Holy Terror

Personally I don't really get it, it's not really racist like so many people claimed, in fact if you think it's Islamophobic you're probably the racist since it doesn't specify anywhere that they're Muslim... But the story itself is unclear, like there's barely any story at all. The art itself is also hard to follow, for a piece of visual media it's incredibly difficult to tell what's happening from panel to panel, everything is messy lines. In that the black and white art style does it a huge disservice because a little color would have gone a long way as far as differentiating shapes from each other.From what part of the story I could follow it feels like reading a book from the middle of a series, it doesn't start at the beginning, and it doesn't feel like anything was actually resolved by the end.

5 Stars

SO, many people are hating on this because its not Miller's best work and all that...I have to admit, its not his best work; I know he can do better but the fact that he's been working on this for a long time, i am pretty sure he wanted to get it over so quality was affected here. The story was not top notch, the flow of the narrative (or the pacing) was some what confusing as well. So what is good about this book? Well the creativity of the art, Miller showing that he's experimenting on some new techniques, and ...........I think thats it. I like that he shows us these fantasy-like places that some how resemble or look like NY. And then the underground place looks like a movie set from an 80's sci fi. There are some good moments in the story but the story is kind of short; a quick read if anything. So is this a good book?......It all depends on your fan level on Miller's work.

It's a cool and subversive graphic novel, just what you would expect from Frank Miller. Dude is a frikkin' genius! Would buy again.

What can I say? This is the guy who co-directed with Robert Rodriguez, Sin City, the most spectacular noir movie I've ever seen. This is not a comic book, it is a display of, first, Frank Miller's imagination, and second, his style, totally unconventional and still very noir, very classic. When you see a page completely rendered in black and white and you see nothing, then start watching. And out comes the detail, the suggestive forms, the elements' positions; even in his telegraphic way, the renderings give you the complete view of the scene... if you are watching. Don't want to spoil, but in one fantastic fight the only way to make sense of it is through the colored soles of the fighters; only then you get their tortured and indescribable fighting positions. Pure gold. A collector's item.

My review has little to do with his politics. But it's hard to write a review without at least referring to Mr. Miller's current politics, this book has some serious Islamophobic characters and plot elements. If you can accept a story about Islamophobic Batman styled vigilante, not totally unlike the Punisher, then you are probably going to be ok.I'm not sure what's got into Frank Miller's politics, nor do I care, his old man rant regarding the "Occupy movement" among other things, seemed to have set many people off and taint much of the online discussions regarding Holy Terror. I've even read online where some people are so angry they are getting rid of all their Frank Miller books. I probably won't unload all my Miller books, but I am kinda glad I got my copy of Holy Terror for $15 off at amazon, instead of paying full price.I'm a huge fan of Miller's work over his entire career, and even though I don't agree with much of the politics behind "Holy Terror," I found it an interesting read, and found the art to be worth full price. Some of the pages are amazing. Some of his best work ever. While some of the pages are barely better than Dark Knight Strikes Back (the long awaited sequel to Dark Knight Returns one of his all time best). Dark Knight Strikes Back a piece I consider a bit of an artistic low for Miller, despite it being a great fun read. And those horrible amateurish photoshop effects didn't help the long awaited sequel any.I would argue that 300, done just a few years earlier than DK2, was a a career high point. And the coloring was again as good as anything done on Miller's work, redeeming the failures of DK2. Holy Terror begins to claw it's way, in a none to pretty way, back to the same high quality as his best works, like the first Sin City collection or 300, and in some cases surpassing both. There are pages in Holy Terror that are arguably no better than Dark Knight 2. But there are a some pages, especially the full pages that seem different, out of place, there seems to be a painterly quality, he was all over he page, huge action and great compositions, some great high contrast techniques and it looks like he might have been using some washes too. They reminded me of the early Sin City with Marv. I'd almost bet he was doing those on a larger scale, maybe even on an easel, and standing up. Some use of white or washes creating an almost painterly effect, ironic for the man's work has been largely high contrast black & white, primarily with his Sin City books. But sadly the technique is only on a handful of the pages, but what there is is worth the price of admission if only to study the art.If you are looking for a tough, Sin City style superhero story and love Frank Miller's art, you'll love this, but if the politics and anti-muslim plot elements are too hard to stomach, you may want to avoid it.

as a fan of Mr Miller i find myself a little bit confused over this graphic novel. OK i know i'm a bit of a philistine but i much prefer the 'Sin City' series

I liked the book but there are few things which I didn't particularly appreciate:- the paper is very thin, I'm afraid of damaging it even while just turning pages- the initial scene of the two main characters fighting was less than impressive IMOThe rest is great- Miller's art style, the plot, the content of every single page.Thank you Frank Miller for doing what you think is right and not caring about what others might say.

