Midnight of the Soul

Midnight Of The Soul #1-5

by Howard Chaykin, Jesus Aburtov (Artist), Ken Bruzenak (Artist)

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.

Genres: Comics, Crime, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Historical Fiction

136 pages, Paperback

First published December 13, 2016

About the author

Howard Victor Chaykin is an American comic book artist and writer. Chaykin's influences include his one-time employer and mentor, Gil Kane, and the mid-20th century illustrators Robert Fawcett and Al Parker.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

There just doesn't seem to be a point to this story. A guy finds out his wife is cheating on him and looks for her all night. Plus, he suffers from PTSD and sees the same scene over and over. There's just not enough here for a story. Add in that Chaykin uses a lot of derogatory language of the time period and there's a lot here not to like.

[Alex Sarll]

As the title suggests, a bleak bastard of a story from Chaykin, whose misanthropy seems to be outweighing his pulp vim of late. A GI turned (failed) writer, hiding in the bottle from his memories of liberating the camps in Europe, is drawn out of the basement and back into the churn of postwar America when his wife goes missing. Except this postwar USA has been very deliberately rendered such that all the ghastly details the noir movies couldn't quite show and Agent Carter et al have to soft-soap are right there on show: a line of dialogue such as "So the two faggots tell me, you think the cooze offed the nigger" is by no means atypical. Is there much to it beyond reminding us of the many sins of an era often thought a golden age? I'm not sure. And normally I'm sceptical of grimness for grimness' sake. But given the turn US politics and policing have taken lately, here and now it seems well worth asking if this was supposed to be the lost greatness implied by 'Make America great again'.

[Bert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've previously read Howard Chaykin's Satellite Sam and this is somewhat in the same vein, except far less interesting.

Set in the late 1940s/early 1950s, the central character is a former soldier suffering from what he witnessed in a German concentration camp. This could provide an interesting story, except here it is used as the reason why his literary career is failing, why he has agoraphobia and why he is addicted to alcohol; those things are what caused his wife's infidelity, and that sets of a series of (occasionally improbable) events which involve stereotypical characters -- a prostitute with a heart of gold, a corrupt cop, a vengeful mobster, etc. -- and lots of violence.

There is some brutal dialogue, the whole thing is rather bleak, and the ending is both silly and downbeat. Ultimately this feels rather empty, more of a stylistic exercise than an actual story.

[Michael Kitchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quality work by Howard Chaykin. Though labeled 'crime & mystery' it was closer to literary as Joel Breakstone sets forth on the path of his redemption upon the discovery of his wife's illicit and secret life. Five years of not leaving his home since returning from WWII, Breakstone drives his motorcycle into the bustling New York City in search of his wife, and instead, regains control of his own life.

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

No one draws like Chaykin. Unfortunately, his writing often leaves something to be desired. This reads like a distaff Sin City, as an alcoholic, struggling writer (and WWII veteran, a liberator of Buchenwald) chases his two-timing wife around New York City one night. There really doesn't seem to be much point to this story other than to draw New York landmarks and jazz clubs and neon signs, etc.

[Abraham Salas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing is good; the colors are very good; I didn't like the inking; i think it lacks of sense of motion in some pannels.

[Tom Ewing · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story that doesn’t quite work on any of the levels it’s operating on - too glib for a portrait of trauma, too corny for a noir, too grim for a romp, too one-note to say much about America or New York or The Fifties. The strange melange of it all kept me reading, but maybe the simplest explanation is the truest: it’s a way for Howard Chaykin to draw bikes and backgrounds* and vintage clothes, and to write hard-boiled dialogue with plenty of swears and slurs**, and he enjoys both of those things a lot

*the backgrounds in particular look great, some fantastic colour work on the neon.

**this book has a LOT of racism and misogyny which you can take as true to the time and the characters - that said it’s on nobody but Howard that the only significant black character is defined by a) his gift for jazz and b) his massive dick.

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chaykin still top of the game with a holocaust war vet living la dolce vita noir max style.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars for the art
Chaykin's art is consistently good and he integrates digital techniques pretty seamlessly. Unfortunately, the story is another deep dive into human depravity, which I'm sure is more like how history probably should be told, without the sanitation of the modern 'puritanical eye', but it's still a read that makes you feel dirtier by the end. And the moral of the story...? Well, I don't think it had one, except maybe that everyone in post-WWII New York, was one way another, in the stink, all together...

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

via NYPL - It's certainly not going anywhere new and doesn't dive especially deep into its protagonist's (Joel) wartime trauma, but Chaykin's crafted an interesting noir thriller through seedy jazz clubs of 50s New York City. The coincidences of Joel continually meeting the same woman and the flatness of the supporting cast hurt the overall rating.

[Colin Oaten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent entry from writer/artist Howard Chaplin,sometimes much maligned as being all about sex comics but showing again here that he can weave as good a noir action thriller as anyone on his day.

[Mark]

Howard Chaykin does post-war noir. The story is slight – – one wishes it were longer – – but the vibe is pure Chaykin and the drawings are great. Pleasant diversion for a half an hour.

[R.J. Huneke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gritty thrill ride complete with a WWII PTSD suffering veteran protagonist, a badass bike, and a violent journey to the truth.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dark graphic novel about a man who has been down and depressed for a long time.He finds something in the house that he questions about his wife and takes off on his motorcycle to find her.He makes every attempt to stay away from bars and liquor on his journey (as that hasn't been helping him).He meets a woman who he keeps running into and she helps him try to find his wife.There are other people looking for her too he finds out(bad guys) and they always seem to be steps behind her.In the end and after all of the violence and car chasing, he finds his wife and a sort of way to go on(not necessarily with his wife).It took getting to the bottom of something to make him realize he had to do more.

[Norman Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Howard Chaykin has long been one of my favorite artists. He has a clear command of anatomy and is able to create beautiful figures that “move” across a page. His writing, while usually of above average quality, often veers into graphic violence and hyper sexuality. This book displays all of those qualities, adding race relations and gender issues to the mix, with uneven results. The core story of a former soldier suffering depression due to the trauma of witnessing the horrors of a German concentration camp (including one particularly disturbing action) has the potential to be completely compelling. But a somewhat connect-the-dots plot filled with some stereotypical characters (corrupt cops, degenerate mobsters, sweet prostitutes, etc.) lessens the impact, as does a somewhat hurried denouement. The coloring is a bit murky in places, which detracts from Chaykin’s wonderful artwork that nicely evokes the spirit of the 1950s. But really, good Chaykin is better than great almost anyone else. This is a treat for fans of noir writers such as James M. Cain and Jim Thompson.

Note: I read this as individual comic book issues.

[Paul Allard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Post-WWII New York thriller

Joel, a WWII war veteran suffering from PTSD after the liberation for the concentration camps, has spent five years trying to become a writer and discovers that his wife has been leading a double life.
As he pursues her across the city, bloodshed and death ensue.

Beautifully-produced by Howard Chaykin, this tale is well-told and nicely-illustrated. Well worth a look.

[Joey Chocolate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A better love story than Twilight.

Very enjoyable, very good art and story presentation, and the protagonist and his premise are very entertaining, yet the story of the wife, murder, and gangsters, I had found lacking in substance and unfulfilling, in addition to the climax; and the profanity seemed rather excessive and juvenile, at times.

Moral of the story: don't get married.

[Rob Smentek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding mix of post-WW2 noir, Luc Sante's "Low Life," and Chaykin's inimitable style.