Sword of My Mouth #1

Written by Jim Monroe
Art by Shannon Gerard

Two years ago this week-end (I remember because it was at TCAF 07), I picked up the excellent 'Therefore Repent' graphic novel by Monroe and Salgood Sam. It told of a world where the rapture has taken place, and magic has suddenly appeared, and armies of angels have suddenly attacked. It was an interesting concept, made much more so by the way in which is simply focused on two characters, Raven and Mummy, and their disintegrating relationship.

Now, this six-issue series is following up on those events, and is set in the same world. This series is about a young woman with a baby, who has been abandoned by the baby's father. She's living in Detroit, but her place has been burned down. There is also a gypsy woman who sells charms, and a few other glimpses into this strange new world.

The art on this book is lovely. Gerard eschews a normal panel lay-out, instead telling the series in a series of images on a page which occassionally overlap. It's an interesting look, and I find it works nicely here. My biggest complaint would be with the lettering on the book - it is not very uniform, and I found that at times it brought me out of the story.

I'm really glad to see that IDW is giving Monroe the chance to return to this particular playground. There was so much story potential in 'Therefore Repent', and it's good to return there to explore. If you haven't read the original graphic novel, I recommend getting it before reading this series. Not only is it excellent, with an incredible twist at the end, but this book won't make much sense without it.

Update: While talking with Jim Monroe at TCAF today, I learned that the rest of the series will be serialized online (for only $1 an issue), and collected into a trade at the end. Go to Monroe's site to find out more.