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Heck
Straight from the pages of the hit digital series DOUBLE BARREL! It's his own personal Hell. After the funeral of his estranged father, faded hometown hero Hector "Heck" Hammarskjöld finds himself the new owner of the old man's house... and inside it, a portal to the underworld! With few other prospects on the horizon, Heck goes into business settling inheritance disputes by contacting the recently deceased, accompanied by his faithful sidekick Elliot. But when an old flame knocks on their door with an important message for her late husband, Heck and Elliot embark on an terrifying journey down into the nine circles, braving the horrors of Hell for an assignment that will reveal more than they ever imagined. Award-winning cartoonist Zander Cannon (The Replacement God, Top 10, Smax, The Stuff of Life) collects his serial from the hit digital magazine Double Barrel into his long-awaited first graphic a story of memory, friendship, and regret, where the past is dead and buried... but not out of reach.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 30, 2013
9 people are currently reading
296 people want to read
About the author
Zander Cannon
213 books37 followersAlexander Cannon is an American cartoonist, known for his work on books such as Top 10, Smax and Kaijumax.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
February 17, 2021
Hector "Heck" Hammarskjold is a former high-school football star that becomes something of a reverse medium: instead of calling spirits into the world of the living to answer questions, he travels into the underworld himself to seek them out. That feels way more difficult, and I wonder why no one in this story ever seems to think of the easier reverse solution, given how common spirit mediums can be in ghost stories and such. I might have wanted to hear a word of it.
But it doesn't really bother me that much - magic's weird, is all, I guess - because the story is otherwise pretty great. It depicts hell as a genuinely unsettling place, its workings and its torments eerie and bizarre and difficult to maneuver around, yet making a good amount of sense in their own terms. The characters are also decently deep and fleshed-out, even the minor ones, and there's a good twist or two coming with them.
The art isn't the best. It functions within the story confines, it has the same sort of otherworldly quality to it, but I never thought of it much anyway. Still, it doesn't detract much of the story even at its worst, so it's all right.
But it doesn't really bother me that much - magic's weird, is all, I guess - because the story is otherwise pretty great. It depicts hell as a genuinely unsettling place, its workings and its torments eerie and bizarre and difficult to maneuver around, yet making a good amount of sense in their own terms. The characters are also decently deep and fleshed-out, even the minor ones, and there's a good twist or two coming with them.
The art isn't the best. It functions within the story confines, it has the same sort of otherworldly quality to it, but I never thought of it much anyway. Still, it doesn't detract much of the story even at its worst, so it's all right.
August 24, 2013
The initial drafting of this book was produced, Cannon said, through a Minneapolis-St. Paul 144 Graphic Novel project. In other words, you submit to the discipline of producing a crazy number of pages a week and you have a book. Almost no one actually accomplished this feat, exactly, but he got enough of a start on it to finish it eventually, his first solo effort. And the feel of it is initially FAST, like fast sketched... like it feels rushed... but then you can see how much emotion can get conveyed with very little, and Cannon is deft at doing this quickly, with just a brush stroke. And the idea seems at first "fast," too, like an idea that could have used some time.... and again, I was wrong. The tale is of Zack, who inherits his father's house which has a portal to Hell, and he develops a business to send letters to people there from others who are living. Heck was a popular football player, he abused his popularity, and so he also has to pay for his lost vanity and other sins.. .accompanied by unpopular Elliot, who he ignored in school and who he is responsible for hurting... The tale is finally complex, one of guilt, responsibility and redemption as he encounters many people in Hell, some of who are his own demons...This looks almost shoddy at first glance, but as it turns out, has some surprising depth and power to it, testament to Cannon's artistic and storytelling abilities.
September 20, 2015
I needed to take a break from reading a dense book of poetry so I picked out this long book sticking out from the shelf. A light action re-telling of Dante's Inferno it is not. Heck's primal and gaunt panels craft a story that is haunting and human. I hadn't expected to reflect on the nature suffering and what love means on a primal level. Great stories are everywhere, a really amazing work. I want to find more works of Zander Cannon.
