Week ending December 23, 2016 Chaykin, Howard (text & illus.) & Jesus Aburtov & Ken Bruzenak (illus.). Midnight of the Soul. Vol. 1. Image. Dec. 2016. 136p. ISBN 9781632158918. pap. $14.99. Rated: M. CRIME FICTION Joel Breakstone, a neurotic World War II army veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, has been in a booze-addled fog ever since he returned home to New York City after being wounded. Plagued by a recurring nightmare of a Polish extermination camp incident, Joel has kept that dark truth medicated and undercover. When his estranged wife vanishes with some surly characters, Joel is forced to wake up from his trauma-driven depression in order to find her. Armed and dressed as a 1950s motorcycle greaser, Joel begins his rescue mission. But are his intentions and motives really honorable? Verdict Inkpot Award winner and comic book journeyman Chaykin (Mighty Love), with artists Aburtov and Bruzenak, delivers a beautifully rendered and colored book. The relentless adult language and gritty themes make this for mature readers. Visually, it is a feast, especially for the “lone-wolf, V-twin biker, gangster” crowd.—Russell Miller, Prescott P.L., AZ Hart, Johnny & Mason Mastroianni. The Best of B.C.: 58 Years of Pithy Prehistoric Puns and Fun. Titan Comics. Nov. 2016. 237p. ISBN 9781785853531. $24.99. COMICS Soaked in whimsy and innocence, the often memorized, often quoted bits from the late Hart’s B.C. legacy, since taken over by grandson Mastroianni, can be found in this charming retrospective. Droll comics from as early as the 1950s kick off this volume of hundreds of daily and Sunday strips—chock-full of puns and sight gags. Chronologically arranged, this collection of familiar characters and animals evolves unabashedly along with a sophisticated cleverness of wit and sly commentary, which later became an expected component of this multi-award-winning comic. Verdict This is an endearing, nostalgic, and sentimental journey for adult readers, certainly. However, the snappy humor holds up well enough to appeal to younger audiences, and the drawings are still captivating. Overall, a grand review of a mirthful creation.—Russell Miller, Prescott P.L., AZ Jacobson, Sid (text) & Ernie Colón (illus.). The Torture Report: A Graphic Adaptation. Nation. Jan. 2017. 125p. notes. ISBN 9781568585758. pap. $16.99; ebk. ISBN 9781568585765. POL SCI Jacobson and Colón’s first collaboration, The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation, began their journey of turning wordy government documents into graphic works, which continues here. Using the 525-page summary from the Senate Intelligence Committee, they draw sometimes shocking and very disturbing black-and-white images from the true stories contained therein. This all began after September 11, 2001, when President George W. Bush allowed the CIA to capture and imprison known or suspected terrorists in locations outside of U.S. jurisdiction. This meant the prisoners were not held to conventional standards of treatment, according to then Attorney Gen. John Ashcroft. In other words, they could be tortured. For the next few years, many prisoners were subjected to waterboarding, thrown against walls, slapped in the face and abdomen, kept awake for days at a time, fed just enough to keep them alive, forced to endure cold environments without clothes, and other “Enhanced Interrogation Techniques,” as the CIA called them. Several of these accounts are told for specific prisoners. In nearly all cases, the torture revealed no new or useful information. Verdict Recommended for patrons interested in CIA operations, covert government scandals, and the legality of prisoner treatment from Americans.—Jason L. Steagall, Gateway Technical Coll. Lib., Elkhorn, WI