I don’t really know what I was expecting from this, but the creative team and synopsis intrigued me. Corey Taylor and Richard Clark team up for this original Dark Horse mini-series. This story was kind of all over the place. It reminded me of a novel that I once read that had an interesting story, but would have been better if there was more substance. Unfortunately, that substance isn’t really seen until the very end. I understand that writing for the comic book industry has its attraction, and that it’s the cool thing to do now, but it’s not for everyone. Luckily it was a fast read. This story follows “The Human” in a nightmarish alternate reality where he is confronted by his dark twin and is forced to escape from an antagonist named “Black John”. The ultimate goal is to reach a place called “The House of Gold and Bone”, which seems to hold his salvation. On this quest given to him by his doppelganger The Human relives different moments in his life along with narrowly escaping Black John and his psychotics at every turn. This all eventually leads to a final battle that proves to be the best part of the series. There is also a moral at the end that is rather nice. I think that I smiled when I read it.
I don’t write comic books, so maybe you won’t take this seriously, but the writing just seemed like it was coming from a very inexperienced writer. Of course, Corey Taylor doesn’t write for comic books professionally, but it’s obvious that it’s his first try. I just didn’t buy it. The dialogue is actually ok, but I found it really hard to care overall.
I did like Richard Clark’s art. It wasn’t anything that would attract me to a book by itself, but I think that it was a good fit with the chaotic writing and “twist at every turn” type story. Jason Shawn Alexander did kind of blow me away with the cover art, though. I wish that the interior had been filled with that stuff instead. That would have probably fit even better.
Overall it was fine, but I don’t recommend it unless you have an intense loyalty to Corey Taylor and his music. I don’t know, maybe you’re a big fan of his, but that wasn’t enough to keep me interested. I will definitely keep an eye open if he decides to take on writing again, but I’ll make sure that my curiosity isn’t the only thing involved in a purchase, though. I suggest giving this a read if you ever find a copy of it lying around your friend’s house or abandoned in some rest stop bathroom garbage can. All I can say is that I put off writing this review for a reason.
Score: 2/5
Writer: Corey Taylor Artist: Richard Clark Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $14.99 Release Date: 11/27/13