Hell Was Full

I love Branson Reese's weird little comics. He's been one of my favourite internet artists for a very long time, so it was a delight being able to get a review copy of his book!

It's very much a specific sense of humour that he captures, and if you don't like the first few strips, it's probably not for you. But if you like alternative comedy, 'weird' humour and a very niche viewpoint of the world, then it's definitely worth giving it a try.

More and more I feel like collections of gag strips are the toughest thing to review. Already with a comics review, I can completely understand why some people include excerpted panels, just as you would quotes when reviewing prose. And with four-panel strips you can really get a much better feel from reading a couple than from anything I can say about them. So with the understanding that this is an entirely imperfect medium in which to convey the effect: scratchy, scabrous little vignettes, often ending with one or more of a) an unexpected cock and balls; b) unexpected pooping or c) a defiant, deranged scream at a blank and uncaring cosmos. Most of them have explanatory notes underneath, which generally serve more to cement Branson Reese's persona as too cool for school than to actually explain anything. God generally comes out of it about as well as he does in a book by Richard Dawkins, or as we used to call him, Oolon Colluphid. The strange bit, though, is how they get better the more of them you read at a sitting. Normally with gag strips, I just feel a little glutted if I go through too many at once, stop relishing them in the same way. Whereas here I need a few to get warmed up before I get in the right mindset to start cracking up at this marriage of occasional high culture references (Truth climbing out of her well to shame the world is a particular highlight) with puerility and nihilism. Maybe it just takes me that long to admit what an understandable response that is to this world.

(Netgalley ARC)

I haven't laughed so much for a such a long time. This was exactly my kind of humor, it was not disgusting but put with the right amount of weirdness. I am going to buy this no matter what. I am glad I find this author and can follow his accounts and see his creations, because man, this is really awesome.

I genuinely love Reese's art and I can't remember the last time a set of comics made me laugh so much. It hits all my buttons, in spectacular style.

But at least as funny as the book itself, are all my fellow Goodreads reviewers who collectively turn their noses up at the book, making me feel wildly interesting and intellectually superior, while they will see me for the uncultured idiot I undoubtedly also am, so everyone's happy. Thanks, Branson Reese!

I love, love, love Branson Reese's chatoic engery. I've been a big fan of his webcomics so I got very excited when I saw this arc copy. I enjoyed it so much. Reese uses a very minimalistic, kinda messy way of drawing things but every now and then you see how that is a choice because that man can draw! So the art style furthers the narrative. And what  weird, funny, smart, and even philosophical narrative it is. I laughed so many times!