Comic Reviews by Walt

The Were-Hog of Siloville part 3

Story: Phil Hester
Art: Brook Turner
Cover: Tyler Walpole
Colors: Rick Hiltbrunner
Letters: Sean Konot
Publisher: Image Comics

Golly! is a rather…interesting…series. Mini-series, rather, as this is the third/final issue that I’m aware of. Basically, you have Golly–a “carny”–who has had an experience with a “divine entity” that told him about an aborted apocalypse that will be put on only to go through the motions, and that Golly gets to play a key part in the overall experience. Golly is imbued with great power (if very little responsibility) and a can of his best friend’s ashes–ashes “posessed” BY his friend (who is also a mentor-type). Golly has been tasked to deal with Brother Dare–a roaming televangelist-type by day, were-hog by night. Far from alone, Golly is backed by his carnival colleagues.

This issue opens with the group attempting to get one single drop of “holy water” into contact with the were-hog, the failure of which results in some fairly dirty innuendo. The townsfolk get their crack at the were-hog while Golly & co. form a plan involving bait and getting the were-hog to run up a slide…a plan that goes badly almost from the get-go. The ending was predictable, but well within-character as things have been set up throughout this mini.

The story itself is a bit crude, but somewhat interesting,if only for dealing with character-types I don’t usually find in comics. I can’t help but wonder, though, at the likely stereotypes found and how they’ll come across to others…especially given my distaste for the portrayal of Brother Dare and the stereotype that would seem to perpetuate.

This is yet another comic with art by someone I don’t recognize, so I’ve no point of comparison there. However, the art conveys the story very well and certainly fits it…enhances it. The story itself wouldn’t be at full strength without the visuals provided that set the tone/environment of events that unfold.

All in all, I’m not entirely sure why I picked up this series–I think that the first issue was discussed on the Alternate Reality podcast. At a mere 3 issues, I suspect that this will make a better “graphic novel” than it did “mini-series,” and unless you can snag all 3 issues at cover price or below, I’d recommend waiting for a collected volume. This definitely skirts the edges of my tolerance for its type of story, and certainly would not recommend this for kids nor the weak of stomach.

Story: 7/10
Art: 8/10
Whole: 7.5/10

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2008, Golly!, Image | Tagged: Brook Turner, Comic Reviews 2008, Golly!, Image, Image Comics, Phil Hester, Rick Hiltbrunner, Sean Konot, Tyler Walpole |