Necrophim - Hell's Prodigal and Civil Warlord

[JoFox2108]

I've just finished reading Hell's Prodigal.  I had only intended to read a couple of pages to see what it was about and ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting.  I was very impressed!

Artwork
On first look it was Lee Carter's artwork which really drew me in.  I frequently have trouble interpreting black and white images but when there are lots of grey tones it's as easy as colour.  I was totally blown away by the art.  Every page is a feast for the eyes.  I thought it was stunning.  In fact I'd say that Carter's art is the best I've seen.

Introduction
I've never read Necrophim before so I was expecting to have a bit of a learning curve when I started but I didn't, the story was introduced beautifully.  Not only did we have a poetic intro to the very basic backstory but the first conversation between Valion and Uriel also sets the scene.

Story
Tony Lee's  story itself was exciting, unusual and well paced.  Not only did I find the story really great but it was told really well too.  I enjoyed it much much more than I thought I would.  Great stuff.

So generally I really liked 'Hell's Prodigal'.  Brilliant work.  I am now itching to read 'Civil Warlord' and see how it all turns out.

Anyone else read this stuff yet? 
What did you think of the art, the story?
Is it a different experience if you've read Necrophim before?
Any negative points?

Jo


PS:  "I mean even heaven has the iPhone"  v. funny!

[AlexF]

I mostly liked Necrophim when it ran in the Progs, especially for the art but also for Lee's twisty-turny plotting. There's some fantastic character designs all over the place, and I do like the characterisation of demons as sort of mentally incapable of doing anything other than betraying each other all the time (kinda like Blackblood out of ABC Warriors), allowing the fallen angels, mostly Uriel, to manipulate them in fun ways.

I'll confess that a re-read left me a little less enthusiastic. By the time you get to the end, the twisty-turniness is so relentless that it kind of left me wondering what any character's motivation actually was, and why I should care what the end result is for the peoplof Heaven, Hell or indeed Earth.

Overall, however, I remain fond of Necrophim, mostly just for the sheer balls of setting a story in Hell (and Heaven), and making use of the rich mythology surridungin different visions of them, especially Judeo-Christian mythology (I'm a proacticing Christian, but I hesitate to call this stuff 'theological reality...).

Far and away Tony Lee's best work for Tharg, he said uncontroversially.

[Taryn Tailz]

Necrophim seemed to receive a very mixed response back when it ran in the Prog, though I always thoroughly enjoyed it. I think Lee Carter's artwork is absolutely perfect for the story being told, filled with doom and gloom in almost every panel.

[Colin YNWA]

By the time you get to the end, the twisty-turniness is so relentless that it kind of left me wondering what any character's motivation actually was...

This sentence - ripped of its context - summons it up for me. I really enjoyed Necrophim when it ran in the Prog but it did really relish and as such over use its twisty turnyness to the point where it lost its impact. Now given the setting and characters this could be said to be justified BUT it was a story and in that realm it was the strips biggest weakness. That and at the time Lee Carter's work could look a little static and didn't serve the action well.

All that said overall it was a fun, engaging thrill, with art that had real potential and at times was stunning. It was always welcome in the Prog and I'm glad people are getting the chance to re-evaluate it, for good and ill.

[The Monarch]

I won't lie when i first read it in the progs it was not my cup of tea but rereading it in the floppies in the meg in a big chunk i am genuinly enjoying it second time round.