Comics: Image's "Revenge" is Insane

- by Señor Editor, 9 May 2014

With so many comics to check out every week, „Revenge”, by Jonathan Ross and Ian Churchill, somehow slipped through the cracks for me. Three issues have passed before I jumped on board, but boy, am I happy I did. Because “Revenge” is absolutely f***in insane.

Issue #1 cover. Click to enlarge.

Griffin Franks used to be a semi-popular actor in the 70s and 80s, primarily known for starring in awful, ultra-violent movies about “The Revenger”, a guy wearing a gas mask and killing people with the help of his dog, Diablo. As it happens with many campy actors, Griffin, over 70 years old now, came back to the spotlight with a remake of “Revenger”. Things seem to be going fairly well for him, until he learns that he will be replaced with a younger actor in the next sequel. His young trophy wife, silicone-up ex-pornstar named Candy, has an idea that can help Griffin save his returned career, though.

Her idea is to head to Mexico, to a doctor known for doing all sorts of weird body modification surgery. You know, the kind of things freaks like to do themselves – horns, weird face implants, extreme piercing... you name it. He even has a poor little dwarf guy with horns, that he’s experimenting on. He will attempt a skin transplant, using a younger person’s skin on Griffin’s face. 

We meet Griffin just as his face is being removed. But something is going terribly wrong. Who would have thought! Turns out he is not given any anesthetics, and he’s in agony. It was Candy’s plan all along. See, Griffin is kind of a terrible person, your typical Hollywood scumbag egomaniac, and Candy is actually the daughter of a woman that the actor met years ago and subsequently dumped. He's a little better now, meeting his kids and trying to be a good father, but that doesn't really redeem him, and Candy wants to turn his life into hell before getting rid of him.

In accordance with social norms, we censored the nipples, but left the face being ripped off. No boobs for you, little Billy!

She’s out for revenge, removing Griffin’s face and fingerprints, to graft them on her dumb boyfriend, so they can then sign papers that makes Candy the only heir of the aging actor’s fortune. Until it’s all done, Griffin will stay in Mexico, still in agony, until Candy can come back and finish him once and for all.

Obviously, that’s not what happens. Thanks to the dwarf guy, Griffin regains control of his body and frees himself, killing his captors. He then goes to the doctor’s place, killing his guard dogs, and having the doc sew the face of one of the dogs (…) to his head, so he at least won’t bleed out or something. Then, he heads back home, with Diablo and the little horned guy at his side, for revenge.

From left: Griffin busting loose, and Griffin with his new face, on the cover of #3. Click on each to enlarge,

Guys, this comic is so crazy that you just can’t stop reading it. It’s for “mature” readers, due to large amounts of gore and some pretty explicit sex scenes. It’s like a terrible B-movie plot happening to a terrible B-movie star. It’s amazing. You don’t really like Griffin, but his wife is so sadistic in her scheme, that you kind of cheer for the mad man (and he is mad – he’s delusional from all the pain and mistaking his past movies for his actual memories). Ross does a good job telling the story and making it consistently more and more insane and action-packed.

The dialogues.

Ian Churchill’s art is (as usual) very, very pretty. Everything, from the sex scenes to the scenes of faces being ripped off, to the insane dreams of agonized Griffin, looks very good. Every panel is crisp and attractive, making this balls-crazy book a joy to look at.

I’m glad I picked it up, because it’s a pretty original title, so absurdly graphic and brutal and funny that you can’t help but be drawn to it. Give it a try, but only if you’re old enough and don’t mind seeing some messed up things. It's very entertaining stuff. AND IT STARS A MAN WITH A DOG’S FACE SEWN ON.


Are you reading "Revenge"? Liking it? Let us know in the comments!

Tagged: comics, Reviews.

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