El Diablo [Paperback]

Brian Azzarello (Author), Danijel Zezelj (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 30, 2008

Eisner Award-winning writer Brian Azzarello, renowned author of 100 BULLETS and LOVELESS, joins forces with artist Danijel Zezelj for the hard- hitting Western EL DIABLO.

Small-town sheriff Moses Stone is running from his past, and from something even worse -- a relentless, violent gunman who has unearthed the skeletons in Stone's closet. That gunman is a killer of legend known only as El Diablo.

This gritty tale builds a modern myth in the old West, uncovering the secrets and brutality of that unforgiving time and place in the style of the HBO series DEADWOOD. Is El Diablo a man on a mission, or is he a spirit of atonement avenging the ghosts of the past?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Azzarello, best known for the hard-boiled 100 Bullets, branched out into the western genre with Loveless and here takes fans for another spin through his grim vision of the American west. Sheriff Moses Stone gathers up a posse to track down a vicious outlaw known only as El Diablo. Problem is, he is more specter than man, and the pursuers soon become the quarry as the shadowy past that Moses thought he’d left far behind snakes back toward him in the ghost town of Halo. Azzarello spills out the incredibly violent, tersely rendered story, with all its ponderous religious trappings, in tantalizing bits and pieces, all leading up to an unexpectedly revelatory ending. Zezelj’s expressive artwork is composed of thick, stark lines and heavy shadows that match the narrative tone, which ranges from harrowing to downright sadistic. The characters’ craggy features sometimes blend together, making who’s emptying whose brains out confusing, but for this brutal vision of the west, where sins literally haunt you to your grave, that ends up mattering less than you may think. --Ian Chipman

Product Details

• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (January 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401216250
• ISBN-13: 978-1401216252
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.2 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #808,922 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best western comics in recent memory, April 9, 2008

By 

N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: El Diablo (Paperback)

For nearly every amount of critical acclaim that Brian Azzarello garners (100 Bullets, Loveless, Startling Stories: Banner), there always seems to be just as much criticism (Superman: For Tomorrow, Batman: Broken City, much of his run on Hellblazer). Then again, every now and then Azzarello reminds us just how he made a name for himself in the first place, and El Diablo does just that. Bounty hunter turned sheriff Moses Stone is enjoying his life for what it is. His town is peaceful, he has a loving wife, and life is good. All of that changes one night when the demonic fugitive known as El Diablo pays a violent visit to town, with Moses in his sights. What follows is Moses and his posse tracking El Diablo to a town called Halo, which holds a special place in Moses' past, as well as some nasty secrets. What makes El Diablo so good is that Azzarello doesn't pull any punches in the storytelling or dialogue. El Diablo is nearly every bit as violent and vulgar as the old west was, and the twists and turns that Azzarello weaves manage to entertain the reader. The artwork from Azzarello's occasional Loveless partner Danijel Zezelj may be an acquired taste for some, but it is a more than fitting look for the time, setting, and content of the story. All in all, El Diablo is an entertaining and nasty western comic that proves once again that Brian Azzarello is one of the best gritty writers in the business today.

4.0 out of 5 stars Hard-Boiled Western for Grownups, January 24, 2011

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: El Diablo (Paperback)

This blood-soaked book takes the hard-boiled crime genre and moves it to the Old West, with simple yet striking art by Croatian artist Danijel Zezelj. Since I like hard-boiled crime, westerns, and Zezelj's other work, it was a no-brainer to pick this up. The story is a great mishmash of noir, ghost story, and pure pulp. One of the central themes of the noir genre is that one can't escape the past, and that's at the heart of this book. Sheriff Moses Stones used to be a cold-blooded bounty hunter, but has since settled down to keep the piece and raise a family. Unfortunately, the past comes knocking in the form of a wraith-like outlaw named El Diablo who seems intent on meting out justice. The Sheriff rounds up a posse to track him down and kill him, but one by one, members of the posse are killed and it becomes increasingly uncertain whether or not El Diablo is man or something supernatural. Eventually, it all comes back to the Sheriff's home town and the dark secret he's been hiding from. The plot twist at the end is a classic one, straight out of the Twilight Zone and at least a few '40s crime films. The story is a dark and grim one, with lots of violence and a sprinkling of graphic sex. Zezelj's style instills everything with a grimness, and the palette is a murky, dirty one, reflecting the tone of the story and the stained moral character of the protagonist. A good choice for comics-readers looking for something for grownups or just another good Western title.

5.0 out of 5 stars Be careful what you wish for! You might get it!, June 25, 2008

By 

Rafael Amado (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: El Diablo (Paperback)

El Diablo was an entertaining ride trough a mysterious spaghetti western style tail. If you like Deadwood (which reminded me of it), High Plains drifter, Mystery and just plain old westerns and shoot `em up films, you will like El Diablo! Sheriff Moses Stone has a lot of cool lines and so does the book itself. Stone is your antihero with a secret past that he wishes to obliterate and not even a mysterious phantom can stop him from living a good life. I highly recommend it. Have a fun read!