Therefore, Repent!

I really enjoyed the narrative of Therefore Repent. The story is an engaging and well thought out comment on religion without being overtly preachy. My only grievances with it are that the characters felt a little bit hollow, and I would have liked to see this done in full color. I know the B & W was an artistic choice, but color can really bring things based in fantasy and magic to life. Great read overall, and I've lent it to several friends who also enjoyed.

I'd seen this book quite a few times before and decided to pick it up at a Comicon I went to not too long ago. It was an interesting setting, and idea -- the idea of of those few "pure" souls going up to Heaven leaving the majority of the population -- sinners, I suppose, to live on. And in the process they discover after the Rapture the existence of magic and interesting and useful mutations that serve them well -- so long as they don't attract the attention of "Splitters" (those people trying to get God to give them a "second chance" to get into Heaven) and avenging Angels in army fatigues and machine guns. Of course, as these things go, nothing is as it seems. I really liked the very distinctive, shade-ridden style of the illustrations, but at the same time they did make distinctions between characters very confusing. Also, the panel movement often seemed to "skip steps between actions." The ending was really cool in an entertaining B Movie sort of way as well, and the characters -- particularly Raven and Mummy seemed really interesting and very real people to me. I almost gave this a 3/5, but again I like the idea behind it, and the characters as well. I think it appeals to a certain age demographic -- about twenty or so, while at the same time the setting has a lot in common with the modern world and its politics. So it had some immediacy to that regard. So 4/5.

This is a graphic novel that takes the core idea of the Rapture and runs with it in an entirely different direction. Our central characters, Raven and Mummy, live in a world in which a sizeable number of Americans have floated bodily into the sky, leaving behind a lot of confused heathens, overzealous "Split Rapturists", and prime housing to squat in. The unRaptured must deal with talking dogs, awesome but body-altering magics, mysteriously reanimated corpses... and squadrons of angels who've descended to earth with instructions to slaughter the unfaithful. The art appears to be subtly-shaded pencil drawings, like you might see on the finished pages of someone's sketchbook. I found this style quite appropriate for the authors' intimate, slice-of-life storytelling approach. The writing is an interesting mix of cosmic ideas and earthy humour. The novel's ending suggests that this is Volume 1 -- I can't wait to see what else they do with this story.

I read this book at a local book market & almost bought it. Now I wish I had. The premise of the book is that one day the Rapture occurs & much of the world's population was spirited up. Those that are left behind have discovered that magic does really exist, but with a price- anyone who uses it will eventually mutate into something otherworldy (usually demonic) looking. The ones left behind must also deal with the other odd problems of being left behind, such as finding places to stay, food, and avoiding a fleet of angelic looking beings that seem determined to eradicate any magic users. From the description, the book could have easily become an apocalyptic battle comic, yet it chooses to stick more closely to a "slice of life" theme (or as close to it as the subject matter can). It chooses to show that not everyone that has been left behind is "bad", and that many of the magic users are actually quite decent people. The comic's first impression, that of entertainment, was pretty decent. I was interested enough to read it all the way through. The artwork was a bit offputting, as it was not the type I usually like, but the style was very nice to look at. There were a lot of details & shading to look at. However, what will draw the reader back is the sheer amount of questions & themes such as "what makes us good or bad?", "why should some go to heaven & others not?", "what really is redemption?", as well as many, many others. I've found myself musing over the themes in the book longer after the initial reading, enough so to the point where I'm planning on purchasing the book on my next outing. This book may not be for everyone, as some people like their heavy themes & their comics to be seperate. Others may be put off by the artwork as I initially was & not choose to finish it. I recommend heavily that the reader gives this book a chance. It's very much worth it.