Customer Reviews

Therefore, Repent!

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'd seen this book quite a few times before and decided to pick it up at a Comicon I went to not too long ago. It was an interesting setting, and idea -- the idea of of those few "pure" souls going up to Heaven leaving the majority of the population -- sinners, I suppose, to live on. And in the process they discover after the Rapture the existence of magic and interesting and useful mutations that serve them well -- so long as they don't attract the attention of "Splitters" (those people trying to get God to give them a "second chance" to get into Heaven) and avenging Angels in army fatigues and machine guns.

Of course, as these things go, nothing is as it seems. I really liked the very distinctive, shade-ridden style of the illustrations, but at the same time they did make distinctions between characters very confusing. Also, the panel movement often seemed to "skip steps between actions." The ending was really cool in an entertaining B Movie sort of way as well, and the characters -- particularly Raven and Mummy seemed really interesting and very real people to me.

I almost gave this a 3/5, but again I like the idea behind it, and the characters as well. I think it appeals to a certain age demographic -- about twenty or so, while at the same time the setting has a lot in common with the modern world and its politics. So it had some immediacy to that regard. So 4/5.

This is a graphic novel that takes the core idea of the Rapture and runs with it in an entirely different direction. Our central characters, Raven and Mummy, live in a world in which a sizeable number of Americans have floated bodily into the sky, leaving behind a lot of confused heathens, overzealous "Split Rapturists", and prime housing to squat in. The unRaptured must deal with talking dogs, awesome but body-altering magics, mysteriously reanimated corpses... and squadrons of angels who've descended to earth with instructions to slaughter the unfaithful.

The art appears to be subtly-shaded pencil drawings, like you might see on the finished pages of someone's sketchbook. I found this style quite appropriate for the authors' intimate, slice-of-life storytelling approach. The writing is an interesting mix of cosmic ideas and earthy humour. The novel's ending suggests that this is Volume 1 -- I can't wait to see what else they do with this story.

I read this book at a local book market & almost bought it. Now I wish I had.

The premise of the book is that one day the Rapture occurs & much of the world's population was spirited up. Those that are left behind have discovered that magic does really exist, but with a price- anyone who uses it will eventually mutate into something otherworldy (usually demonic) looking. The ones left behind must also deal with the other odd problems of being left behind, such as finding places to stay, food, and avoiding a fleet of angelic looking beings that seem determined to eradicate any magic users. From the description, the book could have easily become an apocalyptic battle comic, yet it chooses to stick more closely to a "slice of life" theme (or as close to it as the subject matter can). It chooses to show that not everyone that has been left behind is "bad", and that many of the magic users are actually quite decent people.

The comic's first impression, that of entertainment, was pretty decent. I was interested enough to read it all the way through. The artwork was a bit offputting, as it was not the type I usually like, but the style was very nice to look at. There were a lot of details & shading to look at. However, what will draw the reader back is the sheer amount of questions & themes such as "what makes us good or bad?", "why should some go to heaven & others not?", "what really is redemption?", as well as many, many others. I've found myself musing over the themes in the book longer after the initial reading, enough so to the point where I'm planning on purchasing the book on my next outing.

This book may not be for everyone, as some people like their heavy themes & their comics to be seperate. Others may be put off by the artwork as I initially was & not choose to finish it. I recommend heavily that the reader gives this book a chance. It's very much worth it.

I really enjoyed the narrative of Therefore Repent. The story is an engaging and well thought out comment on religion without being overtly preachy. My only grievances with it are that the characters felt a little bit hollow, and I would have liked to see this done in full color. I know the B&W was an artistic choice, but color can really bring things based in fantasy and magic to life.

Great read overall, and I've lent it to several friends who also enjoyed.

this graphic novel(a true graphic novel, not serials in trade format) is amazing. i eagerly await anything else by jim munroe!

WOW, where do i start? I really like this book, but being a Indie comic i will have some gripes that can't be fixed due to it being pretty subjective. First i love the art, Sam Salgood is such a good artist in black and white and the techniques used with shadows and lighting really brings this Graphic Novel to life.