September 10, 2013
no man can reasonably expect a book to be this good upon picking it up on a whim
June 29, 2013
A big surprise --- I was expecting more of an adventure romp (hero and sidekick go down to hell), but Cannon tells a full emotional story here. I was especially moved by the disconnect between the adventurer planning to go to hell ("weird monsters") and his experiences there, full of dread, temptation, and especially guilt.
March 17, 2013
http://andalittlewine.blogspot.com/2013/02/review-heck-by-zander-cannon.html
The good folks at Top Shelf Comix sent me an advanced galley of Zander Cannon's Heck, which I'll try to review without too many puns. The following phrases have been purged from this review during editing: hell of an adventure, many layered exploration, lingers like hell.
Heck is Cannon's first graphic novel (though he's a Harvey Award nominee for The Replacement God and Eisner Award winner, with Alan Moore and Gene Ha, for Top Ten). He also worked in a Prairie Home Companion reference into his bio.
The plot is straight-forward: Hector "Heck" Hammarskjöld is the estranged son of a sorcerer, who finds a gateway to hell in dad's basement, then decides to take up the adventuring life, acting as an abyssal currier service for grieving mortals who want to ask one last question of the dead.
But this is not a horror story, nor is it a morality play. At its heart, Heck is about Heck's disappointment with himself. The other characters, the people who Heck has pinned hopes and expectations onto, never come into focus quite as clearly as he does. The only woman in the story is a grieving widow/ potential girlfriend. There is Elliott, the faithful sidekick to who Heck is indebted. And then there is Heck's father. There is no reference to Heck's mother.
Where the book really takes off is when we start to realize the effect that these trips to hell have on Heck's memory.
Because the human mind can forget a lot. In fact, I'd argue must forget a lot to be able to keep going. I broke my leg a couple years ago, and that shot of pain when I tried to stand up was the single worst feeling I've ever hand. But I don't remember the pain itself, only that I was in pain.
Heck finds the same thing is true about hell, and about his life on Earth. He's rationalized and compartmentalized a million little sins (and a couple of big ones) so that he can keep going. So has every character in the book. So how does he respond when he sees the consequences in hell? Cannon's book suggests that there are limits to forgiveness- limits to what we can forgive ourself for, and limits to what we can forgive others for.
I read the galley on an iPad held sideways, which framed the 8.5"x 5.5" pages quite nicely. While Heck is still in digital serialization through Double Barrel, I kept thinking about how great the hardcover will look when it comes out.
Everything is drawn in black and white, in a style that I'll call "harshly lit cartoon." The cartoonish-ness of some of the panels balances the seriousness of the content (contrasted with something like Sin City, where the lightlessness of the panels was an equal part of the mood). That sense of light provided by the ample white space on the page was probably amplified by reading it on a backlit screen, so (again) it'll be really interested to re-read it when the hardcover comes out.
The good folks at Top Shelf Comix sent me an advanced galley of Zander Cannon's Heck, which I'll try to review without too many puns. The following phrases have been purged from this review during editing: hell of an adventure, many layered exploration, lingers like hell.
Heck is Cannon's first graphic novel (though he's a Harvey Award nominee for The Replacement God and Eisner Award winner, with Alan Moore and Gene Ha, for Top Ten). He also worked in a Prairie Home Companion reference into his bio.
The plot is straight-forward: Hector "Heck" Hammarskjöld is the estranged son of a sorcerer, who finds a gateway to hell in dad's basement, then decides to take up the adventuring life, acting as an abyssal currier service for grieving mortals who want to ask one last question of the dead.
But this is not a horror story, nor is it a morality play. At its heart, Heck is about Heck's disappointment with himself. The other characters, the people who Heck has pinned hopes and expectations onto, never come into focus quite as clearly as he does. The only woman in the story is a grieving widow/ potential girlfriend. There is Elliott, the faithful sidekick to who Heck is indebted. And then there is Heck's father. There is no reference to Heck's mother.
Where the book really takes off is when we start to realize the effect that these trips to hell have on Heck's memory.
Because the human mind can forget a lot. In fact, I'd argue must forget a lot to be able to keep going. I broke my leg a couple years ago, and that shot of pain when I tried to stand up was the single worst feeling I've ever hand. But I don't remember the pain itself, only that I was in pain.
Heck finds the same thing is true about hell, and about his life on Earth. He's rationalized and compartmentalized a million little sins (and a couple of big ones) so that he can keep going. So has every character in the book. So how does he respond when he sees the consequences in hell? Cannon's book suggests that there are limits to forgiveness- limits to what we can forgive ourself for, and limits to what we can forgive others for.
I read the galley on an iPad held sideways, which framed the 8.5"x 5.5" pages quite nicely. While Heck is still in digital serialization through Double Barrel, I kept thinking about how great the hardcover will look when it comes out.
Everything is drawn in black and white, in a style that I'll call "harshly lit cartoon." The cartoonish-ness of some of the panels balances the seriousness of the content (contrasted with something like Sin City, where the lightlessness of the panels was an equal part of the mood). That sense of light provided by the ample white space on the page was probably amplified by reading it on a backlit screen, so (again) it'll be really interested to re-read it when the hardcover comes out.
October 27, 2015
Cartoony in style and format, Zander Cannon's "Heck" is a surprisingly mature comic - tackling mortality, guilt, and the obligations of love - in the guise of a pulpy adventure book. It's an ambitious undertaking, one that doesn't always work, but it's still a journey worth taking.
Born from a variation on the 24-Hour Comic Challenge, the brisk chapters of "Heck" follow Hector "Heck" Hammarskjold and his loyal sidekick, Elliot, as they venture across the levels of Hell (the entrance to which happens to exist in Heck's newly-inherited basement) to contact the deceased husband of their friend, Amy. Cannon uses a loose, black-and-white style that fits the story perfectly, sparse in parts and ominously heavy in others. The plot is very clever, with elements of classic myth, but Cannon throws enough of his own ideas in to keep the reader on their toes. The ending felt a little rushed and chaotic but the addition of a heartfelt epilogue really ties the comic together.
Fun but thought-provoking, "Heck" is a helluva ride (pun intended). Heck may have trouble remembering his travels through Hell but the book will definitely stick in your mind.
Born from a variation on the 24-Hour Comic Challenge, the brisk chapters of "Heck" follow Hector "Heck" Hammarskjold and his loyal sidekick, Elliot, as they venture across the levels of Hell (the entrance to which happens to exist in Heck's newly-inherited basement) to contact the deceased husband of their friend, Amy. Cannon uses a loose, black-and-white style that fits the story perfectly, sparse in parts and ominously heavy in others. The plot is very clever, with elements of classic myth, but Cannon throws enough of his own ideas in to keep the reader on their toes. The ending felt a little rushed and chaotic but the addition of a heartfelt epilogue really ties the comic together.
Fun but thought-provoking, "Heck" is a helluva ride (pun intended). Heck may have trouble remembering his travels through Hell but the book will definitely stick in your mind.
March 14, 2017
I had a really hard time getting used to the sketchy, messy font that all the text is written in, but the story is fantastic and I loved how it evolved from chapter to chapter.
September 2, 2018
Full review to come!
July 22, 2020
This was a weird concept that went in weirder directions, but managed to pull off a surprising level of empathy for its lead, albeit through a circuitous route. Heck is a former football star who returns to his home town for his father's funeral and discovers a strange portal in his house, which he turns into a business opportunity. That business opportunity puts him through severe trials, forcing him to come face to face with what it means to be a friend, what love means, and the results of actions. There's a surprising amount of action, some humor, and a lot of emotional turmoil, especially highlighted through reminiscences. Heck makes for a much more profound protagonist than I expected from the first few pages, and the way things played out defied my expectations at nearly every turn. The art isn't particularly impressive, black and white without much detail, but it serves its purpose without getting in the way. This was an unexpected experience and one I greatly enjoyed.
