Ripperman One-Shot Advance Review

Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: N/A

Written and Penciled by: Joe Martino
Co-Penciled by: Rick Buckler, Jr.
Inked by: Peter Palmiotti, Dash Martin, Peter J. Romero, Naser Subashi
Colored by: N/A
Lettered by: Johnny Lowe
Cover #1 by: Ben Templesmith
Cover #2 by: Jeff Pittarelli
Editor: N/A
Publisher: Chanting Monks Studios & JGM Comics

It’s so hard for independent comics to find an audience in today’s comic market. I pick up my share of indie titles, but so many more fall through the cracks. Thanks to Joe Martino, the writer/penciler/creator of Ripperman this one isn’t going to fall through the cracks for me. I had the distinct pleasure of reading an advanced copy of the 64-page one-shot recently, and its quality material!

For me, Ripperman brings back memories of the horror/mystery comics of the 1970’s. The set-up, the characters, and the journey have a classic feel. The story opens with the Ripperman being born on the steps of a church in New York City. He’s befriended by Father Jacob and taken into the church. As we move further through the 45-page feature story we learn that the Ripperman is born out of the unending battle between heaven & hell. It’s a well-used premise, but one that features grand battles beautifully rendered by Joe Martino and a host of talented artists.

The 45-page feature story is moves along at a fast pace. There’re several interesting revelations and plenty of development for The Ripperman. The lengthy story is given additional depth with a couple of text scrolls that run between chapters. This allows Martino to advance the storyline without stunting the dialogue or the flow of the artwork.

On its most basic level Ripperman is about a character that takes vengeance on those individuals that prey on children. While Ripperman is born from the midst of the holy conflict of heaven and hell—something not easy for most of us to relate to—his mission of retribution against the lowest form of human predator is one that I felt a connection with. Ask yourself: How many times have you wished you could get your hands on a lowlife that preys on children? It’s pretty easy to place yourself in the Ripperman’s shoes, isn’t it?

I have strong religious beliefs, but I am not what you would call a deeply religious person or one that takes a big part in organized religion. Theological aspects of comics, other literature, and especially films is something that I find quite fascinating—Especially when that look at religion is semi-serious, but can be taken with a grain of salt. Preacher is one of my favorite comic series and I find Dogma a hilarious look at some of the more interesting aspects of organized religion. Ripperman follows in the vein of those works, by giving us some rather compelling religious aspects, mixed with some fun comic-ass-kicking, and room to test your own religious beliefs.