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REVIEW: THEREFORE REPENT! Without warning 144,000 Christians float bodily up into the sky. For the immoral majority, life goes on pretty much as usual. Except that after the Rapture, magic works - for those willing to risk demonic mutations. And an angelic army appears to have been deployed to mop up the sinners. But through it all, outsiders Raven and Mummy face the possibility of a bigger problem than the end of the world: the end of their relationship. The book opens with a quote from Revelations 2:16 stating I will come to you soon and fight Against them with the sword Of my mouth." In terms of subject matter that interests me, The Rapture and the Religious Right doesn't really rank up there but with these two talented individuals behind the book... well buying just one copy might not be enough. Of course this isn't a Pro-Rapture tale but rather using a sense of foreboding myth as a world-changing climax upon which to create a setting for a story of life, learning and love. Before we meet our cast of characters and players, a little word on the creators. Jim Munroe published his first novel FLYBOY ACTION FIGURE COMES WITH GASMASK with HarperCollins but chose to go the self-publishing route for his second, and several subsequent novels. Jim Munroe is a fixture when it comes to self-publishing, a novelist, filmmaker and the man behind No Media Kings, I don't think I've met Jim just yet but I've always known OF him. Jim is a figurehead of the local Do It Yourself'ers. Salgood Sam, aka Max Douglas is an author and illustrator whose comic work you may have seen most recently on such titles as SEA OF RED, REVOLUTION ON THE PLANET OF THE APES and his excellent self-published journal comic RevolveR for which he received a nomination as Best Emerging Talent in the 2005 Doug Wright Awards. See our short RevolveR review here. As you'll see in THEREFORE REPENT! Max is a master of detail, from the subtle gradients of light pouring in through an apartment window, to birds on electrical wires and small single blades of grass breaking their way through the sidewalk. I've loved Max's art for a long time now and he's the sort of artist you half want to shout about so everyone can see what you see in his work while the other half of you is secretly shouting 'Shut Up' because really you want to steal him away from all others in hopes of working with him yourself one day, lest someone else snags him up first.  THEREFORE REPENT! Follows the two primary characters Raven and Mummy, two lovers newly arrived to a Post-Rapture Chicago, where the world is mostly the same except garbage isn't getting picked up as usual, President Bush and Mr. Christ can be seen touring the Red States on CNN, Angelic Soldiers are murdering Sinners and Magic Works. The two are a strong pair but the effects of the world changing event has obviously put a strain on their relationship as they seek out shelter, fresh food, befriend a talking dog and seek creature comforts such as Yoga and E-mail, although in a world where Magic works, even creature comforts are an evolving process.As the story progress Raven and Mummy learn more about their neighbours as their lives and their own stories and growth are integrated into the tale, each with their own experiences with the Rapture, their past lives and the magic that has affected the world since. As time passes their friends grow as does their comfort with the neighbourhood, but soon the Angelic Army becomes bolder and more violent and the Magic begins to take its toll on those who use it. Without ruining too much, by the end of the tale we see the extent of how the Magic has changed people, what happened to all those who rose up during the Rapture and are left with an important question. I enjoyed the book, it's a great debut for the creative team and is the type of book that will have you flipping through it again and again. The Open-Ended conclusion left me a little off for a second, part of me wondering if it's intended to be continued while the other part of my mind cranked away realizing how well it does as a stand alone story leaving the question with the audience and the ending, as just the beginning. This book comes HIGHLY RECOMMNDED, for a huge 40 Plus page preview be sure to visit Salgood Sam's ComicSpace page to flip through and see what's sure to be one of this years highly regarded Original Graphic Novels. NOTE: And if you're in Toronto Tonite be sure to come to the Launch Party! Kicking off the books Debut and this weekend's Toronto Comic Arts Festival Event's. DETAILS HERE.
   PopImage Forum - Discuss this message at the PopImage forum. E-Mail-Us - Contact Us Commenting On This Article Salgood Sam.com - For More Info On Max Douglas aka Salgood Sam No Media Kings - For More Info on Jim Munroe IDW Publishing - Publishers of the Forthcoming U.S. Market edition of THEREFORE REPENT! Reviews Archive - Read past Reviews |