November 14, 2022
A past-his-prime football star runs a business traveling into hell to deliver messages to communicate with the dead. We travel with Heck Hammarskold as he traverses infernal circle after circle on behalf of his high school crush, who needs information from her recently deceased husband.
I picked up this older Zander Cannon title on the strength of his stellar Kaijumax. Heck is a decent early effort but doesn't measure up to the giant-monsters-in-prison series. Cannon attempts a level of narrative complexity (Heck's communications to Amy from hell appear in her writings and memories dating back to high school, which provides a vehicle for flashbacks) but these feel awkward and inconsistent. You can see the author finding his legs.
I picked up this older Zander Cannon title on the strength of his stellar Kaijumax. Heck is a decent early effort but doesn't measure up to the giant-monsters-in-prison series. Cannon attempts a level of narrative complexity (Heck's communications to Amy from hell appear in her writings and memories dating back to high school, which provides a vehicle for flashbacks) but these feel awkward and inconsistent. You can see the author finding his legs.
January 12, 2018
EN
I just picked up Heck in Humble Bunle and though what the heck. I did not read what it is about, just saw the cover and found it interesting (with a bunch of other comics in the bundle).
Already the Prologue with its characters and mood captured my attention to a surprising extent. The more surprised I was when this serious start continued to maintain the serious tone while the hero visits Hell.
A strong depiction of Hell with a lot of pain and suffering that cuts deep.
I was taken by the simple but expressive drawing that is same as the world and the story, simple, captivating, dark while fragile and tender.
"What about unicorns then?" "That's ridiculous. ... They have been extinct for at least thirty years."
I just picked up Heck in Humble Bunle and though what the heck. I did not read what it is about, just saw the cover and found it interesting (with a bunch of other comics in the bundle).
Already the Prologue with its characters and mood captured my attention to a surprising extent. The more surprised I was when this serious start continued to maintain the serious tone while the hero visits Hell.
A strong depiction of Hell with a lot of pain and suffering that cuts deep.
I was taken by the simple but expressive drawing that is same as the world and the story, simple, captivating, dark while fragile and tender.
"What about unicorns then?" "That's ridiculous. ... They have been extinct for at least thirty years."
January 10, 2019
So, I made a blind buy at Half Price Books on this Graphic Novel that was published back in 2013. I just couldn’t say no to the little mummy figure on the cover. Also, when reading about the author, I noticed that he is located in Minneapolis, like myself, which always gives me further incentive to read. #SupportYourLocalAuthors
The book is called Heck by Zander Cannon and I must say I really enjoyed it! Not only was it unique and interesting but it also hit me in the feels department. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone but if you are someone that enjoys a story dealing with some heavy stuff (life choices, successes/failures, death, etc.) but also has some twists and turns and subtle humor... give this a shot!
I highly recommend it!
The book is called Heck by Zander Cannon and I must say I really enjoyed it! Not only was it unique and interesting but it also hit me in the feels department. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone but if you are someone that enjoys a story dealing with some heavy stuff (life choices, successes/failures, death, etc.) but also has some twists and turns and subtle humor... give this a shot!
I highly recommend it!
March 26, 2019
This is an unwieldy book (long, thick) but I loved the story. From the cover and the setup it sounds like it's going to be a standard monster-filled odyssey but ends up being much more about relationships and the spectrum of badness of sins, and there's a twist. The author describes his process at the end (one of those "chain yourself to a chair for a day every month and force yourself to write/draw") and how that worked/didn't work... I think that process made for a less conventional story perhaps?
March 4, 2014
via NYPL - When his father passes away, Hector inherits a house with a doorway to Hell, so he creates a business taking messages to loved ones on the other side. Some of the dialogue is clunky, but this is a terrific action-adventure stuffed full of Dante-inspired imagery, small and large sins, and the importance of true loyalty. Definitely worth a place in any comic book library.