Now I'm a fan of Black and white comics (From Hell, Jinx, Fire, Torso, Goldfish) etc. But this book is just amazing, instead of just keeping it Black and white its a mixture of Black, white, gray. The chapter 3 title page with The Venetian blinds shadowing lilth as she slept looked amazing and part of me wanted the whole book to look like that (unreasonable and unrealistic i know) . But that's the part of me that wants Artist to spend 3 years on one book just doing art. Every thing else was simply amazing.

One day just like any other, people just begin rising up in the air. The whole world begins to know that god has taken the lucky few to heaven and left the sinners on earth. The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth?? Hmm. After this happens, magic is suddenly possible and people begin turning water into wine and selling it. All is good?. So they think. Solders sent from god come to earth and start killing off the rest of the sinners left on earth.

The story is what has me at ends here. I love it but the ending makes me think...excuse me French slang W.T.F? In a good way but also in a bad way. Without giving away the ending, its like think of what you thought about the M. Night Shyamalan film "The Village". Great ending, but I feel that what it could had been had there been no surprise ending was a little more interesting then what transpired, some might think differently (this is why i said my gripes are subjective). With that said, it really makes you think about religion in a different light at the ending but only if you really understand the ending message.

The characters in this book range from strange, to cool, to really, really interesting. The book centers around 3 characters. A lady that has a crow's mask on, a boy who has a mummy costume on and a talking dog. During the story you get little peaces of info on how the dog began to speak, but nothing directly on really how (they make you read in-between the lines).

The other grip i have about this book is the placement of the actions, there are not many actions in this book, but when there is, it's not really done too well (i know the books focus isn't action, but if its just being done a couple times at least make sure they make sense)

The best parts of this book really can't be told, you must read it for yourself. For under 25 cents used...you better. Jim Munroe and Salgood Sam are beginning to find there way in my vocabulary, Jim Munroe's next book "Sword Of My Mouth" I'll make sure to get new.

I guess you could call this an anti-Left Behind--the post-rapture world from the perspective of us heathens.

This book is cluttered with clever, imaginative ideas. The talking dogs manage somehow to be pretty horrifying. The various mutations and magical powers people acquire are rather interesting. Lesbian e-mail is kinda awesome.

Unfortunately, it lacks any direction. Often the plot feels like it's been cobbled together--a set of moments the creators wanted to put in but didn't quite know how to string together. Perhaps it needed to be longer so it could be developed, but nothing about it felt quite real. There was a very strong sense that this was supposed to be a realistic story, to the extent that people would act like you or I would. Something about all the characters' reactions felt false. Something about the storyline didn't make sense--was most of the population raptured?--or a small portion of it?--how exactly are things still working?--how did religion play into all of this? The final twist in the ending makes it worse--rather than making some sort of sensible form to the whole thing, it just turns it into shoddy science fiction.

To buy the storyline, you have to buy the premise. This book fails to sell its premise. All the creative concepts get deflated under that failure. If there is meant to be a volume two or more, it will have a lot of work to do to make up for this one, to make it actually WORK.

Should you buy it? I don't know. I still have an affection for this little book, though I don't think it was worth the price. It depends on whether you need a good strong storyline and well-realized characters to enjoy a book. There's certainly some nice work on layouts. The art, while often amateurish, occasionally has a beautiful evocative quality. It all depends on what you're really looking for.

I ordered this comic book as part of a christmas present for a friend who likes this kind of theme. It came on time and in perfect condition.

This was a good read. It was a little short for my taste, but makes you think about a new alternative to the traditional post-rapture world.

This is a book about the Rapture, but not specifically, so if you're looking for the Biblical Rapture and Apocalypse, you might be disappointed. This isn't Left Behind. However, if you're looking for an incredibly creative scifi or superhero story that involves religion, this might tickle your fancy. And that's all I'll say, I don't want to ruin anything!

The art can be a little hard to follow at times, but never bad enough to throw me off. It's gritty and at times beautiful. The writing is the best part, the characters are full and believable, the dialogue is human and touching, and the story is nothing short of original and innovative.

Definitely worth a look!