Review by Ian Keogh

When the entire hierarchy of a troublesome Bronx gang is found murdered some police consider it a job well done, but Rafael Aponte is a thorough detective not inclined to let convenience drive his conscience, and begins investigating. He’s a diligent man, and one having doubts about his religion, and having the troublesome conversation seen on the sample art doesn’t dispel his darkness. Will he and his marriage survive The Cross Bronx?

Michael Avon Oeming’s track record encompasses an admirable variety of genres, but he’s latched to his greatest success, the police procedural investigations in a superhero world drawn from Brian Michael Bendis’ scripts in Powers. His art is instantly recognisable from that, the clear cinematic layouts leaving no doubt what’s going on, while the sheer quantity of black ink drenches The Cross Bronx in a darkness reflecting a very downbeat script. Aponte is definitely in the tradition of troubled noir detectives, and Oeming places him at the centre of striking images, the highlight being a final chapter scene set in a church.

The opening chapter is astonishingly atmospheric, and it’s only on considering before turning to the next that the penny drops about how little story it actually contains. That’s no criticism. Everything that needs to be there is, and the priority is to establish Aponte as a decent, but troubled man staring into the abyss, his wise-ass partner and the horrors he lives with. Make no mistake, this is a grim experience, and Oeming doesn’t spare readers visually, so several scenes may be upsetting, as the television warnings have it.

Inexplicable events occur, but it’s halfway through when supernatural intrusions really begin to feed in and Aponte arrives at some understanding of what’s happening, as impossible as it may seem. This is a depressing story in every sense from Oeming and Ivan Brandon, but also ambitiously memorable. If you’re not easily disturbed, it’s for you.