The Deviant #3: A Slow Down

The shadow of grisly murders cast a pall over The Deviant #3, but they only slightly inform the plot. Much of the series is spent in an introspective conversation with Michael’s partner Derek. It’s an overall informative issue but not quite as quick and urgent as those that came before.

The Deviant #3 opens with Derek at work at a hospital. At this moment, he and a coworker are setting up Christmas decorations and having a long conversation, mostly about Michael and Derek’s relationship with him. For now, Derek is supportive and content to be the more giving one in the relationship. The issue cuts to Paul (the officer attack in 1973) in the present day as he gets the name of a suspect in recent murders that resemble the ones he found in the past. From there the issue cuts back to 1973, sticking with Paul as he’s in the hospital and first learns the name of the “You Know. Funny.” suspect who turns out to be Randall.

Despite his absence in the issue, The Deviant #3 adds insight to Michael’s character. Previous issues gave us a peek at his past. But the character came across as inherently uncertain and closed off in dialogue with others, and he seemed muddled as a result. Derek’s extended dialogue sequence provides context and ultimately gives Michael a lot of added dimension. Michael’s current project involving the serial killings, which seemed bleak, is now framed as something that’s supposed to improve his outlook. Suddenly Michael isn’t just bleak and uncertain but potentially dark and broken.

This same conversation also tells us more about Derek than anything has to this point. His past appearances have been generically supportive. Tynion adds some depth to it here. Derek is aware of the current dynamic in the relationship, and he is supportive of it and Michael for now. This gives Derek and the relationship between him and Michael enough of a personality that it creates anticipation for the next time we see them together and makes us wonder what might happen to Derek.

Unfortunately, The Deviant #3 doesn’t bring much beyond this extended conversation. Three issues in, The Deviant is moving very slowly, swapping story and plot for mood. This isn’t necessarily a subtraction for a murder story with borderline horror story gore. But when this issue wraps up, there’s less urgency involved. The first two issues had strong, shocking cliffhangers, so even if they didn’t maintain an urgent pace there was a shocking end point to bring the reader back. This one goes out with a comparative whimper, especially compared to the high note that precedes it.

Hixson adds a lot to the aforementioned strong dialogue sequence. He doesn’t go overboard with linework on any but the oldest of characters. In Derek’s case, it’s all about his eyes. Minor changes in how wide his eyes are open, the angle of his eyebrows, and the direction of his line of sight. In some cases, his expressions almost put the lie to some of his more supportive comments.

By contrast, the fight between Paul, the injured cop, and Randall, the man we know will be charged with the boys’ murder back in 1973 is ugly and bloody. Paul is scarred with stained gauze covering one eye. When Paul attacks Randall, he smashes the man’s nose in and shoves his head against the wall. There isn’t the same level of gore in The Deviant #3, but the violence and brutality remains.

Otsmane-Elhaou uses the shape of dialogue bubbles to help convey emotion. An even keel character has a standard shape. A wavy shaped arrow from dialogue bubble to character communicates a relatively low level of emotional intensity. Eventually, the entire bubble is wavy rather than a uniform oval. This can change in the middle of dialogue, with one bubble being uniform and the next wavy. In one case, as Paul punches Randall for the first time, the bubble goes from uniform on one side to wavy on the other.