Garth Ennis is probably one of the best writers of my generation, as he has a style that reminds me of Larry McMurtry, while his fearlessness borders on Alan Moore’s bravado. He has carved a nice little niche, that few writers today even come close to, and few comic book houses would even dare to publish, except for Image and Black Mask. His run on Punisher is what made the character, far beyond the frame of a dark brooding anti hero, but a man who uses vengeance as a way to assuage pain. His penultimate creation, Preacher, has and still questions everything that is status quo, and asks the fundamental question of whether these institutions would even last in a society, where the beliefs they were built upon, were meaningless.

He explores those dark corridors and dirty streets, that no one dares looks at, much less venture. His characters are vibrant, real, disgusting, and familiar all at the same time. I always wished he had written an issue of Marvel’s brilliant What If series, as the questions he would raise would definitely be mind altering. He pretty much has done that in this graphic novel, asking a question, that global politics often makes the world wonder, if we are ever on the brink of war.

In this graphic novel, he asks the question of how the world will be shaped if there was a third European conflict, what type of people would emerge from such a confluence of events. Enter the main character, Mary Malone, a ruthless assassin, who has a binary set of problems, in an insane cult and an immortal man. She does what it takes to survive within this world, often, facing many moral crises along the way. By book’s end, you will never find a bloodier trail of dead bodies, than what Mary has laid in her wake, as she proves that our best heroes are almost always flawed.

Overall, a story that is so visceral, that it makes you feel as dirty as Mary did, but will make you feel grateful for whatever situation you do live in. The story by Ennis is beautiful, ugly dangerous and powerful. The art by Carlos Ezquerra, feels like 90s comic art at its best, as you can surely tell that is exactly what he was going for. Altogether, a ride worth taking, as this Ennis within his comfort zone, which makes it one of his best.

Story: Garth Ennis Art: Carlos Ezquerra
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review