Next Testament Volume One TPB Review…
I’ll be honest most comic books today turn me off. The stories aren’t as intriguing or fun as they used to be and most of the artwork leaves a lot to be desired. I can’t tell you the last time I’ve read anything from Marvel and DC comics. Frankly, comic books today suck. But there are still a few good titles floating around out there thanks to BOOM! Studios. They’ve been releasing some high quality material with such releases as their Nightbreed and Hellraiser series. And a lot of their original titles like Adventure Time look good too. They’re obviously a niche company and that’s the big reason I like them. Mainstream comics aren’t my thing anymore.
Which brings me to Clive Barker’s The Next Testament, an original comic series he created and co-wrote with the talented Mark Miller (Hellraiser: Bestiary) about the return of the benevolent creator. But after reading the first four issues of this special edition softcover volume I’d say the creator has a bone to pick with the universe.
!Minor Spoilers!
The story begins in the desert where a quirky billionaire named Julian Demond finds a shrine underneath the sand that unleashes the God from the Old Testament. This strange being who calls himself Wick, ‘The Father of Colors’ (because he practically looks like a walking painting), has big plans in store for the world. After showing Julian a few gruesome miracles to convince him to be his follower they return to the states so Wick can put his plan into motion to prepare the rest of the world for his ‘Second Coming’.
In between all of this we’re introduced to Juilan’s son Tristan and his fiancée Elspeth, who have been trying to find out what Julian has been up to these past few months while he’s been away. Unfortunately, they’re too late and are about to bear witness to Wick’s new vision of the world. To hell with forgiveness Wick wants to start the world over from scratch and if it means spilling gallons of blood to do accomplish his goal then so be it.
First off, I’ll just say that after reading the first four issues of The Next Testament I’ve found a renewed faith in the comic medium. The first thing you need for any comic book (or any story for that matter) to work is a great concept and The Next Testament delivers on that in spades. I’ve always been interested in religion from a mythological standpoint and you can tell both men are having fun turning the classic tales from the Bible on their head. Their version about what happened at Sodom and Gomorrah had me in stitches. There’s a lot of humor to find in here if you don’t take the material so seriously.
They’ve also have created a new God in Wick that is both witty and most importantly malicious. Personally, I’ve been rooting for Wick so far because I really feel he wants the human race to prove him wrong and to show him they can be the kind of people he knows they can be. But sadly we show him our true “colors” which pisses him off and the blood begins to pour. Just ask all the guests at the dinner party (especially poor old Blanche) from issue two subtitled ‘Devine Intercourse’. But I don’t think he finds either Tristan or Elspeth stupid at all and even considers them dangerous. I guess I’ll have to find out why he fears them in Volume Two.
The artwork by Haemi Jang also delivers especially in the more gory moments. Her art style let the story flow in a fast paced manner. You definitely won’t be getting bored that’s for sure. The whole comic book feels like a painting which sets it apart from other books out there today.
This special edition volume also comes with some cool extra features as well. I really enjoyed the Introudction by Victor LaValle and Afterword by Rodrigo Gudino from the popular magazine Rue Morgue. Both write-ups are informative and entertaining. There’s also a great sketch gallery in the back of the book with designs of all the characters and covers to the individual issues.
I can’t wait to see where this story goes from here. Luckily, Volume Two comes out in Febuary and I’ve already got mine pre-ordered from Amazon. So do yourself a favor and go out and read the Next Testament. You want regret it I promise you.
Here’s a link to Amazon to pre-order all the collected Volumes:
Nice review Rob! We have a podcast about the series, but it’s a little spoiler-y, so I’d wait until you’ve read them all to hear it.
Thanks Ryan. Yeah, that’s one of the Podcasts I’ve had to put on the wait list because I haven’t read of this story yet.
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