Devil on one shoulder – angel on the other. One tells you to do bad things, the other . . .  well, you get the idea. Bad news for a recovering alcoholic if the “good” one is MIA. Between a liquor-gulping demon and a mummified cat hell-bent on mucking up his fragile stability with esoteric trappings of Egyptian Gods, it’s all about to make our hero’s day hit the proverbial fan.

Does the above sound weird? Well, the actual comic is weirder.

The first issue of Miniature Jesus introduces us into this world in a confused drunken spin, disoriented like the main character. We’re not told a whole lot. There’s an alcoholic who is talking to possibly imaginary beings. But, maybe they’re real? Then we shift to a priest and the whole “miniature Jesus” part.

It’s weird. Very weird. Almost like David Lynch weirdness mixed in the gritty world of David Fincher.

I had to go a re-read the comic it’s so odd. That’s not a bad thing at all. Entertainment is supposed to entertain, but also can challenge those partaking in it. And this comic did the latter for me. I poured over panels looking for themes or hints. I looked at the gritty art dissecting to see what the deeper meaning is. And I wondered if I was too sober to appreciate it.

The comic is interesting and hopefully it’ll go on discussing great themes and socio-issues like religion, sobriety, mental health and perception of reality. This first issue is an interesting read overall. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t leave me perplexed at the same time. As a mini-series, the overall work matters more than an individual part, but this first part had me torn. I can’t quite recommend it for people to buy, but at the same time, it’s set up is so odd and interesting, it’s hard not to.

Story and Art: Ted McKeever
Story: 7.75 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.75 Recommendation: Read

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review