Heaven/Hell - #1 and #2
Publisher: Armoured Venus | Writer: J. Alan Shelton and Jilly Smith | Artist: J.C Grande
Cover Colors : SPLASH! | Letters and Fonts: BLAMBOT
Plot: An Angel has come down to Earth to retrieve his lost Halo. As luck would have it though, the Devil has found out about this as well. Now I know all of this sounds “serious” but this book is anything but. The comedic timing is dead-on and the characters are fleshed out so well that after a few pages, you’ll be feeling like you’ve known them forever.
Art: The art here is pretty good for what it’s trying to do. The only gripe I had was that the book seemed like it was screaming to be in color – and it’s not. I love b&w books, but that’s because I love the mood they bring across. Books that lay heavy on comedy and the “bright side” of things, often end up coming across much better in color, where tones, shading, and color range bring so much more to a book and can often add to the hilarity. Issue #2’s art though, supercedes #1’s and there are honestly some laugh-out-loud moments in Issue 2 that you really just have to see for yourself.
Writing: If you don’t mind a touch of blasphemy here and there, then you’ll love Heaven/Hell. Overall I did like the writing, but the only gripe I had exists in the pacing of the story and the cut-scenes that don’t manage to flow properly into each other. Hopefully this is only something that exists in early issues and as the series movies on, the story pace will flow better.
Overall: 7 out of 10 (issue #1) 8 out of 10 (issue #2)
About Peter Simeti - Peter is the founder and president of the small press indie comic company Alterna Comics. Alterna started in mid 2006 and officially got up and running in late December 2006. Peter joined the Comic Related family in November 2007 and he's a contributing reviewer for the site.
