‘Black and White’ – Jackie Kessler & Caitlin Kittredge (Piatkus)

Every so often, I’m glad when the book I’m reading finally comes to an end. It may be that, after a series of cliffhangers, I’m glad to see how everything eventually ties together and works out. I may be glad to see the fate of particular characters that I like (or loathe). If a book really isn’t working for me then I’ll definitely be glad to see it come to an end! I was glad to get to the finish line on ‘Black and White’ but not for a reason that I generally come across. Due to the fact that I can be quite suggestible at times, I’ve had Michael Jackson’s ‘Black or White’ going through my head the entire time I’ve been reading this book. Do anyone else here have a similar problem with books?
I’ve finished ‘Black and White’ now and am looking forward to having other tunes going through my head real soon (more often than not it’s either the theme tune from ‘Police Squad!’ or the Mos Eisley cantina band music). ‘Black and White’ isn’t just about associations with Michael Jackson though; it’s not a bad read all by itself...

New Chicago is a battleground at the best of times but no more so than between superhero Jet and her villainous counterpart Iridium. These two went through an elite superhero training academy together but are now mortal enemies playing a dangerous game of ‘cat and mouse’ across the city. Bigger things are afoot though and Jet and Iridium are about to find their paths crossing in a way that hasn’t happened in years. Whilst potentially romantic encounters threaten to derail our heroines, a mysterious figure in the background plans an attack that could engulf the entire world. Both Jet and Iridium are vital parts of this plot and they don’t realise it, yet...

‘Superheroes are people too!’ This is the over riding message in a book that seeks to show how people cope with the pressures of being super powered; whether it’s courageously upholding justice or striking against it. It’s not quite as simple as that though as Kessler and Kittredge also make it clear that people can do bad for the most noble of reasons whilst upholding the law may well be just a front for something more sinister. The title of this book is poking fun at itself in a way as it swiftly becomes clear that nothing is as simple as ‘Black and White’.
The thing is though, if you’re a comic book reader then you’ll know all this already. Even the greatest of heroes are flawed while the most evil of villains is capable of doing a good deed once in a while. And they get all romantic as well... In this sense, ‘Black and White’ doesn’t really bring anything new to the table. If you’re not a comic book reader though, ‘Black and White’ will bring an awful lot of new stuff to your table and give you plenty to think about.
The concept may not be as fresh as it makes itself out to be but ‘Black and White’ is nevertheless a fun read with plenty happening and plot that you can get your teeth into. New Chicago is a dark place to hang out and I’m not just talking about the sewers! Even the highest corridors of power have shadows in the corner and you never quite know if the answers that you’re given are true or not; this air of paranoia in particular is what kept me going with the story.

I’ve never really read anything by Kessler or Kittredge so don’t really have much of an idea about their individual writing styles. What I can say is that ‘Black and White’ seemed to flow very smoothly with no jarring instances where one author took over from the other. If I hadn’t seen the two names on the front cover then I wouldn’t have thought this was a book written by two authors. The pacing is smooth and the romantic elements never take over from the plot itself, merely add to it. I could see the payoff coming, in this area of the plot, but otherwise found this to be a refreshing approach to a trope that’s normally overplayed. The plot flits easily between character development and full on superhero action; I’d like to have seen a few more bones broken (and superheroes using spectacular powers) but that’s just me I guess!

Where ‘Black and White’ really comes into it’s own is when it takes us into the minds of Jet and Iridium, showing us not only how they are in the present but also what led them to their current state (through a series of flashbacks). You really get a clear picture of who these people are and why they do what they do; this makes their actions all the more real to the reader. Jet and Iridium are also the characters in whom the whole notion of there being ‘no real black and white, just shades of grey’ is played out. Kessler and Kittredge carry this off in some style. By the end of the book, Jet and Iridium’s ‘heroic alignment’ almost ceases to matter; it’s more about the reasons behind the decisions they make within this framework. You’ll finish the book feeling a degree of sympathy for both of them.

You may have come across all the ideas in ‘Black and White’ before but Kessler and Kittredge’s focus on characterisation manoeuvres the book over this bump and onto a stage where it can be the entertaining read that it’s meant to be. Looking forward to reading ‘Shades of Grey’...

Eight and a Half out of Ten