Growing up in the 80’s (yes, I remember when MTV was worth it), I was a pretty big fan of Guns ‘n Roses, and various other hair/metal/etc bands I’m far too ashamed to mention here. Being a kid from the middle of Massachusetts, with trees and wilderness as far as the eye could see, I had a general idea as to what life was like for those bands, night after night in dingy club bathrooms in Los Angeles.
Saints, the new Image book from Sean Lewis and Benjamin Mackey, is scary close to how I pictured it.
Saints #1 (Image Comics)
Here’s the basics you’ll need to know.
Monster Blaise (Modesty Blaise reference?), is the man you want on your hard rock tour, as he has the incredible power of laying on hands like a very twisted D&D paladin. The twist is that his healing is reserved for throats, of which the lead singer puking blood on page 5 sorely needs. Keep an eye out for the demonic looking guitarist drinking piss too because you know, IT’S SO METAL.
Amazing mystical abilities… I’ll fix scream metal throats!
Pretty much exactly what 10 year old me was picturing.
The book itself is odd. I honestly don’t know if I like it, or feel like it’s trying to shock me too much, but it’s got me interested in reading issue 2. Our Monster healing throat bro’s adventures broaden out into meeting a saint killed with arrows who’s now an archery buff and a virgin grocery store clerk.
Wait…WAIT. NO. NO NO NO. DON’T…oh for Christ’s sake…
There’s also a whole subplot about dreams, that shifts into a gold icon saint painting motif, which is just weird and mystical enough, that it’s got an X-Files vs Religion thing going on.
That art though…What is an all gold saint painting called? I googled and googled.
Is It Good?
I’m going to say maybe. If this was a pilot episode of a series on Netflix, and I had 20 seconds to decided if I wanted to watch the next one, I’d watch. It’s got enough of a seed of interest there for me to be curious, and Benjamin Mackey’s art is stylized and odd enough for me to appreciate the page alone. I’ll give it a shot, and if by issue 6 I’m not feeling it, then we’ll jump ship.
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