Police save us from the criminals…but who saves them from each other?
Creative Staff:
Story: John Arcudi
Art: Toni Fejzula
Colors: André May
Letterer: Joe Sabino
What They Say:
The Jail Crimes Division of the Sheriff’s Office in Mariposa County investigates crimes committed inside county jails. With a limited number of suspects who can’t escape, these are usually easy cases to solve—but not this one. As Detective Linda Caruso gets closer to the heart of the case, she discovers uncomfortable truths about her friends, her job, and herself.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Dead Inside, from the mind of John Arcudi, presents a story that I have been craving in comics for years, a criminal procedural inside the monstrosity that is the United States Prison System. So many stories take place in the mean streets of city X, Y, or Z, but what about where the criminals end up after arrest and trial? It’s not like prison magically tames the violent offenders within it, one episode of Lockup Raw will tell you that (don’t judge me, I love that damn show.) Anyway, into the belly of the beast is exactly where we go for Dead Inside, and overall, it’s a success!
The first few pages, in normal crime procedural style, present to the reader the evil that will become the main case of the story. This is where the best part of the comic book shines, Toni Fejzula’s visceral art style. With its mix of cool (blues, grays, etc.) colors and burnt-looking textures, Fejzula accurately captures the overall bleak and hopelessness in the box of killers known as a federal penitentiary. I was lucky enough to secure an interview with Fejzula and asked him about his inspiration in choosing this unique style.
“To be honest, my first goal was to imitate my own art from an earlier period, 2002-2004. These works from that period were influenced by Italian creators (Sergio Toppi, Dino Battaglia, Attilio Micheluzzi, Pietro Dall’agnol, Angelo Stano, etc), some french masters (Jean Giraud, Hermann, Régis Loisel, etc.) and also comic creator R.M.Guéra.” For those not in the know, such as myself, Guera is probably most well known as the creator of Django Unchained. Reading through the book, we also get a glimpse into the life of our head investigator, Detective Linda Caruso.
Once a star deputy, her career (and personal life) takes a dive after passing the detective’s exam, landing in the Jail Crimes Division, and this case is shaping up to a be difficult one. Detective Caruso’s life is currently in a bit of a slump, especially since we are seeing the story unfold from her perspective, and Fejzula’s art (and Andre May’s coloring) once again gives credence to this. “Everything is supposed to be represented as seen through main character’s state of mind. The story is very realistic; the art’s approach is psychological. André understood that perfectly and he’s doing terrific work. His colors amplify these gaunt emotions. No excessive rendering is needed in the colors, as the inks are pretty detailed, André works more with smooth gradations and elegant textures to separate the shapes and increase the atmosphere. He’s great.”
What first appears to be a murder/suicide brought on by a drug induced frenzy, Detective Caruso is stiff-armed at every turn in her investigation; barely any camera footage, no autopsy, no nothing. Luckily, Caruso is also very persistent and manages to convince the coroner to run a late-night autopsy based on a hunch. This gamble, and the hefty favor she needs to call in pays off. For in the stomach of the murderer is something very interesting…a pill made of lead. The plot thickens, making Dead Inside a comic I am very much looking forward to diving into!
In Summary:
With both her professional and personal lives in a slump, Detective Linda Caruso of the Jail Crimes Division is handed a case that may be her toughest yet. Facing resistance from both prison personnel and faulty equipment, a murder/suicide is quickly pinned on a drug-induced rage and sent to the back burner. Not willing to take “no” for an answer, Caruso calls in a few favors and disobeys a few orders to get the autopsy she wants, and the gamble may have just paid off big time.
Grade:
Art: A
Story: B+
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: December 21st, 2016
MSRP: $3.99 USD
