bloggers (ahem). Even when the issue follows Michael's interactions with people it stands on its own as intriguing and compelling with nary a serial killer in sight. That's the strength of Tynion, where the complexity of the story lies as much in the characters as it does in the eerie sector of a killer on the loose. Michael matters and so does the wrongfully(?) convicted killer behind bars whom he leans on for perspective with possibly more than just the mind of a madman. Hixson's versatility can make a beautifully lit and colored scene between Michael and his partner so wholesome and loving while also capable of a shadowy murder scene that chills to the bone. 

'The Deviant' is a riveting character study of a creative who may be over his head while a serial killer is on the loose. As enthralling as any prestige drama series on streaming, Tynion and Hixson create complex characters that you care about as the impending danger lingers in the air and swirls around them. It's a disarming mystery with flashes of horror by two master storytellers.