Received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

Very well written and drawn graphic novel. Love all Nate Powell’s illustrations. Like that the darker pages indicates the present filled with tension and rage while the white indicates the past of a time when characters were less stressed. Story involves ptsd, racial tension, and uncovering the truth which are all timely.

I received this book in exchange for a honest review from NetGalley.

I liked this story overall and it really resonated with our current times, what with shady cops, racism, and overall mental illness within law enforcement being the main themes. It felt like it was, one a little long and could have told the same story more succinctly and it was overwhelming sad and depressing. So if you don't want a bummer stay away from this story.

Tagline: “Stunning crime-noir graphic novel exploring the intertwining threads of crime, conspiracy, racism, and insanity in the post-World War II Deep South.”

When I saw this graphic novel was drawn by Nate Powell, the artist of the excellent March trilogy, I knew I wanted to give it a chance just based on that and eagerly requested it from NetGalley. His collaboration with author Van Jensen proved to be strong and I enjoyed this historical drama.

Gideon Kemp is a soldier who is fighting PTSD, who has recently returned from WWII and accepts a job as a police lieutenant detective in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1946. As Gideon is an idealistic rookie, Mayor Sprick warns him against the mob in the city and problematic Chief of Detectives Abraham Bailey. The officers are fighting a sadistic serial killer, and this white police force comes up against Chief Jacob Davis and his black police force when a victim is found in their jurisdiction. Ugly racial prejudices are shown, with postering and threats made, when the two groups should have been working together for the greater good.

Mob activity increases and Chief Davis tries to keep his brother Esau out of it, as racial tensions are about to explode. In the midst of this Chief Bailey is shown to be unstable, with lingering effects of guilt and schizophrenia affecting his everyday actions. All four men are caught up in the ugly cycle of violent segregation and are drawn together in an explosive finale. A fellow cop’s statement becomes symbolic, “Stay a cop long enough you go down one of three paths: you become a cynic, a reformer or a drunk” as justice is not always achieved.

Powell helps the book come alive, and makes the narrative flow through his powerful black and white illustrations. His work is historically accurate and he faithfully duplicates the era. Black backgrounds when there is violence was emblematic, but on the other hand, hard to follow. With a lot of speech bubbles to keep track of, I felt I was missing part of the story, for I was trying so hard to read the conversations that had small lettering. A second read of the story when it is published will be necessary to catch what I missed in the online version.

Far from a light read, author Jensen created a layered thriller, that was inspired by true events. I applaud him and Powell for showing how some deep-seated issues resulted in social ills for everyone in the community, and that they didn’t shy away from showing the tragedy that unfolded because of it.

DNR. (Did Not Review) Unable to load readable format. I regret the inconvenience and inability to review this graphic novel.

This book covers a lot of ground features it's fair share of characters. There are some truly deep themes and there is so much to think about. That being said, my favorite part was the art itself. It gave the true atmosphere of the time period and kind of tale portrayed here.

It might just be a problem with the review copy, but I had a lot trouble reading the dialog. After zooming in a little, the quality of the lettering degraded drastically. After squinting through the first couple pages, I realized I wouldn't be able to finish reading all several hundred pages of text. Otherwise, the art looked good and the story seemed promising.

"Two Dead" is an interesting graphic novel. The story was a little flat for me, but the art style and the coloring were great.