The Bronx Kill

Martin Keane never wanted to be a cop.

The Bronx Kill (DC Comics/Vertigo Crime, $19.99) isn’t a mystery so much as one man’s slow descent into a personal hell. As Martin searches for Erin, signs point him to the Bronx Kill, a trash heap of a place where his great-grandfather was killed, and a place that his wife had become fascinated with. As Martin puts it, “This must be the saddest . . . most miserable and forlorn stretch of water in the whole country.” The bleakness of the area matches that of Martin’s sanity as time passes with few leads.

Veteran writer Peter Milligan (late of Vertigo’s Greek Street) creates two grisly stories: Martin’s own ordeal, and a manuscript of Martin’s latest novel. Set in the mid-nineteenth century, the main character also chooses to run from tragedy, going from famine-stricken Ireland to America. Milligan goes as far as to include Martin’s notes, increasingly influenced by the events of his life. James Romberger’s artwork comes off as grainy, which matches the story’s mood. The only major flaw is that Milligan seems to remember that the story is supposed to be a mystery, and plot devices rain from the sky to prepare a satisfactory conclusion.

In the end, The Bronx Kill manages to be one of the stronger entries in the Vertigo Crime line, and Milligan adds another solid entry to his resume. As Martin himself scrawls at one point, “Everything comes down to the Bronx Kill.”

Words by Jason Borelli