Wow! Wow wow wow with a big side order of wow. Oh, and when you're finished, a fresh round of wow right over here.
The Confessional? Yeah, it's alright...
An intelligent, beautifully illustrated, multi-layered, stunningly printed mini epic with a genuinely surprising ending, This gives us The Devil Himself in the confession booth, about to lay a million years of misery and pain on one understandably less than willing priest. To go into what happens next would be to spoil the surprises, suffice to say that Chris McCay's script is fast, furious, clever and not even remotely didactic, while Lee O'Conner's art is beautiful and ugly all at once, expertly paced ( even having the confidence to leave great swathes of black and silence as they are ), and simply the best thing I've seen in ages. If I had to pick on anything, it'd be the preponderence of gray and shadows over actual detail, as some of the faces seem unfinished, but that's overcome by scenes like the visit to Heaven, which is genuinely gorgeous, with computer enhanced artwork helping the story, rather than hindering it as so often in mainstream comics. (Anyone seen the abortion they made of Barry Smith's Conan?)
But it's the story that really sticks with you, particularly if you don't simply take the ending at face value, and realize that it, in fact, casts doubt on everything you've just read. Extremely clever writing, and a definite must buy.
Remind me again, why aren't these guys working professionally?
Pete Doreé