The end of the world is near, but writer Tom Hutchison doesn’t much care, and bless his heart for it. Angels and demons are at each others throats in the streets of Las Vegas, vying for dominion of the mortal realm. But much of the sixth issue Penny for Your Soul is interpersonal: conversations take place, some spiritual and others philosophical, but all are witty. I’d expect no less from characters like Danica, Jesus, and the Devil himself. It’s the ideal guest list for an unforgettable dinner party.
Need I recap what’s been transpiring in Penny for Your Soul? I’m only going to gush as I always have; it’s a book that’s never wavered in its quality, which is a rare gift with truly independent books. Creators breaking into the industry usually enter at a steep learning curve—they learn as they progress, book after book. But not here, not with Hutchison, artist J.B. Neto, and colorist Oren Kramek: they’ve been solid with their product from the beginning.
The world of Penny was always simple enough in the beginning. Danica, the granddaughter of Lucifer, owned and operated the Eternity Hotel and Casino, where patrons could trade in their souls for $10,000. Of course, when said patrons die, they’re servants to the succubus and her devilish, sexy denizens. By her side is Mary Magdalene—yes, that Mary Magdalene. She’s actually a fan favorite of the series, and warranted an overall enjoyable spin-off book dedicated just to her.
But no more. Ignoring the specifics, war has broken out between heaven, hell, and the world in between. Some say Danica is responsible, others the Devil, and even Jesus has had some of the blame pinned on him. It doesn’t matter: war is now upon the world, and War himself, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, is in the middle of a game of strip poker with Mary, known as “Maggie” by her friends. Who could blame her? When War peeled off his shirt, I nearly fainted myself. And what a sword he wields—but I’ll leave it at that.
There’s a clear and clean synergy between Hutchison, Kramek, and Neto. That’s one of the most fascinating angles of comic-book creation: how well will different writers and artists work together to create a final piece of respectable work. It’s occurred here. These three creators have made a wonder of a book.
I could go on and on about the events in the issue and how much I enjoy the series overall, but why bother? Simply read the book for yourself: like all of the issues before it, it’s great. I give it my highest recommendation.
This comic book review originally appeared on Broken Frontier on 22 March 2011.
