Over the past week I have written Holy F*ck dozens of times and let me tell you… it’s really hard to write that. I’m not one to censor myself, especially with the “F” word, but you gotta respect the title. That asterisk makes it funny! It’s like when Adult Swim leaves the censoring on the DVD’s because it’s funnier with it, than without. That said if you’re not a reader then you can listen to the audio review of this first issue on our podcast, if you are a reader… which why wouldn’t you be, then you should definitely check out my interview with both creators: Nick Marino and Daniel Arruda Massa. As for the issue itself… it’s fucking awesome. I want that known up front, it’s fucking awesome.
The story beings with Sister Maria tied to a pole and fire underneath her. Zeus demands her to tell him everything and see refuses! Isis steps in and tells her it’s not too late to save herself by worshiping them, but Jesus isn’t having it! He rides in on a chopper and after throwing in some tear gas jumps in the window of the abandoned barn and begins shooting the hell out of Zeus and Isis.
The story jumps back two weeks earlier as we find Sister Maria in Tokyo. She’s praying outside of a Karaoke bar, but when she pushes her way inside we find out that there’s more than singing going on inside. Point in case she finds Jesus getting busy with two ladies! And he’s smoking crack!!! She grabs him like only a nun can and forces him outside. Sister Maria begins crying and Jesus attempts to comfort her, but this only sets her off on a tangent. Through this it’s revealed that Jesus only has ten days to save the world!
Let’s cover this again real quick, this issue is fucking awesome!
Nick Marino’s script is funny, but then there are all these touches of humanity in it as well. Jesus may be a crack smoking double banging dude, but he comes across genuine in his concern for Maria. Maria, as I’ve been told in my interviews, is the star of the story and that’s pretty clear seeing how she’s the driving force behind the plot. She’s quite the character and the perfect straight man to Jesus.
The art brings this story to life. Daniel Arruda Massa’s distinct style gives the story personality. It gives it humor and at the same time keeps it from being to jokey with itself. The art and writing have this great balance that really makes the humor pop. There isn’t a ton of action in this first issue, but what is there is straight out of the 80s… but better.
It’s a quick read, but you’ll likely find yourself reading it a couple of times. At this point I’m on read through four and it’s just worth the time. I’m not usually one for Biblical satire because a lot of it falls flat or just gets too preachy, but with Holy F*ck it’s looking to tell an interesting story that doesn’t take itself seriously, but doesn’t get lost in trying to bash the Bible in every possible way. Truly this is one of the funniest stories of the year and you still have ample time to pre-order it. Do that now!
Score: 5/5
Writer: Nick Marino Artist: Daniel Arruda Massa Publisher: Danger Zone/Action Lab Price: $3.99 Release Date: 12/24/14 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital