Comic Info
Comic Name: Whiteout: Melt
Publisher: Oni Press
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Steve Lieber
# of Issues: 4
Release Date: 2007
Whiteout: Melt #1
Reprints Whiteout: Melt #1-4 (September 1999-February 2000). When the Russian mafia attacks an Antarctic Russian base, they escape with a secret cache of weapons that could mean doom. Carrie Stetko finds herself called back to Antarctica for another mission that could be the key to her returning home…but also could mean teaming with a Russian soldier and putting herself in more danger than she’s ever been before!
Written by Greg Rucka, Whiteout—Volume 2: Melt is a spy thriller limited series published by Oni Press and a sequel to Whiteout from 1998. The series was awarded a Eisner Award for Best Limited Series and features art by Steve Lieber. The series was also collected as part of the Whiteout Compendium.
Whiteout was a fun mystery thriller. It featured a killer, danger, and detective work. Carrie went through hell in the story, and it seems like she would have earned her way out of Antarctica. This made Whiteout—Volume 2: Melt a bit of a question mark when you finished Whiteout. Despite this, Rucka and Lieber craft a compelling story that is very different than the first entry in the series.
Whiteout: Melt #4
The story is more of a morality tale and a tale of strength by Carrie. Carrie was proven intelligent and resourceful in Whiteout, but here, she proves that she’s even smarter than most of the people around her. Carrie finds herself forced to make tons of choices of loyalty and she manages to do it while still demonstrating her power. Carrie seems to be calling the shots in a majority of the book and even the few times where she is saved, she must act fast to keep herself alive. She has to choose between allegiance and her own conscience, and it is an interesting path.
The Russian mafia mercenaries are barely a threat. They shoot, they blow things up, and they kill, but it really feels like (as with Whiteout) that the danger is land. With this in mind, it becomes about the relationship between Kuchin and Carrie, and if they can trust each other long enough to finish the job. The ice brings people together and separates them.
With nice solid black-and-white art by Steve Lieber, Whiteout—Volume 2: Melt is a solid follow-up to a good series. The release of the movie Whiteout tarnished the image of the two series, but it deserves to be read and enjoyed (just ignore the movie). Carrie is an interesting character, and I would love to see an older, even more jaded Carrie return. Plans for a third Whiteout series (tentatively called Whiteout: Thaw) were in the works, but as of now, nothing has developed.
Related Links:
