Therefore, Repent!

by Jim Munroe, Salgood Sam

What if the religious right... are right? Once the Christians have floated bodily into the sky, life goes on pretty much as usual for the immoral majority.... except that magic works, if you're willing to risk demonic mutations. CNN reports that Mr. Christ and Mr. Bush are on a speaking tour of the red states. And an angelic army appears to have been deployed to mop up the sinners. But through it all, outsiders Raven and Mummy face the possibility of a bigger problem than the end of the world: the end of their relationship.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Fiction, Religion, Graphic Novels Comics, Horror

160 pages, Paperback

First published August 7, 2007

About the author

Anarchist (Though as far as I can tell the non-violent type), Vegan, Dad. Jim Munroe is also a talented young author particularly notable for his novel "Flyboy Action Figure comes with Gasmask" and his indie DIY-leanings. See his website for more information, especially regarding those 'indie DIY-leanings' which he is particularly passionate about.

Reviews

[Brad · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am so pissed off after reading Therefore Repent that I would love to spoil the hell out of the book for everyone and do it without putting on the spoiler nope ... not going to do it concealer.

It has a great concept.

It had beautiful pencils, some of the most beautiful I've seen.

It had cool ideas.

But it blew everything it had going for it by being nothing more than the beginning of a beginning with no middle or end. Too many threads, too many subplots, too much promise teased us into interest and then went nowhere because the book is too short by about 480 pages. Talking dogs, homogenous angels, demons, people regaining magic and on and on and on -- they are all gestating, and they are never given the birth they deserve.

What a disappointing load of crap. And the ending was an amateurish cheat. And it was delivered with an air of "Boy! Aren't we clever?!" which made me livid.

Huge disappointment since I loved the only other thing I've read by Munroe -- Angry Young Spaceman. I think I may have to read that again and see if I was just so damn sick at the time (I was suffering from a brutal case of bronchitis) that I couldn't discern quality.

Stay away from this book.

[Mauoijenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting graphic novel of times after the rapture.
Excellent graphics. Just wished the story was as good as they were.

[Elizabeth A · Rating 2 out of 5]

This graphic novel has such a fantastic premise: What if the religious right, are right? Once the Christians have floated bodily into the sky, life goes on pretty much as usual for the immoral majority, except that magic works, if you're willing to risk demonic mutations.

Unfortunately it does not deliver on that promise. The artwork is really great, but the story is way too convoluted, with too many sub plots that seem to lead nowhere in particular. It actually felt like I was reading an abridged version of a complex and wonderful story.

[Cora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moody post-Apocalyptic fantasy that plays off of/reimagines tropes from Revelations. This is more or less right up my alley, given that I spent much of my early teenage years obsessed with Left Behind and other, more obscure Christian novels about the end of the world. (Also, UFOs. I watched a lot of Sightings in those days.) Revelations in this case gets all mixed up with '00s-era tropes, so there are angels prowling the world who look and act much like the American troops in Iraq, and George W. Bush is still president and struggling to explain why he wasn't raptured up to heaven.

The structure of the book is a little weird, all atmospheric and digressive for the first five chapters before things settle into a more conventional path in the last twenty pages or so. I generally thought the artwork was striking, but it was occasionally hard to recognize characters. If I have an issue with THEREFORE REPENT, it's the same issue that I keep having with graphic novels: it's too short, and I think I'd rather read a novel-novel that really delved into the world and its characters more than a 160 comic book really can. Having said that, I have the sequel sitting on my coffee table and I'm looking forward to getting into it.

[Christy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Excellent drawings, terrible story. I guess it was mildly interesting to read about a theoretical post-rapture, but that's it.
The ending didn't redeem the wandering of the rest of the book, in my opinion.

[Trin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A post-apocalyptic graphic novel that features a neat take on the Rapture and some seriously confusing art. When I could figure out what was supposed to be going on, I enjoyed this.

[John Sundman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jim Munroe is a leading light in the do-it-yourself/self publishing universe. After getting bummed out by some less-than-thrilling experiences with the Big House who published his first, science-fictiony novel Flyboy Action Figure Comes With Gasmask, he set out to create a methodology and infrastructure for people (like me) who had decided to go the non-corporate, auteur/artist route. As a founder of AdBusters, Jim had strong culture-jamming experience and street cred upon which to build.



One result of his going out on his own was the No Media Kings website, another was a kind of permanent tour of musicians, artists and writers, both of which are vehicles for similar-minded do-it-yourself artists. He's written & published several SF novels, and he also makes low-budget indy films and videogames. I've met Jim once or twice, and he's given me some publicity and advice.



Jim's most recent book is a graphic novel about a post-Rapture world. Below, a short review, part of my occasional series of reviews of self-published books.



Therefore Repent!

By Jim Munroe

Illustrated by Salgood Sam

No Media Kings

ISBN 978-0-9686363-4-3



Our story opens on claustrophobia-inducing subway car, where we meet a person wrapped up like mummy and a person wearing raven's head mask. Somebody is railing about Jesus.



Right off the bat we have kind of a of post-apocalyptic feeling, which only intensifies as we turn the first few pages. Rapture has happened, and among those left behind, everything is somehow wrong. Telephone, water, electricity-- all are in scant, irregular supply. (Mummy-boy and raven-girl, who are kind of aimless drifters, get prime squatter's digs, taking over an apartment no longer needed by some Christians who have gone up into the sky). But why is everything wrong? Although the Rapture has happened, it turns out that not that many people are actually gone. 144,000 believing Christians is not very many from a world of six billion people. Even if all the Raptured Christians had lived in North America, that's still fewer than one person in a thousand who has gone. So why is everything falling all to hell?



A couple of reasons, actually.



There's Bush in the White House asserting marshall-law powers, backed by some guy who looks like Jesus. Clearly, government is fucked up. On top of that, there's all kinds of magic and spook going down, and things just don't work the way they used to. To borrow a phrase from Howard the Duck, it's as if a cosmic axis has shifted, and the laws of the physical universe have changed in some kind of hard-to-quantify way. And finally, there are the damn angels, who are kind of like parachute infantry that don't need parachutes because they have wings. They are remorseless professional soldiers who have occupied the cities and who kill, with guns, swords and other efficient weapons, anybody who steps out of God's line--where “stepping out of line” is defined in a pretty arbitrary way. For example, if you go to the aid of somebody hit by a car, you're likely to be summarily found guilty of “laying on of hands”, which is tantamount to sorcery when not performed by a Christian, and for which the punishment is death.



So it's kind of like Baghdad, only with magic: dogs talk, people discover powers — levitation, clairvoyance, invisibility, ability to conjure animals out of ashes--and a kind of anomie lies thick over everything.



In this depressing chaos, an order begins to emerge. Like-minded people find each other, help each other, discover unsuspected abilities. And eventually they reach a kind of equilibrium in the new environment, which is in some ways, despite appearances, a better environment than the pre-Rapture one. And they decide that they have to get rid of the angels.



So, that's the plot.



In Munroe's storytelling, some of this is apparent, some of it only becomes clear when you go back and read it a second time after reading ahead a few pages, and some of it remains frankly murky.



The artwork is good; some panels are great.







The treatment of angels as paratroopers is wonderful.



Reading graphic novels is a learned skill, and I haven't really learned it yet. I used to be quite a comic reader back in the day, but don't do it much any more and I haven't kept up with conventions for showing time lapses, emotional states, different interpretations of the same incident, etc. In other words, sometimes I didn't have a clue what a particular panel was trying to tell me. In Therefore Repent, some backstories are mere hints. There's a “Lilith” character who has some kind of special significance. Me, I just wonder what she's doing there--although the means of communicating with her is great.



Some of the panels are much better drawn than the others; clearly Salgood Sam is a talented artist, but I got the feeling that some of the panels were rushed. But hey, don't take my word for it. The guys have generously put a whole lot of the book online, and you can check it out for yourself. Take a look & see if you like it!



In summary, I liked the book for its great “whole fucking planet turned to shit” look and feel & its very satisfying contrarian response to the ugly premise of the “Left Behind” series.



The surprise ending is consistent with what's in the bible. Go buy a copy; it will help offset the karmic imbalance caused by all the copies of the LaHaye crap out there.

[Hans Otterson]

The narrative compels the reader to press forward until it...doesn't. The two main characters almost have three dimensions, and the mounting tension between them holds the reader's interest. And then suddenly, just when something might happen, just when a third character comes in who might change or even explode the dynamic between the two main characters, the narrative skips forward three months and drains all tension away, then suddenly ends on a cool idea that is unearned and goes nowhere.

???

(This is a part of the Shelf Love project: shorturl.at/dCRV9)

TL

[Joel Miller · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Therefore, Repent!" has a cool concept but suffers heavily from a disjointed/ directionless plot and poor characterization. There are a lot of interesting ideas and characters in this book, but very few of them are fleshed out.

This could still be a good read for people who are interested in basking in the general ambience and weirdness of Monroe's post-apocalyptic Chicago, but that's about it.

[Robert Mound · Rating 4 out of 5]

IDK, a lot of cool ideas at the end and the beginning, but they are not really connected. I kinda wish there were two different stories.

The world ending (or not) is worrisome
The relationship ending (or not) is more concerning....

It was a fast read and a lot of the art was evocative...

I liked Angry Young Spaceman more

I also appreciate Nomediakings.org (artist/author site)

[Brian Gaston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great art and a decent story and art. Those that read graphic novels should like this.

[Nathaniel Waisbrot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet and I loved the illustrations. It's a bit frustrating because the ending feels like a cliffhanger but is not resolved by the sort-of-sequel "Sword of My Mouth"

[Loki Wylde · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I picked this up I was excited to read it. Description on the back was fantastic. Unfortunately it just didn’t live up to what it set me up for. It felt like there were a lot of loose ends and unanswered questions. Timeline of the plot had some holes that you couldn’t be sure when they happened. I wanted to hard to like this book more.

I’m still giving it a 3 because the idea and artwork is nice and promising. But fair warning that you will be disappointed.

[Jon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Blah. Didn’t enjoy this. Storyline was too convoluted, unclear who was who or which storyline was which. Pencils had potential to be nice, bigger format would’ve helped this. But as it stood on its own it made it look messy and unclear. Not worth the time it takes to read

[jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a post-apocalyptic graphic novel with fascinating secondary characters and a flimsy grip on linear narrative. The story opens when Mummy & Raven arrive in post-Rapture Chicago. Half the population of the world has floated up into the sky during the Rapture, and the half "left behind" are negotiating their way through a mysterious, spooky, anarchist world. They are split into two groups - people who think they can commit enough good deeds to float away when a secondary rapture takes place, and those who don't believe in a secondary rapture. The Rapture has left plenty of great, furnished, empty apartments for squatters to inhabit. Society has more or less collapsed in many of the big, important ways, although individual people have decided to keep certain functions running - some people volunteer as school teachers to children, even though the education system has collapsed. Some policemen still walk their beats. Some bartenders still tend bar, and some store clerks keep their shelves stocked. Raven & Mummy are romantically involved in addition to their former life as bandmates. Pre-Rapture, they toured, attending musical festivals in their costumes/masks. Post-Rapture, they kept their stage identities to remind someone of something (I was unclear on this point). There are plenty of elements to keep the story weird. The corner store only accepts playing cards, not cash. The couple's dog starts talking (and other dogs talk, too). For some reason, there are still active yoga studios? Magical spells and activities are increasingly commonplace, but the weirdness of the world naturalize the magical elements.

While I don't love the artwork, I can appreciate the style & storytelling. I personally don't prefer the really heavy, dark illustration style in this book. I thought the storyline was too out there, and the character development was insufficient. The romantic storyline seemed like an afterthought. The premise is so interesting, and the bits of story that 'worked,' well, they really worked. Overall, I had a difficult time accepting the fictional world and a tougher time keeping up with the plot development. I really like the author's ideas and characters, however, so I would definitely read something else of his despite my low rating for this book.

[#ReadAllTheBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book at a local book market & almost bought it. Now I wish I had.

