Midnight of the Soul is a paperback that collects the five issue mini-series published by Image Comics.
- Writer: Howard Chaykin
- Artist: Howard Chaykin
- Colorist: Jesus Aburtov
- Letters by: Ken Bruzenak
- Cover Artist: Howard Chaykin
*** Beware – spoilers may be found below ***
Joel Breakstone, a GI liberator of Buchenwald and brutally damaged goods, follows a path of vengeance that leads to redemption in a violent journey into his own heart of darkness―in a spiritual adventure from comics’ contemporary master of crime and punishment, HOWARD CHAYKIN.
Joel Breakstone is having a bad night. Of course every day and night since coming back from the war five years ago has been rough. Breakstone can’t shake the memory of an incident that nearly killed him. He and his buddy had come upon a Nazi about to execute a POW. A shootout occurred and when the smoke cleared his buddy, the POW and the Nazi were dead and Breakstone was severely wounded. He lived, but came home with a drinking problem.
But back to Breakstone’s bad night – After a bad argument with his wife, she leaves for work. Breakstone while looking for some booze finds evidence that his wife has been working as a hooker. Still half drunk, Breakstone grabs his gun and jumps on his motorcyle to find her.
His wife is with one of her best clients, a musician under contract to mobsters. Suddenly a man busts in and kills the musician. Breakstone’s wife barely escapes.
Breakstone is on the hunt for his wife. The killer and the cops are also looking for her. Before the night is over she will be found. Who will get to her first? And will it matter?
I’m a big fan of Howard Chaykin stories and art. Often Chaykin doesn’t hold back on the adult situations in his tales and this is one of those. If that’s offensive, this yarn isn’t for you.
Midnight of the Soul has a lot going on besides the hunt for Breakstone’s wife. There is also the mystery of why the musician was murdered. Plus Breakstone’s foggy memory of the incident that left 3 people dead and nearly killed him. All will be resolved before the night is over.
I like that the action takes place over the course of one night. As Breakstone tracks down his wife his journey takes him across the city to strip bars, diners, and jazz clubs. Along the way we meet a wide variety of characters some who are also looking for Breakstone’s wife.
Chaykin is at the top of his game with the art in Midnight of the Soul. Jesus Aburtov’s colors enhance the story without drawing attention to his work in a “look at these hues” sort of way. Often I think Chaykin’s art works best in black and white, but not this time! The story reminds me of an old movie with a modern sensibility (or an “R” rating). Chaykin’s heroes, or in this case, anithero, don’t always do the noble thing, but they do what is right for their character.
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