book required for school

I have followed Miller for many years, The art and one liners are as good as always, The story is full of hate. I have watched Terror wash across the world and wept. Miller, as always, goes to extremes to prove a point, sadly I am not sure what the point he is trying to make.I am saddened that there are no winners in the real life Islamic Extremism and the portrayal of Terrorism and Reaction to it in this story, I feel that this is what Miller is trying to achieve, he has done it with Spades and I feel that in doing so he has not served the purpose that he is trying to achieve. I hope and pray that this is an experiment that was flawed at it's inception and I note that he portrays many of the victims as Muslims themselves.The concept was flawed, the story horrific and the taste left in my mouth after reading it was as acrid and dry as the sands of Syria and Iraq where the war of religion and politics continues today, I do not think I will be able to read this piece without a tear in my eye for all the victims of the Madness we face today and I will not be able to read it again anytime soon.Before you buy and read this bear in mind that it was written to shock and provoke thought, it is successful in this regard. It is either a Masterpiece or a Failure................ or perhaps both.

There are a lot of opinions about Holy Terror floating around, they generally fall under the: how dare he category of cometary, of course nearly all these come from sources that haven't examined the work. So what's it really like? Let's start by trying to describe my visceral reaction to what is an extremely visceral work. It's no exaggeration to say that it made me feel sick, truly sick, I didn't lose my breakfast or anything but it engendered a palpable nausea that lingered uncomfortably. That's a pretty astonishing achievement for any work I can say. Holly Terror is literally unlike any comic I've ever read and I wasn't prepared for it, superficially the notion of merging real world threats with the superhero genre has historical precedents, Captain America and Wonder Woman are examples that spring to mind. Holy Terror couldn't be more different from these predecessors, they were exercises in reassurance, cosy fantasies to send the kids to bed with dreams of the omnipotence granted through supernatural powers. There are no such assurances granted in Holy Terror. There's nothing super about The Fixer, the costumed protagonist, no invulnerability, no cute sidekicks to alleviate the drama, just The Cat Burglar both garbed in crumpled customs in a world bereft of figure hugging one piece suits, unfeasible stilettos and physiques enhanced beyond the abilities of any worldly pharmacist.Miller's drawing style has always had more chiaroscuro than normal for the super hero genre of American comics. His work is sometimes reminiscent of the old Battle Picture Library in that way, although he's always demonstrated great spontaneity. In Holy Terror he's pushed back the boundaries of what can be achieved with such an approach much further than I can ever have imagined, both in the use of expansive blacks and the spontaneity with which it is executed. It is a truly astonishing piece of work and Miller conveys more than is comfortable through the strident vigour of the line work. It's executed almost entirely in black and white with some colour, reproduced in what look to be spot colour but at a much higher degree of fidelity than normal for such, so that every tiny speck and splatter is faithfully reproduced. The starkly contrasting black and white makes reading it slightly uncomfortable, there's no moderating of the blacks or easing of the whites which a gently yellowing pulp would give. What little colour there is, is applied with a calculated crudity that does nothing to ease your eyes' journey across the pages either.The reaction to 9/11 in the US, aside from the war on terror, has been to seek a restoration in the faith of the good of human nature. This reaction has seen atrocities censored from public view, reality is too insane, too hard to comprehend or stomach. Miller deliberately references such atrocities both graphically and subliminally, not something most people read comics for and not something that has been reflected in other media. To appreciate the significance of Holy Terror you need to examine how 9/11 has been portrayed in other Media, things like the films World Trade Center or Flight 93. These examples epitomize the desperate need to see the nobility of humanity. How accurate the nobility and heroism they depict is questionable but irrelevant because they represent a flight from the horror and terror. With Holy Terror, Miller has refused to acquiesce to this need and it's something for which he deserves recognition, terror is on the last page.Holy Terror is never going garner great approval from many quarters, it offends too many sensibilities, rubs too many noses in the soil and what's true of the hypocrites who've condemned it is also true of me to a degree. It was just too much for me take take in, In a way I loath it, it really appalls me and makes me shudder. It's the same loathing you experience the first time you read Wilfred Owen's Dulce et Decorum Est and I suspect it was borne from the same frustration and disgust that inspired Owen to condemn the hypocrisy that ennobled senseless slaughter. I'm not qualified to comment on the state of humanity but if there is nobility within man it lies within our ability to confront the the truth. So......is it any good then? Yes.Do I want to read it again in a hurry? No.Is it worth reading? Yes.