Heretic

by Robbie Morrison, Charlie Adlard (Artist)

Sherlock Holmes meets The Name of the Rose in this dark and thrilling graphic novel reimagining of one of the most fascinating Renaissance figures.

Belgium, 1529: The city of Antwerp is ravaged by a macabre series of killings. Forced to investigate by the all-powerful Inquisition, knight, doctor, lawyer and reputed black magician Cornelius Agrippa and his young pupil Johan Weyer are plunged into a maelstrom of murder, madness and magic.

Featuring stunning black and white illustrations, Heretic is a gripping original graphic novel by artist extraordinaire and former Comics Laureate Charlie Adlard (The Walking Dead) and award-winning crime novelist Robbie Morrison (Edge of the Grave).

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Horror, Historical Fiction, Crime, Fiction, Religion

128 pages, Hardcover

Published December 17, 2024

Reviews

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heretic is a historical fiction graphic novel set in Antwerp during the height of the Spanish Empire. As part of the Low Countries in the Empire, the Spanish Inquisition was in full effect and served as a brutal tool of subjugation on the populace. The story here focuses on the mentorship of Johann Weyer (author of the influential work, On the Illusions of the Demons and on Spells and Poisons) and Cornelius Agrippa, the latter of whom is tasked by the Inquisitors to investigate a series of blasphemous crimes. Weyer, a bright-eyed and somewhat naive novice, serves as the primary perspective, and it's through his eyes we see Agrippa as a self-assured and at times, cocky, instructor in the more arcane arts. Agrippa, known for his often controversial fields of study such as that of occult philosophy, was no easy friend to the Inquisition, but his status in society made him a tough target for the power-hungry Inquisitors. The characterization of Agrippa in this story is effectively that of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, just with more emphasis on philosophy.

With Heretic, Robbie Thompson weaves a fascinating murder mystery tale with the trappings of a historical fiction narrative. Though the story does careen towards a rushed ending in the back half, the underlying mystery is intriguing all the way through and the characters are all fascinating. The villains are a little one-dimensional, but overall serve the purpose of providing the tense and paranoid atmosphere that would undoubtedly have been cultivated by the presence of the Inquisition. Charlie Adlard, most known for his lengthy tenure on Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead, brings a sense of gravitas with his artwork. Like with his previous work on The Walking Dead, Adlard uses black-and-white artwork to great effect, and with Heretic, it's even sharper this time. The visuals are reminiscent of the works of the great horror artists to grace the Warren magazines like Creepy or Eerie, and this aesthetic just works really well with the story.

[Joel L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heretic was a good read combining the historical context of the Inquisition with the story of a man who would not compromise his convictions just conform to the ubiquitous demands of the church. The story showed how diabolical some men of the church could be while trying to exert their power. Good storyline and good graphics. The only thing a little disappointing was the ending which could have been more dramatic.

[Greg S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun seeing Adlard’s art again.

A Holmes and Watson story during the Renaissance except Agrippa is more diametrically opposed to the other characters and society at large.

Good pacing.

[Dbgirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doctor/lawyer/knight/alchemist/occultist/astrologer/black mage Agrippa is forced to investigate some murder cases by Inquisition. It’s a gloomy and wild 16th century and no-one is absolutely save when the lunatic men in powerful positions are inciting fear among the citizens.

I thought this was a fantasy story, but in the afterwords the author said that there really was a man called Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim. I also thought his character was surprisingly and unrealistically modern feminist, until again from the afterwords I found out he was one of the first public male feminists speaking on behalf of the women. The ending was too rushed and I couldn’t understand from all of the panels were they dream or hallucination scenes. I’d think it more of a storytelling problem. The art was perfect all the way through. An ambitious work for I could have given more stars if it wouldn’t had the kind of ending it had.

[Kastie Pavlik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pertinent to today since history repeats itself seemingly without end or sense.

I'm quite familiar with the inquisitions and witch hunts, so unfortunately this story didn't tread enough new water to be entertaining. It's really a fictionalized account of sad, horrible things that happened to people in the name of God and still happen to people in the name of (insert name here). There isn't anything unexpected here. I found it dry given the predictability and the amount of civic awareness.

I came in expecting something like Hellblazer, some fucked up Constantine type shit. Yeah, there's s fair amount of social commentary there, too, but it's bloody entertaining. Don't come in expecting that.

[Mee Too · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was almost really good. It seemed like he had to wrap up an idea he wasn’t finished with.

The main character was fun, kinda Sherlock Holmes- ish.

[Canavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

✭✭✭½

[Martin Gehrke · Rating 4 out of 5]

scary reminder of our current times

[Juan José · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Seven" en el Renacimiento, o algo así

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A riveting, powerful polemic against the religious paranoia of the Inquisition, with its wanton torture and murder of Jews and women falsely accused of witchcraft and blood libel. This graphic novel offers a fictionalized, high-wire tale featuring two historical doctors of the 16th century, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa and his student, Johannes Weyer. They stood up for truth, equality, and openmindness in an age of witch trials and violent antisemitism.