I am not what you call a wrestling fan, and so Holy Terror, a comic that promised to combine supernatural elements with masked wrestlers, didn't hold a lot of interest for me. However, the art of Phil Hester did hold some interest for me, and as I read this first issue, I could definitely see the John Carpenter influence that Hester talks about in his interview, which is another interest that I share in common with this creative team. Holy Terror will probably be loved by those with an interest in comics and wrestling, but the book also has things to offer for those like me who love only one or the other.
A big part of the attraction of this book for me is Hester's artwork, and it looks spectacular. Jim Woodyard's inks are different from Ande Parks's work in Green Arrow, but they are equally good, and colorist John Warren really makes the book pop off the page without losing the darkness that is inherent in the tone of the story. Hester has some great character designs as well, shown off particularly well in the model sheets at the back of the book but demonstrated throughout the story as well. I particularly enjoyed the hard-bitten Father Navarro and the design for the Holy Terror.
Caskey and Hester seem to be aiming for a sort of 80s action-horror vibe that John Carpenter would have put into his well-remembered films, and they have succeeded. Though the components of Holy Terror are somewhat quirky and humorous, they don't undercut the dark tone of the book, so that both the horror and humor have effects. The feeling of foreboding as Navarro confronts his old adversary, or the terrifying power of the Holy Terror, are certainly clear even though the idea of a masked wrestler with a link to the devil isn't exactly the most serious idea in the world.
In addition, Caskey has captured the camaraderie and competition of wrestlers in the same way that Azzarello and Raven did in their take on the sport in Tangled Web. Though this is a form of entertainment predicated on spectacle and a certain amount of ridiculousness, it is deadly serious for those who depend on the matches for their money. There's also just enough of an extra weirdness vibe in the way that the mask affects the wrestler wearing it, and I like that Caskey and Hester keep the story moving back and forth in time as well, giving us a sense of the history as well as giving us a story at the same time.
Holy Terror was not a book I was looking forward to, because despite my appreciation for Hester's artwork, the rest of the creative team was a question mark for me and the subject matter didn't sound up my alley. As it happens, Holy Terror is a strong effort from start to finish, built with a strong sense of humor and a creepy story that demands your attention and makes you want to find out more.