The premise of the book is that one day the Rapture occurs & much of the world's population was spirited up. Those that are left behind have discovered that magic does really exist, but with a price- anyone who uses it will eventually mutate into something otherworldy (usually demonic) looking. The ones left behind must also deal with the other odd problems of being left behind, such as finding places to stay, food, and avoiding a fleet of angelic looking beings that seem determined to eradicate any magic users. From the description, the book could have easily become an apocalyptic battle comic, yet it chooses to stick more closely to a "slice of life" theme (or as close to it as the subject matter can). It chooses to show that not everyone that has been left behind is "bad", and that many of the magic users are actually quite decent people.

The comic's first impression, that of entertainment, was pretty decent. I was interested enough to read it all the way through. The artwork was a bit offputting, as it was not the type I usually like, but the style was very nice to look at. There were a lot of details & shading to look at. However, what will draw the reader back is the sheer amount of questions & themes such as "what makes us good or bad?", "why should some go to heaven & others not?", "what really is redemption?", as well as many, many others. I've found myself musing over the themes in the book longer after the initial reading, enough so to the point where I'm planning on purchasing the book on my next outing.

This book may not be for everyone, as some people like their heavy themes & their comics to be seperate. Others may be put off by the artwork as I initially was & not choose to finish it. I recommend heavily that the reader gives this book a chance. It's very much worth it.

[R.C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

"What if the religious right... are right? Once the Christians have floated bodily into the sky, life goes on pretty much as usual for the immoral majority... . except that magic works, if you're willing to risk demonic mutations." And also risk getting hunted down by the "angelic" army that seems to have been deployed to take out the "covenant breakers". Raven and Mummy, two lovers who live in this new world, find themselves smack in the middle of the mystery of what all these supernatural changes mean, as well as in the middle of more personal worries, like where their relationship is going (if anywhere).

The art was good, the story original. What WOULD happen, physically and sociologically, if all the "Chosen" ascended? Not, of course, what you'd expect. Talking dogs, magical powers, and "angels" with semi-automatic weapons included. The story fell a bit flat at the end, as this seemed more a concept book than anything: heavy on the characterization and world-building, but lighter on actual plot. There was also obviously room for a sequel, so what plot there was got truncated near the end. Original enough that despite all that it was memorable and consistently interesting.

[Thurston Hunger · Rating 3 out of 5]

First thanks Todd for loaning this to me.

Ultimately feels like a Star Trek episode that ends with the "duh da-da-duh da-duh da-da" sound, but goes through some darker, blurrier moment first. Both in story and in sketch. The main characters are intriguing but kept mysterious enough, masks become faces sometimes symbolically, sometimes more. It's a rambunctious flow of ideas, "she-mail" , cards for money and your talking dogs for free. Also it's kind of sad to think that dysfunctional relationships may persist in their dysfunction even as the number of potential mates dwindles rapidly.

Maybe just maybe mysticism is both the doing and undoing of the world. As an agnostic, I'd rather not have my apocalypse now, but scheduled out as long as possible. Worth tracking down, or better yet getting to know Todd, and borrowing the book as an afterthought.

Duh da-da-duh da-duh da-da.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good, honestly so good. The artwork is gorgeous, the writing is spot on, just such an enjoyable read. And it's such an interesting concept, a post-rapture story. How the rapture represents the absolute proof of God's existence at the moment at which all possible relationship with him ceases, how and why people stay below, and how people can get used to almost anything as normal. I loved it. I think he gets the main characters and their interplay just right, and from that everything in the story feels real. I have to say the ending's a bit wobbly, but you do write yourself into a corner when you have a lot of likeable characters who have nothing but damnation to look forward to for all eternity. Even with that, it was so good I stayed up til 1 in the morning read it, despite only having had 4 hours sleep the previous night and reeaally needing my sleep. Highly recommend.

[Dustin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great art - in a strait-forward modern comic book style though. Often interesting framing, but also often missing the shots that tie the action together,confusing me from time to time.

The story is half-hearted and amateur. It seems more of a nonsensical collections of small thoughts that fall under the umbrella of what a post rapture world would be like. Then, to top it off there's a random "what if the rapture really meant this" ending that, I guess, vaguely ties the story together. But it feels more like the writer had a concept for a world in which to have a story, took a few characters he'd already used and put them in that world, and had a pretty good idea for an ending. Now all we need is a conflict, some subplots, more characters, a storyline probably couldn't hurt...

