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The Monolith
In The Monolith, we are introduced to Alice Cohen, a down-and-out ex-junkie who inherits a house in Brooklyn from her deceased grandmother. Alice discovers her diary and begins to read the tale of a lost love and revenge that begins in the factories of New York during the depression and shows the creation of a monster bent on revenge for the slaying of a good honest man. Originally published by DC comics, but collected here for the first time, The Monolith features an introduction by the legendary Jim Steranko and the amazing art of Phil Winslade. (From Amazon.com)
96 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
2 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Jimmy Palmiotti
1,681 books175 followersJames "Jimmy" Palmiotti is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film.
Photo by Luigi Novi.
Photo by Luigi Novi.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 23, 2014
This was actually pretty good! The oversized presentation (bigger than the Deluxe editions of the big 2) was more than fitting for "The Monolith", as the creature itself is quite huge. Another Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray collaboration, the story flows nicely, the transitions between the past and the present are well thought-out, in the sense that part of you can't wait to get back to that time period and see what happens next. The art by Phil Winslade is also well done, with clever use of shadows, and a style not unlike (but still distinct from) Mike Deodato Jr..
Alice, a junkie in dire straits with a thug by the name of Princeton (and his crew of gangbangers) inherits her grandmother's house in Brooklyn. As part of the number of conditions explicit in her grandma's will, she has to stop using drugs and, overall, get her sh*t together. She is also strictly forbidden to ever sell the house.
At the house, she explores it and eventually makes her way to the basement, and finds there piles & piles of books, and a chair next to the walled-up entrance to a mysterious tunnel. She hears a voice asking her to read to her, thinks she's hallucinating (part of the withdrawal from drugs) and tells the voice that, yes, she'll read to it, if it'll promise to be quiet. She picks up her grandmother's diary (also named Alice) and starts reading it out loud.
Through the diary entries, we are taken back 70 years to the Great Depression, where corruption and graft were rampant, and the poor masses had to endure slavery-level work conditions (and had to stay on the good side of foremen by offering them gifts on holidays, thereby possibly securing a little bit more work - which was extremely hard to find). We are related the story of how her grandmother found her first (and last) love in Peter, a good man who was killed for trying to prevent gangsters from using the tunnel (yes, the same one that is walled-up in "the present") to smuggle liquor from Brooklyn across the river to Manhattan. With the help of a rabbi & some magic (and some of Peter's blood), they make a golem, the titular Monolith, who then, for the next two years, cleans up their neighbourhood of the criminal element.
But, as he's handing out heavy punishment even for light offenses, they decide they need to stop him, so with yet more magic they seal him up in the tunnel. Alice (the one from the 1930's) believes that some of Peter's consciousness is still in the golem, hence the piles of books in the basement (she reads to him through the wall).
Back in the present, Princeton eventually finds out where Alice is hiding, breaks into the house and threatens to kill her. She tries to set the golem free by breaking the wall, but he still can't break out, as the magic spell that's keeping him sealed can only be broken by the people who made the spell (or, conveniently, by their blood relatives). Princeton finds Alice in the basement and shoots her through the shoulder. Some of her blood splashes on the wall and sets the golem free (again, conveniently, but we all saw this coming, didn't we?).
The actual ending I won't go into, but I think it's safe to say it's not what you'd expect. In the end, this was a good book and I'm glad I gave it a shot.
Alice, a junkie in dire straits with a thug by the name of Princeton (and his crew of gangbangers) inherits her grandmother's house in Brooklyn. As part of the number of conditions explicit in her grandma's will, she has to stop using drugs and, overall, get her sh*t together. She is also strictly forbidden to ever sell the house.
At the house, she explores it and eventually makes her way to the basement, and finds there piles & piles of books, and a chair next to the walled-up entrance to a mysterious tunnel. She hears a voice asking her to read to her, thinks she's hallucinating (part of the withdrawal from drugs) and tells the voice that, yes, she'll read to it, if it'll promise to be quiet. She picks up her grandmother's diary (also named Alice) and starts reading it out loud.