July 10, 2013
This book really surprised me. At first I thought it might be an adventure story from the cover, but upon reading it, it was a lot more. There's an adventure here, sure, but it's much more about a man confronting his past and finding friendship. I really enjoyed it.
October 18, 2013
Oh, my heart. Oh, Elliot.
May 29, 2016
I only got 25 pages in- can't do it, back to the library with you!
December 27, 2020
One star is just for Elliot.
July 15, 2021
A washed up former high school football star opens a business journeying to Hell and back. Didn't know what to expect from this and was quite surprised to get a moving subplot about friendship in addition to some really great fantasy mechanics: such as a communication device that travels back in time to implant the message in the receiver's conscience. Hell is imagined in great barren stretches of black and white and some of the monstrous designs are absolutely terrific, this perfect amalgam of mythology and folklore with scifi and fantasy tropes. Could have used a biblically accurate angel but, probably wouldn't have worked in the simpler art style.
Twist in the story also really surprised me - just all around clever stuff here.
Twist in the story also really surprised me - just all around clever stuff here.
November 13, 2018
This is my 4th time reading this book. It is an absolute favorite of mine. I was lucky enough to meet Zander Cannon at the most recent Rose City Comic Con, and he signed and sketched in my copy. This book is so intense and dramatic, but also funny at times. The art is rough and raw, inky and rich. Like a newspaper strip that's outgrown its limits. I highly recommend this book. It'll make you think on your own life, for sure.
June 23, 2019
Pleasantly surprised with this book. Not typically a drawing style that I get into, but this book had a fully formed story with good character development and a decent plot twist. I became attached to the characters as well and was glad that there was a fully formed ending. I’m actually curious to know more about Dante’s levels of hell now and if this book was the author’s own interpretations or based off of the old tale.
April 24, 2020
A PI ventures into Dante-esque layers of Hell in this supernatural noir with heart and solid plotting. It has some great emotional moments and an imaginatively crafted world. The uncolored illustration occasionally offers starkly beautiful pages in a woodcut style, but in general I’m not a huge fan of the hurried looking art. It likely serves a purpose though, since the phantasmagoric depictions would be much less pleasant if they weren’t drawn in such a simple cartoonish style.
October 8, 2020
I've read so much random crap in the hopes of finding gems like this.
I don't even know how I found this. I think someone mentioned it in a review of something else I read that wasn't particularly good.
But this is about a man who runs a business running around in hell communicating with the dead for paying clients. In this particular situation he's running down to talk to his high school sweetheart's ex husband.
I thoroughly loved everything about this.
I don't even know how I found this. I think someone mentioned it in a review of something else I read that wasn't particularly good.
But this is about a man who runs a business running around in hell communicating with the dead for paying clients. In this particular situation he's running down to talk to his high school sweetheart's ex husband.
I thoroughly loved everything about this.
July 26, 2023
First I've read of Cannon and I quite liked it. The set-up is a bit hoky but isn't that always the case with supernatural stories? Well, no, it's not, but it sometimes is. Once you get to the top of the ramp and onto the highway, though, it's quite a tale. The drawing and lettering are a bit rough, but I liked it. This could be a much bigger story, or a movie, or a rockopera or something.
July 26, 2021
A brilliant combination of derring do and Dante’s Inferno. What starts as a typical adventure evolves into a rather lovely tale of friendship and cold hard truth about the nature of sin. With simple, sharp monochrome imagery, this comes highly recommended from myself.
January 16, 2018
Very interesting concept. I'm a huge Dante fan so I was pleased with that part but Zander Cannon put his own twist on it.
March 30, 2018
sooooo gooood!
August 19, 2018
Awesome! A really good story that doesn't fit the typical all-action graphic novel mold.
May 10, 2019
A phenomenal little graphic novel about mortality and friendship. Highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews