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Oink: Heaven's Butcher
Heaven's Butcher is somehow both a sick continuation of an Orwellian fantasy and an inversion of Planet of the Apes , except with pigs. How so? In a dark, oppressive future society where concepts such as "day" and "month" have been long forgotten, the church-turned-state has decided to secretly breed humans with pigs to form a slave society. When one of the pig slaves realizes that the dogma being forced on them is all lies, he undertakes a path of revenge and revelation. Every page of Heaven's Butcher is painted in full color in a style reminiscent of John Bolton and Simon Bisely. John Mueller has an interesting take on a fairly standard allegory, and the last three pages are so good that they bring the story up a notch.
112 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1996
3 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
John Mueller
7 books2 followersIllustration, Comic Art, Concept Art/ Design, Videogames.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
October 26, 2020
What the fuck did I read?
It could have been a really interesting dystopian tale of tainted religion, science gone mad, and political corruption. However, it was only half-baked and ultimately made no sense.
Especially the ending. <--I'll get to that in a minute.
So the gist is that this pig-man makes a stand in the middle of this class (sermon?) by saying that he doesn't believe in whatever dogma they're selling, and immediately gets killed.
That moment leads to the main character, Oink, questioning his beliefs. He's been told he isn't good enough for Heaven, and his purpose is to be a slave. <--standard dystopian fare
Then he breaks out of this...facility? I don't know what they're doing to the pigs or the pig-men but he blows all the shit up and goes on the lam. This prompts some sort of Catholic priest knock-off to send angels after Oink. And by angels, I mean these Frankenstein monsters with halos stapled to their heads.
Oink meets some people who were in the original resistance against the church - a mother and son. They tell him the SECRET about his birth. And he goes on a rampage.
Here's what didn't make sense about the end of the story.
Am I missing a chunk of the story? I would be more inclined to think I was if the rest of the tale was more coherent.
To me, it seems like an interesting idea that wasn't fully fleshed out.
But, man, that art is gorgeous.
This was another book gifted to me in my Halloween/birthday basket.
Thank you, my friend!
It could have been a really interesting dystopian tale of tainted religion, science gone mad, and political corruption. However, it was only half-baked and ultimately made no sense.
Especially the ending. <--I'll get to that in a minute.
So the gist is that this pig-man makes a stand in the middle of this class (sermon?) by saying that he doesn't believe in whatever dogma they're selling, and immediately gets killed.
That moment leads to the main character, Oink, questioning his beliefs. He's been told he isn't good enough for Heaven, and his purpose is to be a slave. <--standard dystopian fare
Then he breaks out of this...facility? I don't know what they're doing to the pigs or the pig-men but he blows all the shit up and goes on the lam. This prompts some sort of Catholic priest knock-off to send angels after Oink. And by angels, I mean these Frankenstein monsters with halos stapled to their heads.
Oink meets some people who were in the original resistance against the church - a mother and son. They tell him the SECRET about his birth. And he goes on a rampage.
Here's what didn't make sense about the end of the story.
Am I missing a chunk of the story? I would be more inclined to think I was if the rest of the tale was more coherent.
To me, it seems like an interesting idea that wasn't fully fleshed out.
But, man, that art is gorgeous.
This was another book gifted to me in my Halloween/birthday basket.
Thank you, my friend!
December 9, 2016
This graphic novel was gorgeously drawn. Dark and powerful. It reminded me a little bit of Sin City, Animal Farm and Mad Max. A post-apocalyptic world. Created by the self righteous.
Our main character Oink was made into what he is. A science experiment. Man mixed with swine. Made and bred to become slaves to the city. The city of Heaven where every cog (man and beast) works to run the machine that is the city itself.
Oink learns to speak and then starts asking questions. The masters, the makers, do not find it amusing to question their authority, their guidance, their word. You do what you are told to do.
In Heaven the Cardinal is the leader. The Salvation to all those beneath him. He has men carry out his beliefs and his word of God. He also has his bounty hunters or guards, called Angels or Angels of Mercy carry out his requests of justice. The Angels all have biblical names.
What I found fascinating about the story is that it reflects Man's will onto God's will. We as a species interpret what we think God wants of us. How we may be found in his good graces. In the end we become the Gods and our beliefs trickle down and weaken those we find beneath us. Those deaf, numb and blind become servants and their blind faith do not allow confrontation. Questions are forbidden. You must OBEY!
"Ignorance is Happiness, Happiness is Sacrifice!, Sacrifice is Expected."
Our main character Oink was made into what he is. A science experiment. Man mixed with swine. Made and bred to become slaves to the city. The city of Heaven where every cog (man and beast) works to run the machine that is the city itself.
Oink learns to speak and then starts asking questions. The masters, the makers, do not find it amusing to question their authority, their guidance, their word. You do what you are told to do.
In Heaven the Cardinal is the leader. The Salvation to all those beneath him. He has men carry out his beliefs and his word of God. He also has his bounty hunters or guards, called Angels or Angels of Mercy carry out his requests of justice. The Angels all have biblical names.
What I found fascinating about the story is that it reflects Man's will onto God's will. We as a species interpret what we think God wants of us. How we may be found in his good graces. In the end we become the Gods and our beliefs trickle down and weaken those we find beneath us. Those deaf, numb and blind become servants and their blind faith do not allow confrontation. Questions are forbidden. You must OBEY!
"Ignorance is Happiness, Happiness is Sacrifice!, Sacrifice is Expected."
September 30, 2022
Die Zeichnungen und die Atmosphäre waren grandios! Aber die Handlung war dann doch etwas zu platt und die apokalyptische Welt zu einseitig.
August 21, 2016
I was very much drawn to the concept of the story, a blend of Animal Farm meets Spartacus in a socially-critical yarn that also weaves religion and politics into its fabric as the tools of control. The story could also reflect modern factory farming and much of the criticism levelled at intense farming methods find themselves represented here too. Particularly, the ethical questions of animals as commodities and cycles of enslavement. The artwork is gritty and dark and somewhat impressionistic in its style. The story was incredibly short though and at times clumsy, like the scene where Oink meets Mary, I was asking myself if I had missed a page or two as this was a very abrupt change of direction. Overall, the story could have done with much more work and this sadly did not do the artwork justice. Hence my 3 stars only. Could have been much better.
August 20, 2016
Kind of half-baked and not fully developed. This reminds me of something a juvenile delinquent might have written during study hall (or detention). Not sure where this got its "classic" status from...
October 16, 2022
The story is a little weird, a lot weird, and I don't know if it holds together as a dystopia or an anti-religious thing. But it DOES feel like if PETA hasn't been involved with this at any point, they should option it, because it's pretty much perfect for their purposes. As I understand their purposes, which I admit, is not rock solid.
The art, however, is amazing, and I rarely recommend a book for its art and despite the story, I'm usually more likely to go the other way, but in this case, while the story didn't blow my balls off, the art totally did, and the story isn't bad in a way that would prevent you from enjoying the art.
Take the trip, have your balls blown off, save on contraception. This is a win/win.
The art, however, is amazing, and I rarely recommend a book for its art and despite the story, I'm usually more likely to go the other way, but in this case, while the story didn't blow my balls off, the art totally did, and the story isn't bad in a way that would prevent you from enjoying the art.
Take the trip, have your balls blown off, save on contraception. This is a win/win.
October 6, 2016
Rareza muy interesante con la q me tropezé en una librería especializada cuando esa era casi la única manera de descubrir cómics fuera de Marvel y DC. La historia es como un híbrido de Rebelión en la granja y Espartaco con un diseño de personaje principal fascinante: una especie de cerdo Conan.
Lo q me impulsó a comprarlo fue el estilo de la ilustración en un momento en el q era muy fan de Simon Bisley, tiene planchas de gran nivel. En fin, una obra con fallas pero con los suficientes aciertos para q valga la pena.
Lo q me impulsó a comprarlo fue el estilo de la ilustración en un momento en el q era muy fan de Simon Bisley, tiene planchas de gran nivel. En fin, una obra con fallas pero con los suficientes aciertos para q valga la pena.
May 11, 2017
Oink is a slave. In fact, the majority of people he knows are slaves. In this dystopian future, religious fanatics have taken over and use a race of pigmen as slaves. Religious dogma is used to stop the pigs from questioning their position in the world and keep them compliant.
Written and drawn by the same author, Oink Heavens Butcher has a striking style. An enjoyable read which explores the dystopian setting concisely and effectively.
Written and drawn by the same author, Oink Heavens Butcher has a striking style. An enjoyable read which explores the dystopian setting concisely and effectively.
August 10, 2011
Incredible, the art is AWESOME, nice inking
The story is beyond cool
Well developed, very well formed characters, pretty intense
10/10
The story is beyond cool
Well developed, very well formed characters, pretty intense
10/10
May 4, 2021
Como metáfora es un poco débil, pero el dibujo supo plasmar con mucho tino la crudeza que el guion no.
November 9, 2022
This was a comic I read more out of curiosity than anything else. And I was all the more surprised by it when I was a few pages in and then I kept reading.
Apparently a fresh printing, this is a striking little comic.
Telling the dark and twisted story of a future human world that for those of us in the actual one, starts off as grotesque and horrifying but as we get to the how and why, takes on a new veneer.
In this world, we meet our protagonist, Oink, who is one of a whole sub-society of Pig-Man who live in bonded labour from birth to death. They are educated only to the extent needed to read man’s holy books and lessons, they labour to the bone for their human overlords who are the inhabitants of “heaven” and they even oversee the destruction of their own kind. The social structure and its enforcement are very effectively rendered despite the fairly quick nature of the story and its impressive how creator John Mueller manages to inject so much emotional impact on the reader, starting with the build up to and the moment when our hero has his “awakening” and starts his journey toward becoming the titular Butcher.
The brutality and grime nature of it all is only enhanced by the artwork. There is emotion and a raw energy that almost oozes out of the whole story. It’s a tale that both in its narrative and visuals is terrible and makes you feel something under the skin but not in the sense of cliched horror or something shocking of that nature.
It’s all horribly dystopic but I must admit that the tale as a whole is more than you’d expect as it touches on a whole array of contexts and concepts that are deeply human and unpleasant. From the bondage of a whole race to the religious persecutions and dogma, the rhetoric, the savagery and more - there’s an eerie nature to it all that rings a little too close to home and our own human history and society.
At its core, it’s a very entertaining story and well crafted from start to finish. Very well constructed in every way, I found it extremely engaging despite the harsh and dark nature of it. I did not know the work of John Mueller prior to this series but this made me want to seek out more of his works.
Apparently a fresh printing, this is a striking little comic.
Telling the dark and twisted story of a future human world that for those of us in the actual one, starts off as grotesque and horrifying but as we get to the how and why, takes on a new veneer.
In this world, we meet our protagonist, Oink, who is one of a whole sub-society of Pig-Man who live in bonded labour from birth to death. They are educated only to the extent needed to read man’s holy books and lessons, they labour to the bone for their human overlords who are the inhabitants of “heaven” and they even oversee the destruction of their own kind. The social structure and its enforcement are very effectively rendered despite the fairly quick nature of the story and its impressive how creator John Mueller manages to inject so much emotional impact on the reader, starting with the build up to and the moment when our hero has his “awakening” and starts his journey toward becoming the titular Butcher.
The brutality and grime nature of it all is only enhanced by the artwork. There is emotion and a raw energy that almost oozes out of the whole story. It’s a tale that both in its narrative and visuals is terrible and makes you feel something under the skin but not in the sense of cliched horror or something shocking of that nature.
It’s all horribly dystopic but I must admit that the tale as a whole is more than you’d expect as it touches on a whole array of contexts and concepts that are deeply human and unpleasant. From the bondage of a whole race to the religious persecutions and dogma, the rhetoric, the savagery and more - there’s an eerie nature to it all that rings a little too close to home and our own human history and society.
At its core, it’s a very entertaining story and well crafted from start to finish. Very well constructed in every way, I found it extremely engaging despite the harsh and dark nature of it. I did not know the work of John Mueller prior to this series but this made me want to seek out more of his works.
November 3, 2020
The art is GORGEOUS in this book. Killer work there. The story though, not so much. It has a GREAT start, very intriguing but it rushes to a conclusion. It would have been better if it had Just seemed like there was more to the story that was glossed over.
Still, I would recommenced it for the art alone.
Still, I would recommenced it for the art alone.
October 20, 2017
Really enjoyed this graphic novel. It is a dark, post-apocalyptic book that shows evil at its truest. The powerful are evil men who do horrible things while masking it under the form of religion. They have created servants that are part pig and part man. The servants are brainwashed to believe they are no good and their only purpose in life is to serve. But what happens when you question that authority... all hell breaks loose.
Great graphics, good story line and likable characters.
Great graphics, good story line and likable characters.
June 24, 2021
This was a very good story with lots of moral questioning that I will not spoil. The only things that bothered me were Oink’s speech patterns being difficult to read and inconsistent, and the use of a main character just being fed information about the world in one sitting. I would have preferred a show not tell method, especially in a graphic novel, but the incredible art and the moral discussion can’t earn less than four stars from me.
November 24, 2021
You've heard of angry birds? This is angry pigs.
The pigs root around in a hellscape of constant, prison-like work for nothing in return and aren't allowed to ask too many questions about said system or they're ostracized. There's something familiar about it, but I can't put my finger on it. Muscular prison pigs fighting mutants, birthing factories, and lies from the man. What more could one ask for? A happy ending? About that...
The pigs root around in a hellscape of constant, prison-like work for nothing in return and aren't allowed to ask too many questions about said system or they're ostracized. There's something familiar about it, but I can't put my finger on it. Muscular prison pigs fighting mutants, birthing factories, and lies from the man. What more could one ask for? A happy ending? About that...
June 2, 2023
Man, I loved this! The story is brutally violent. The painted art is beautifully morbid. Scathing social criticism of right-wing politics, religion, animal cruelty, and the industrial complex, wrapped up in a Mad Max meets Animal Farm mashup that feels straight out of a Naked Raygun album cover! This book isn't perfect but it is quite a ride!
July 23, 2019
Dark and gritty from start to end. No break to see hope or happiness with art that exploits all of this. Really enjoyed it and something completely different.
Read if like hellblazer or saga of the swampthing
Read if like hellblazer or saga of the swampthing
April 17, 2023
Absolutely love this graphic novel. A man made heaven where people breed and raise pig humans to be eaten and cannibalized. Skin graphed halos over the heads of the wealthy and powerful, one beast's desire to be free of the hell that he was born to feed. Great story, killer artwork.
May 12, 2024
Joya oculta. El apartado visual es absurdamente weno.
Es como si fuese un nivel de Doom, mezclado con Rebelión en la Granja y Duro de Matar. Me causa tanta intriga el mundo ficticio en el cual se desenvuelve la historia: La weá grotescamente distópica.
Mu' weno, like y a favoritos.
Es como si fuese un nivel de Doom, mezclado con Rebelión en la Granja y Duro de Matar. Me causa tanta intriga el mundo ficticio en el cual se desenvuelve la historia: La weá grotescamente distópica.
Mu' weno, like y a favoritos.
November 4, 2017
Una delicia. El arte es impresionante.
December 30, 2018
Review to follow...
November 28, 2019
Absolutely beautiful art. So detailed.
May 5, 2020
striking, very detailed artwork. Clear explanation of the world and Oink's motivations for what he does, but...I feel like a big chunk of the story is missing.
July 29, 2020
Versión remasterizada por el mismo autor, primera edición argentina.
October 29, 2020
This is a very interesting premisse, rushed in the end. Maybe the creator didn't feel he would have another chance to explore it? The art is fucking awesome, though.
July 19, 2023
The story is nothing that makes you wonder but the art is just bellissimo!
May 28, 2024
Wish it was longer
October 16, 2025
all time favorite comics
September 21, 2017
Reseña de sorco2003 para el foro Psycomics:
http://psicomicsyanimacion.foroargent...
Oink, en la nueva versión Ivrea, esta muuuuuyyyyyyyy bien. Léanlo, muy zarpado. Fui comparando un poco con la versión original, lo que perdió en palabras lo ganó en narrativa visual.
La faz gráfica lo es todo, muy bien reconstruido, hay un laburo enorme en ese apartado. Si no leyeron ninguna de las dos versiones, entren sin miedo.
http://psicomicsyanimacion.foroargent...
Oink, en la nueva versión Ivrea, esta muuuuuyyyyyyyy bien. Léanlo, muy zarpado. Fui comparando un poco con la versión original, lo que perdió en palabras lo ganó en narrativa visual.
La faz gráfica lo es todo, muy bien reconstruido, hay un laburo enorme en ese apartado. Si no leyeron ninguna de las dos versiones, entren sin miedo.
October 28, 2016
Aunque los resultados no siempre sean óptimos, que se publiquen comics que claramente no cumplen con los requisitos de historieta comercial genérica no deja de ser una buena noticia.
Eso mismo pasa con este Oink: Visualmente es muy interesante; argumentalmente y simbólicamente también, pero hace agua en varias partes, aunque la rápida y fluida lectura no deja de ser agradable. Puntos extra por la galería de ilustraciones del final. Ampliaremos.
Eso mismo pasa con este Oink: Visualmente es muy interesante; argumentalmente y simbólicamente también, pero hace agua en varias partes, aunque la rápida y fluida lectura no deja de ser agradable. Puntos extra por la galería de ilustraciones del final. Ampliaremos.
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