Wagner offers up a complex look at religion and corruption in this unusual and challenging comic book. I'm no follower of the Grendel name... I've not cared for a few of the Grendel stories I've sampled. But this one has really grabbed my attention. He explores political and sociological issues of great importance, and much to my entertainment, spotlights the hypocrisy that seems to so often pop up in the world of organized religion.
Innocent XLII has risen to the office of Pope within the church, and he uses his influence, charisma and resources to feed upon the rich and poor alike, draining them of their finances. One man -- Orion Assante -- has decided enough is enough, and he makes a move to investigate and govern the pope's plundering. And he's not the only one to take an interest in Pope Innocent XLII's corrupt reign.
I remember Snyder's artwork fondly from Suicide Squad in the late 1980s, I believe, and his angular style is easy to recognize years later. He certainly brings the appropriate intensity and darkness to the story, but I was looking for more in the way of exotic scenery, given the nature of the plot. In #0, artist Tim Sale offered more extreme settings, and I was hoping for more of the same here, something in the vein of the City from Ellis and Robertson's Transmetropolitan. Fortunately, the characters are as twisted as the system in which they exist.
This is a dense read, and even a dizzying one at times. But Wagner still makes his points with conviction and intelligence. His script asks a lot of the reader, but the subject matter merits the attention. Eventually, a system in which the line between government and the church has been eradicated comes into focus, and the only balance to stave off corruption and abuse, ironically enough, is Corporate America. Wagner has constructed a rich political, philosophical and economic structure here, and one reading really isn't enough to fully fathom its complexities.
This book directs the reader's attention to the bottom of a slippery slope, where we see one man determined to climb back up, dragging a reluctant, ignorant society up with him. It takes a while to realize that that man is the narrator, not the pope, but it's a pleasant surprise when that truth is revealed. Orion's will is impressive, but Wagner is careful not to portray him as a saint. He's devious, ruthless and possessed of a taste for his own vices, not unlike his opponent.
Note: This comic book was not among this week's new releases.