Through the diary entries, we are taken back 70 years to the Great Depression, where corruption and graft were rampant, and the poor masses had to endure slavery-level work conditions (and had to stay on the good side of foremen by offering them gifts on holidays, thereby possibly securing a little bit more work - which was extremely hard to find). We are related the story of how her grandmother found her first (and last) love in Peter, a good man who was killed for trying to prevent gangsters from using the tunnel (yes, the same one that is walled-up in "the present") to smuggle liquor from Brooklyn across the river to Manhattan. With the help of a rabbi & some magic (and some of Peter's blood), they make a golem, the titular Monolith, who then, for the next two years, cleans up their neighbourhood of the criminal element.
But, as he's handing out heavy punishment even for light offenses, they decide they need to stop him, so with yet more magic they seal him up in the tunnel. Alice (the one from the 1930's) believes that some of Peter's consciousness is still in the golem, hence the piles of books in the basement (she reads to him through the wall).
Back in the present, Princeton eventually finds out where Alice is hiding, breaks into the house and threatens to kill her. She tries to set the golem free by breaking the wall, but he still can't break out, as the magic spell that's keeping him sealed can only be broken by the people who made the spell (or, conveniently, by their blood relatives). Princeton finds Alice in the basement and shoots her through the shoulder. Some of her blood splashes on the wall and sets the golem free (again, conveniently, but we all saw this coming, didn't we?).
The actual ending I won't go into, but I think it's safe to say it's not what you'd expect. In the end, this was a good book and I'm glad I gave it a shot.
June 3, 2015
Have been wanting to read this for a while and thoroughly enjoyed it, its a very tragic tale with good old fashioned justice and also with a good bit of social history thrown in. The art is excellent and would recommend giving it a read
June 2, 2019
I wish I loved this as much as the fellow writing the forward. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed it but it was a little too familiar. The forward even makes a case for that scenario and I do agree, urban fantasy has a certain set of things fans look for. I wasn't sure if this was the beginning of something more (the ending surely felt like it) and the blurb is misleading, the protagonist is not an ex-junkie. She's a heroin addict who's just been handed a get clean or else ultimatum from her recently deceased grandmother for whom she's name.
Alice and her girlfriend, Tilt, are living rough on the streets of NYC, turning tricks for drugs. She's crossed her dealer, Prince, who is now out to get his money and a pound of flesh. Alice is whisked away by mysterious men in suits who work for her grandmother's lawyer. If she gets clean, she gets a big old turn of the century house and money. Alice isn't exactly thrilled with this but it's a new start away from a man who is likely to rape and mutilate her for money and kicks. But then she finds something in the basement.
The bulk of the narrative is really Grandma Alice's story about being a poor Jewish orphan during the Great Depression and the violence of NYC gangs, mobsters and the desperation born of poverty and prohibition. One fateful night, Alice, her would be lover, Peter, Rabbi Ravi and her Chinese friend, Han, end up on the bad end of some mobsters and from this a monster is born. Since I know the history of the Golem of Prague there wasn't much of a surprise for me.
What Alice and her new Golem do (well both Alices really) comes as no surprise. So in that way the story is a bit conventional. I did, however, really like the true historical facts woven into this like the garment district fire. I'm not so sure I like Alice the younger. Maybe if we had more of her backstory. Maybe that was to follow, if there was ever more of this. The art is amazing. It's very well drawn and gloriously detailed and the colorist did a fantastic job. It fit the tone of the book and avoided being garish.
Alice and her girlfriend, Tilt, are living rough on the streets of NYC, turning tricks for drugs. She's crossed her dealer, Prince, who is now out to get his money and a pound of flesh. Alice is whisked away by mysterious men in suits who work for her grandmother's lawyer. If she gets clean, she gets a big old turn of the century house and money. Alice isn't exactly thrilled with this but it's a new start away from a man who is likely to rape and mutilate her for money and kicks. But then she finds something in the basement.
The bulk of the narrative is really Grandma Alice's story about being a poor Jewish orphan during the Great Depression and the violence of NYC gangs, mobsters and the desperation born of poverty and prohibition. One fateful night, Alice, her would be lover, Peter, Rabbi Ravi and her Chinese friend, Han, end up on the bad end of some mobsters and from this a monster is born. Since I know the history of the Golem of Prague there wasn't much of a surprise for me.