[Todd N · Rating 3 out of 5]

Graphic novel with a very interesting take on a post-rapture world where dogs talk and angels hunt down "breakers of the covenant" with semiautomatic weapons. Two performance artists -- one wearing a raven mask and one with a wandering eye in more ways than one -- settle down in Chicago where decent squats are easy to find because a large portion of the population have ascended to the heavens.

Great concept and great art marred by an abrupt ending with a little too much bodhisattva-en-machina. Though I have to admit that I sort of enjoyed where the raptured people actually wound up.

Knowing that Jim Munroe was a managing editor at AdBusters (which I didn't while reading) makes me want to reread it.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

My super awesome brother bought this for me from Mr. Munroe. It's signed and came with a t-shirt. I've always had a little trouble reading graphic novels and this one is no different. Although as I was telling brother earlier, most of Mr. Munroe's books are kind of like that at first because the worlds he creates have some pretty significant differences than the world we live in and he doesn't waste any time explaining it at the beginning, which is sort of cool. Carter, my brother, also told me that one of the main characters (or maybe more of them, I don't know) is/are from An Opening Act of Unspeakable Evil and that's cool, too.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmmm. What to say. This graphic novel wasn't exactly what I expected it to be, but I still enjoyed it. The artwork is beautiful and the characters interesting, though I found that none were really explored in detail. Lots of different plot concepts were touched upon but not elaborated on, which led to some frustration on my part.

I happened to read this graphic novel at the same time as I was reading N.K. Jemisin's The Broken Kingdoms, and I found the combination of the two to be quite interesting. Not sure if I would have liked Therefore, Repent! as much otherwise.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I like Jim Munroe (you might remember I gave "Fly Boy Action Figure Comes With Gas Mask" a pretty good review), I think in the case of this novel, Salgood's artwork simply overpowers it. Sam's art is exquisite, here, though, and will keep you turning pages long after Munroe's writing has lost you (be aware, too, that the two main characters actually have their origin story in a different book, which was something I didn't discover until after I'd finished).

[Ula · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were parts of the book where I got a bit lost. The art isn't as clear as it could be but it's an interesting premise and an ending I liked a lot. This is a post-"rapture" book where tons of people have floated into space while everyone that's left is figuring out the new world where magic works, dogs talk, and angels are gunning people down. Short and a fast read but the art could be a little better in some of the action pages.

[Eva Nickelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the pencil drawings. The graphic style suited the story of a post-rapture world. The story started near the middle, hinted at an origin, and quickly ran through an explanation and end. I liked the idea of a sparser story, letting the reader fill in the rest, but for some reason, I felt like the snippets that the author choose were incoherent to a cohesive story. I still really enjoyed the idea and most of the characters.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the artwork and I like the premise. My wife had already warned me it was a confusing story so I read it expecting to keep track of multiple threads as I went.

For a book that was mostly linear there were _so_ many subplots and so many unexplained ideas presented that the ending is abrupt.

But at the same time it was entertaining and holds promise. A sequel could possibly help. And I liked the dog. I'm simple that way.

[Seth Kenlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a story! this is a supremely unique and inventive and bold graphic novel the likes of which I don't believe I shall ever see again. The story's a post apocalyptic tale - quite literally, with angels roaming the street of the Earth, wearing combat helmets and bearing guns. Horrific, strange, and creative. Fantastic book. It's just one volume, too, so you can read it in one or two sittings and not have to invest in a whole series.

[Kilean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the style of the artwork and I was really getting into the story, and the characters, when it ended. I'm hoping there's another one in the works. If you're a fan of post-apocalyptic landscapes/settings, as a lot of people seem to be these days (go figure), this might interest you. Also fiddles with religion and mythology just a bit.

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous and brilliant. Funny and upsetting. Truer to graphic novel format than, say, Persepolis, which is written for those who don't typically read graphic novels, so this one can be a bit confusing at times. But it's GREAT. Post-Rapture Chicago, with lesbian street thugs, talking dogs, and an angel militia. Sweet.