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geekwayne's review
5.0
'The Harrowing of Hell' with story and art by Evan Dahm is a graphic novel about Jesus Christ and his journey between crucifixion and resurrection.
After Jesus was crucified, he went to hell to defeat death. This is about that journey, along with reflections of his life on Earth. In his trek, he is mocked by demons, but breaks chains and prisons. The Earth scenes are about the people he encountered and those scenes are done in black and white. The scenes in hell add the color red to create more striking contrasts.
I was really impressed with this graphic novel. I loved Evan Dahm's 'Riceboy' and I find his artistic style really distinctive.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Boom! Studios and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
After Jesus was crucified, he went to hell to defeat death. This is about that journey, along with reflections of his life on Earth. In his trek, he is mocked by demons, but breaks chains and prisons. The Earth scenes are about the people he encountered and those scenes are done in black and white. The scenes in hell add the color red to create more striking contrasts.
I was really impressed with this graphic novel. I loved Evan Dahm's 'Riceboy' and I find his artistic style really distinctive.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Boom! Studios and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
leeshajoy's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
pacifickat's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Very cool illustrations and use of a limited color pallet (black, white, and punchy additions of red). The theology / myth / concept of the Harrowing of Hell was not taught in my branch of Christianity growing up, but I have found it to be a fascinating topic in art and literature as an adult.
This graphic novel, and similarly with "Judas" by Jeff Loveness, explores this topic by mixing ancient beliefs with very modern theologies and ideologies. Both Dahm and Loveness show respect in their own ways to the character of Jesus in the context of Hell, while challenging certain popular and historical depictions which have been adopted through the ages. I particularly liked how Dahm mentions in the author's note that his graphic novel has little to do with the idea of the historic Jesus. He is crafting a non-literal story as a way to explore the idea of the 'Kingdom of God' as set out in the New Testament book of Mark, in contrast to 'Jesus as Conqueror' or 'Kingdom as Empire'. I thoroghly enjoyed the sciptural, symbolic, and artistic references throughout, yielding an intriguing and successful exploration of these ideas. Who does the world say Jesus is, and what does it do in that name?
This graphic novel, and similarly with "Judas" by Jeff Loveness, explores this topic by mixing ancient beliefs with very modern theologies and ideologies. Both Dahm and Loveness show respect in their own ways to the character of Jesus in the context of Hell, while challenging certain popular and historical depictions which have been adopted through the ages. I particularly liked how Dahm mentions in the author's note that his graphic novel has little to do with the idea of the historic Jesus. He is crafting a non-literal story as a way to explore the idea of the 'Kingdom of God' as set out in the New Testament book of Mark, in contrast to 'Jesus as Conqueror' or 'Kingdom as Empire'. I thoroghly enjoyed the sciptural, symbolic, and artistic references throughout, yielding an intriguing and successful exploration of these ideas. Who does the world say Jesus is, and what does it do in that name?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Police brutality, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Violence and Torture
Minor: Bullying and Body horror
hell, afterlife, religious ideology, eternal damnation, the devilevanjames27's review
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
hoveros's review
5.0
A beautiful and nuanced graphic novel that tells the story of Jesus’ three days in Hell intertwined with scenes from the Gospel of Mark. It’s somewhat radical and does remind me a bit of the Christian humanist leanings of Tolstoy in what the author is trying to say. But the art, the nature of the images and dialogue and the conflicting images of who people say Christ is all make for a thought-provoking and quick read.
annnae's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
sonofatreus's review
3.0
It uses English in the manner of the King James Bible, and clunkily at that. The story is quick and easy to follow — it’s about Jesus’ descent into Hell after the crucifixion — but didn’t really leave me with anything.
I guess I liked the art here. It’s pretty spare in style and color (only red, black, and white), and Dahm does some interesting things with the Romans.
I guess I liked the art here. It’s pretty spare in style and color (only red, black, and white), and Dahm does some interesting things with the Romans.
bush42's review
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
excellent graphic novel of a particularly feverish bible story with dahm's vivid art absolutely SHINING throughout. he finds a lot of modern applicability in a very old story. not in a positive way, but still an important one.