What Alice and her new Golem do (well both Alices really) comes as no surprise. So in that way the story is a bit conventional. I did, however, really like the true historical facts woven into this like the garment district fire. I'm not so sure I like Alice the younger. Maybe if we had more of her backstory. Maybe that was to follow, if there was ever more of this. The art is amazing. It's very well drawn and gloriously detailed and the colorist did a fantastic job. It fit the tone of the book and avoided being garish.
March 12, 2021
Alice is a druggie street kid in the cross-hairs of a psycho who's determined she goes into sex work for him, or else. She inherits and old house from her aunt, which appears to give her a respite from her troubles, but the psycho's on her train and there's a mysterious Something in the basement.
It turns out that years earlier, Alice's aunt helped a rabbi create a golem. It cleaned up the 'hood but it became increasingly ruthless dealing with bad guys, so its creators sealed him away. When it realizes Alice is in danger, it bursts free ...
This was a DC series, but apparently the creators retained the rights and got the first three issues republished with Image (Batman guest-stars in the next arc, so I imagine reprinting it's off the table). It's readable, but nothing beyond that. 2.5 stars.
It turns out that years earlier, Alice's aunt helped a rabbi create a golem. It cleaned up the 'hood but it became increasingly ruthless dealing with bad guys, so its creators sealed him away. When it realizes Alice is in danger, it bursts free ...
This was a DC series, but apparently the creators retained the rights and got the first three issues republished with Image (Batman guest-stars in the next arc, so I imagine reprinting it's off the table). It's readable, but nothing beyond that. 2.5 stars.
September 22, 2025
This is the third time I read the complete series (read them as single issues) in my life.
4 different story arcs, with much background story on how and why the Golem was created by Jewish immigrants in New York during the Great Depression.
The writer shows that although times are changing in terms of technology and ways of communication, the system is empowering the “haves” instead of the “have nots”.
The same thing is happening in these troubled times, with AI mostly implemented for deepening the divide between “haves” and “have nots”.
Although different groups play different roles, the outcome will be the same if humans do not learn to restrict themselves voluntarily.
The writing is top notch, the artwork is excellent.
A true gem within the DC Universe.
4 different story arcs, with much background story on how and why the Golem was created by Jewish immigrants in New York during the Great Depression.
The writer shows that although times are changing in terms of technology and ways of communication, the system is empowering the “haves” instead of the “have nots”.
The same thing is happening in these troubled times, with AI mostly implemented for deepening the divide between “haves” and “have nots”.
Although different groups play different roles, the outcome will be the same if humans do not learn to restrict themselves voluntarily.
The writing is top notch, the artwork is excellent.
A true gem within the DC Universe.
September 7, 2019
I adored this book because it was well
executed, beautifully drawn, and well written.
The story was extremely strong and engaging, as most of their work.
I loved it right up to the last page. Then I didn’t.
Yet, I love it enough to keep forever on my shelf.
How’s that for a confounding, conflicting and confusing review? lol
executed, beautifully drawn, and well written.
The story was extremely strong and engaging, as most of their work.
I loved it right up to the last page. Then I didn’t.
Yet, I love it enough to keep forever on my shelf.
How’s that for a confounding, conflicting and confusing review? lol
January 12, 2013
I really wanted to like this one. But what should have been a menacing thriller that slowly revealed the mystery of the creature through the length of the book, turned out to be a contrived info-dump of an origin story. An extra star for the interesting artwork and the obviously well-researched historical back-story.
January 3, 2013
I'm always game for "The Golem" but this story is marred by much that feels conventional.
It's got fantastic art, and benefits from the amount of research done by the authors and the artist, but it's hamstrung by it's stock urban thugs and spunky leading lady.
It's got fantastic art, and benefits from the amount of research done by the authors and the artist, but it's hamstrung by it's stock urban thugs and spunky leading lady.
November 15, 2014
Disjointed. Boring. Predictable.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews