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Pride & Joy
PRIDE & JOY is a suspenseful thriller that chillingly investigates the powers of familial relationships and hidden pasts. After his wife's tragic death, former criminal Jimmy Kavanagh is struggling to raise his young daughter while regaining the love of his rebellious teenage son. But when the psychotic killer that Jimmy betrayed years ago comes looking for vengeance, the widowed father comes face-to-face with the past he thought he buried. Now as a madman hunts his family, Jimmy must find a way to reconcile with his son and redeem himself from his past before all is lost forever. SUGGESTED FOR MATURE READERS
104 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2004
1 person is currently reading
432 people want to read
About the author
Garth Ennis
2,627 books3,182 followersEnnis began his comic-writing career in 1989 with the series Troubled Souls. Appearing in the short-lived but critically-acclaimed British anthology Crisis and illustrated by McCrea, it told the story of a young, apolitical Protestant man caught up by fate in the violence of the Irish 'Troubles'. It spawned a sequel, For a Few Troubles More, a broad Belfast-based comedy featuring two supporting characters from Troubled Souls, Dougie and Ivor, who would later get their own American comics series, Dicks, from Caliber in 1997, and several follow-ups from Avatar.
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
February 15, 2022
“Shhhh...I know. Nobody’s looking, tough guy. It’s okay to cry for me.”
I’m like the biggest Garth Ennis fan in the world, like the dude’s writing is just my thing, so stumbling across a work by him I had never heard of before was interesting. Stumbling across one that tells a story that connected with me in a way I wasn’t expecting was even more surprising.
Ennis teams up with John Higgins for a 4 issue mini series that follows Jimmy Kavanagh, a father mourning the loss of his wife as he raises his two kids. But sadly, Jimmy’s criminal past comes back to threaten his present and his family’s future, as he goes on the run with a pair of former asscociates. Unfortunately, this foe they are running from is one who will let nothing get in the way of his prey. Will Jimmy have what it takes to fight for his family, or will the horrors of his past consume him before this predator can?
The story itself is a fantastic, yet short read. Ennis is trying to tell a story here about the relationships between family, mainly a father and son, and he just nailed it. These types of stories always work for me, as my relationship with my father is probably my most treasured out of my family, and stories like this always scratch an itch for me. There are so many panels in this comic that are just perfect examples of emotional storytelling done right, and while this is mainly a hard-boiled crime story, it isn’t without that classic Ennis humor that some of us know & love (aka me). The art is fantastic as well, with me wondering why Higgins didn’t do more stuff with Ennis the entire time I was reading this, especially since they worked so well together in this.
Overall this is one of the biggest surprises by Ennis I have ever touched. I went in expecting absolutely nothing and came out of it with a touching story about the importance of a good relationship between father & son.
I’m like the biggest Garth Ennis fan in the world, like the dude’s writing is just my thing, so stumbling across a work by him I had never heard of before was interesting. Stumbling across one that tells a story that connected with me in a way I wasn’t expecting was even more surprising.
Ennis teams up with John Higgins for a 4 issue mini series that follows Jimmy Kavanagh, a father mourning the loss of his wife as he raises his two kids. But sadly, Jimmy’s criminal past comes back to threaten his present and his family’s future, as he goes on the run with a pair of former asscociates. Unfortunately, this foe they are running from is one who will let nothing get in the way of his prey. Will Jimmy have what it takes to fight for his family, or will the horrors of his past consume him before this predator can?
The story itself is a fantastic, yet short read. Ennis is trying to tell a story here about the relationships between family, mainly a father and son, and he just nailed it. These types of stories always work for me, as my relationship with my father is probably my most treasured out of my family, and stories like this always scratch an itch for me. There are so many panels in this comic that are just perfect examples of emotional storytelling done right, and while this is mainly a hard-boiled crime story, it isn’t without that classic Ennis humor that some of us know & love (aka me). The art is fantastic as well, with me wondering why Higgins didn’t do more stuff with Ennis the entire time I was reading this, especially since they worked so well together in this.
Overall this is one of the biggest surprises by Ennis I have ever touched. I went in expecting absolutely nothing and came out of it with a touching story about the importance of a good relationship between father & son.
January 22, 2018
Blood: Check
Guts: Check
WWII References: Check
Heartfelt Emotion: Check
Wait, what?
Yes sir that's right! Garth Ennis' 1997 Vertigo, one shot presentation is chock full of all his typical gorey goodness with a splash of heart felt emotion on top! And I loved every moment of it!
Strong emotions resonate first and lace second a story just as involving as the body fluids that coat every other page. When the protagonist's past comes back, literally, to haunt him a jarring story involving revenge, family, love, and all that good stuff roars forth with the speed of a bullet spent from a 44. Magnum!
While I'm not sure if there was more than five or six shots fired in the narrative, I am sure that Pride & Joy is as enjoyable as it is a penetrating read. Featuring stellar artwork that provokes fierce realism as well as a strong emotional response, Pride & Joy stands out as a particularly stellar (,well-hidden?) gem in the Garth Ennis canon and a particularly radiant one in the Vertigo canon.
Pride & Joy might not depict the most powerful handgun in the world but you will feel lucky to have read it.
Punk.
Two thumbs up.
Guts: Check
WWII References: Check
Heartfelt Emotion: Check
Wait, what?
Yes sir that's right! Garth Ennis' 1997 Vertigo, one shot presentation is chock full of all his typical gorey goodness with a splash of heart felt emotion on top! And I loved every moment of it!
Strong emotions resonate first and lace second a story just as involving as the body fluids that coat every other page. When the protagonist's past comes back, literally, to haunt him a jarring story involving revenge, family, love, and all that good stuff roars forth with the speed of a bullet spent from a 44. Magnum!
While I'm not sure if there was more than five or six shots fired in the narrative, I am sure that Pride & Joy is as enjoyable as it is a penetrating read. Featuring stellar artwork that provokes fierce realism as well as a strong emotional response, Pride & Joy stands out as a particularly stellar (,well-hidden?) gem in the Garth Ennis canon and a particularly radiant one in the Vertigo canon.
Pride & Joy might not depict the most powerful handgun in the world but you will feel lucky to have read it.
Punk.
Two thumbs up.
June 24, 2017
Pride and Joy is a one shot Graphic Novel by Garth Ennis. It is the tale of Jimmy Kavanagh, a widower and father of two children. He is a good father, trying hard to connect with his oldest son who is very different from him. Jimmy is a tough, hard working guy who likes Baseball and drinking. His son is a "sensitive" type, who reads and has gotten accepted to Harvard. His daughter is ten and adores him. But, one day Jim drops his kids off at a neighbors and wanders into to his home and find two escaped felons waiting for him.
But they are not there to harm him, but to warn him. It seems Jimmy, long before he met his wife and settled down, had been running with a very bad mob-related crowd. When a job went bad, Jimmy managed to escape and change his life. But, one of the crew named Stein is back and looking for revenge. Stein is a psychotic and ruthless killer, not to mention very talented. Jimmy, his two kids and his two former crew try to run.
The rest of the story, which I won't spoil, is about the secrets Jimmy kept from his family. It is about the bonding and complicated relationship between him and his wimpy son. But, there is also an exciting subplot as the maniacal Stein gets closer to his targets.
I was surprised this was a Garth Ennis story. It doesn't rely on the overuse of curse words, and has a very interesting story. It reminds me of A History of Violence, and is a well done story that handles jumping around time frames (both before he was a married man and when he was a mob-connected thug) and tells the story of redemption as well as paying for the sins of the past. As a stand alone story it is very well done. The artwork is superb and the characters are well done, except for the whiny, wimpy son-I never did like him, not even in the end.
If you are looking for a good short story about relationships, redemption and interactions between a father and his son-this is a great story. Well done to Ennis for crafting a good tale without overreliance on shock value and cussing. Don't get me wrong there is a decent amount of curse words, but it never feels forced and the same with the violence. This is a good addition to my collection and shows Ennis capable of crafting quite a good tale.
But they are not there to harm him, but to warn him. It seems Jimmy, long before he met his wife and settled down, had been running with a very bad mob-related crowd. When a job went bad, Jimmy managed to escape and change his life. But, one of the crew named Stein is back and looking for revenge. Stein is a psychotic and ruthless killer, not to mention very talented. Jimmy, his two kids and his two former crew try to run.
The rest of the story, which I won't spoil, is about the secrets Jimmy kept from his family. It is about the bonding and complicated relationship between him and his wimpy son. But, there is also an exciting subplot as the maniacal Stein gets closer to his targets.
I was surprised this was a Garth Ennis story. It doesn't rely on the overuse of curse words, and has a very interesting story. It reminds me of A History of Violence, and is a well done story that handles jumping around time frames (both before he was a married man and when he was a mob-connected thug) and tells the story of redemption as well as paying for the sins of the past. As a stand alone story it is very well done. The artwork is superb and the characters are well done, except for the whiny, wimpy son-I never did like him, not even in the end.
If you are looking for a good short story about relationships, redemption and interactions between a father and his son-this is a great story. Well done to Ennis for crafting a good tale without overreliance on shock value and cussing. Don't get me wrong there is a decent amount of curse words, but it never feels forced and the same with the violence. This is a good addition to my collection and shows Ennis capable of crafting quite a good tale.
June 15, 2016
Pride & Joy is another terrific offering from Garth Ennis as he continually cements his position at the top of crime noir graphic novel genre. For fans of Preacher, you will not find any paranormal happenings in Pride & Joy, but instead you will be treated to a gritty and visceral attack on your senses in this tale of one man's battle with guilt and redemption as he to make up for his dark and tragic past.
Jimmie Kavanagh is a single father, his wife's tragic death leaving him with a young daughter and rebellious teenage son to raise on his own. But Jimmie has his own demons as well. A past his family knows nothing about. Kavanagh was an artist at B and E, breaking and entering, and his criminal activities brought him to the attention the local hoods who set up a big job. Only the job goes wrong and Jimmie finds himself looking down the barrel of the gun of a psychotic killer. Jimmie is able to get away and leave the killer for the police to find. But in escaping from the job, Jimmie commits an unspeakable act. A terrible tragedy that drives him away from his home and life of crime.
Later, on his own, Jimmie is able to start a new life. He marries and has two children. But his past is never gone and he is haunted by the moment in time that has damned him. But now, when two of his old partners show up, Jimmie's past comes full circle. And when he learns that the psychotic killer he left for dead is following them, Jimmie has no choice but to run. But if Jimmie Kavanagh knows anything, you can never truly outrun your past.
Garth Ennis writes beautiful, dark and haunting tales of the battle between man and his own dark past as he struggles for redemption. Something he has no hope of achieving. In Pride & Joy, it is not just his own conscious that condemns Jimmie but his son stands in judgement of him as well when he learns the truth of him. That his father and his life has been a lie, a lie running from the truth.
This is Raymond Chandler in a gritty black and white image, bloody and violent, but very, very human. Jimmie Kavanaugh is a character as convincing in his ability to fight for himself and his family as he is in his desperation for redemption.
A really good read.
Jimmie Kavanagh is a single father, his wife's tragic death leaving him with a young daughter and rebellious teenage son to raise on his own. But Jimmie has his own demons as well. A past his family knows nothing about. Kavanagh was an artist at B and E, breaking and entering, and his criminal activities brought him to the attention the local hoods who set up a big job. Only the job goes wrong and Jimmie finds himself looking down the barrel of the gun of a psychotic killer. Jimmie is able to get away and leave the killer for the police to find. But in escaping from the job, Jimmie commits an unspeakable act. A terrible tragedy that drives him away from his home and life of crime.
Later, on his own, Jimmie is able to start a new life. He marries and has two children. But his past is never gone and he is haunted by the moment in time that has damned him. But now, when two of his old partners show up, Jimmie's past comes full circle. And when he learns that the psychotic killer he left for dead is following them, Jimmie has no choice but to run. But if Jimmie Kavanagh knows anything, you can never truly outrun your past.
Garth Ennis writes beautiful, dark and haunting tales of the battle between man and his own dark past as he struggles for redemption. Something he has no hope of achieving. In Pride & Joy, it is not just his own conscious that condemns Jimmie but his son stands in judgement of him as well when he learns the truth of him. That his father and his life has been a lie, a lie running from the truth.
This is Raymond Chandler in a gritty black and white image, bloody and violent, but very, very human. Jimmie Kavanaugh is a character as convincing in his ability to fight for himself and his family as he is in his desperation for redemption.
A really good read.
March 10, 2017
too much like History of violence.
June 28, 2016
I first came across this when it was published by Vertigo in the 90's, I find for the most part it still holds up today. The sins of the past come back to haunt a father and his children. An old associate has gotten out of prison and comes seeking revenge. The "current" story still works today. It's the past retelling of what went down that feels dated. It's too long and takes you out of the main story where you had this real feeling of forboding.
Received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 13, 2016
I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Didn't like the story or the artwork much at all.
Didn't like the story or the artwork much at all.
January 24, 2021
Aby ten rok 2021 nebyl malo divnej, tak sem si dobrovolne precetl neco od Ennise, a ze to stalo za to!
Mame tu krasny klise. Z byvaleho bad guye s irskymy koreny (Jimmy Kavanagh) se stane family man, ale manzelka mu umira na rakovinu, coz je problem, ktery nevyresi tim, ze ho zmlati nebo zastreli. Na krku mu zustanou dve deti, mala holka a inteleguan, ktery chce jit po lete na Harvard a tatuv macho bullshit ho moc nezajima.
Dalsi vidle do zivota vzorneho otce mu hazi byvali partaci, ktery zdrhnou z vezeni, aby se vloupali k Jimmymu a oznamili mu, ze nemesis z jeho predchoziho zivota prave pustili po 22 letech z vezeni za dobry chovani.
Nemesis je evidentne absolutni psychopat a zaroven totalni mastermind, takze Jimmy naklada deti do pickupu a s partakama mizej buhvi kam, ale netusi, ze nemesis uz ho davno sleduje. Nasleduje hra kocky s mysi, ktera je plna absurdit, hlubokejch promluv otce a odcizenyho syna a flashbacku, ktery vysvetlujou, kdo byl Jimmy zac nez potkal tu pravou, ktera ho zachranila pred padem na dno.
Neodpustim si jeden mensi spoiler, abych popsal nejvetsi absurditu cely tyhle ctyrdilny miniserie. Ustredni particka ujizdi v pickupu se zminenejma utecencema z vezeni na korbe a zastavi je policajt. Ten se po kratkym rozhovoru vraci do auta, aby vse ohlasil, ale v tu chvili se z lesa vynori nemesis, sahne do prihradky pro Jimmyho pistoli, policajta zastreli a zase zmizi v lese. Particka je cela perplex z toho, ze nemesis vi, ze pistole byla v prihradce, ale zahy zjisti, ze se to dozvedel, protoze v aute byla stenice. To, ze se pistoli v prihradce bavili protagonisti nekolik metru od napichlyho auta je ale vec, ktera Ennise netrapi. Stejne tak absurdita, ze se nemesis zjevi presne v momente, kdy je na silnici zastavi policajt. Tak jako bezel celou cestu vedle auta lesem? Wtf?!
Korunu tomu nasazuje otresna kresba z prelomu 80s a 90s (kreslir je “znamy” kolorista Watchmenu), ale k mymu prekvapeni tenhle skvost vzniknul v tomhle stoleti. A jeste vetsi zahada je, proc to pred par lety Image znovu vydal...
Neni to zase takova katastrofa, jak by se mohlo zdat, ale je to jedno klise vedle druhyho, je to plny nablblejch dialogu, ktery jsou bud hrozne deep nebo hrozne macho. Ale docist se to da a fanouskum Ennise se to treba libit bude.
Mame tu krasny klise. Z byvaleho bad guye s irskymy koreny (Jimmy Kavanagh) se stane family man, ale manzelka mu umira na rakovinu, coz je problem, ktery nevyresi tim, ze ho zmlati nebo zastreli. Na krku mu zustanou dve deti, mala holka a inteleguan, ktery chce jit po lete na Harvard a tatuv macho bullshit ho moc nezajima.
Dalsi vidle do zivota vzorneho otce mu hazi byvali partaci, ktery zdrhnou z vezeni, aby se vloupali k Jimmymu a oznamili mu, ze nemesis z jeho predchoziho zivota prave pustili po 22 letech z vezeni za dobry chovani.
Nemesis je evidentne absolutni psychopat a zaroven totalni mastermind, takze Jimmy naklada deti do pickupu a s partakama mizej buhvi kam, ale netusi, ze nemesis uz ho davno sleduje. Nasleduje hra kocky s mysi, ktera je plna absurdit, hlubokejch promluv otce a odcizenyho syna a flashbacku, ktery vysvetlujou, kdo byl Jimmy zac nez potkal tu pravou, ktera ho zachranila pred padem na dno.
Neodpustim si jeden mensi spoiler, abych popsal nejvetsi absurditu cely tyhle ctyrdilny miniserie. Ustredni particka ujizdi v pickupu se zminenejma utecencema z vezeni na korbe a zastavi je policajt. Ten se po kratkym rozhovoru vraci do auta, aby vse ohlasil, ale v tu chvili se z lesa vynori nemesis, sahne do prihradky pro Jimmyho pistoli, policajta zastreli a zase zmizi v lese. Particka je cela perplex z toho, ze nemesis vi, ze pistole byla v prihradce, ale zahy zjisti, ze se to dozvedel, protoze v aute byla stenice. To, ze se pistoli v prihradce bavili protagonisti nekolik metru od napichlyho auta je ale vec, ktera Ennise netrapi. Stejne tak absurdita, ze se nemesis zjevi presne v momente, kdy je na silnici zastavi policajt. Tak jako bezel celou cestu vedle auta lesem? Wtf?!
Korunu tomu nasazuje otresna kresba z prelomu 80s a 90s (kreslir je “znamy” kolorista Watchmenu), ale k mymu prekvapeni tenhle skvost vzniknul v tomhle stoleti. A jeste vetsi zahada je, proc to pred par lety Image znovu vydal...
Neni to zase takova katastrofa, jak by se mohlo zdat, ale je to jedno klise vedle druhyho, je to plny nablblejch dialogu, ktery jsou bud hrozne deep nebo hrozne macho. Ale docist se to da a fanouskum Ennise se to treba libit bude.
April 18, 2024
Pride & Joy collects issues 1-4 of the Image Comics series written by Garth Ennis with art by Jack Higgins.
After losing his wife, Jimmy Kavanagh lives a quiet life while raising his loving daughter and resentful son. A late night phone call will bring Jimmy’s past back to haunt him, and now his family is in danger.
Pretty standard Ennis fare: blood and guts, uber machismo, glorifying the golden generation and World War II, sins of the father, and profanity galore. It’s all here. Pride & Glory isn’t a bad comic by any means, but it’s also a pretty straightforward tough guy fighting for his family while also revealing a hidden past. The art in the book is solid throughout. The pacing is fast and the book never overstays its welcome.
After losing his wife, Jimmy Kavanagh lives a quiet life while raising his loving daughter and resentful son. A late night phone call will bring Jimmy’s past back to haunt him, and now his family is in danger.
Pretty standard Ennis fare: blood and guts, uber machismo, glorifying the golden generation and World War II, sins of the father, and profanity galore. It’s all here. Pride & Glory isn’t a bad comic by any means, but it’s also a pretty straightforward tough guy fighting for his family while also revealing a hidden past. The art in the book is solid throughout. The pacing is fast and the book never overstays its welcome.
July 16, 2016
Garth Ennis sets up a nice little story about family and regret. It starts out strong when we meet Jimmy who is taking care of his two kids. There are hints of crime and mystery that flow well with the story but towards the end it falls a little flat for me. The art is straight 80's but it isn't horrible. Its not bad to read once but would I would have a hard time recommending it.
November 9, 2020
I was an Ennis fan back in the day, not saying there is something inhrently wrong with his work, but he did get a bit repetitive for me in the mid 2000s.
As for this mini series, I saw it advertised in Preacher way back in the day and always considered picking it up. But I have to say the end result is extremely underwhelming.
The story is a bog standard thriller of a man and his family on the run from a criminal with whom said man had dealings in his somewhat shady past. Now, the problem is, there is absolutely no new spin, take or perspective on this, the story is indistinguishable from the dozens of identical plots from movies, video games and comic books we've seen long before P&J and continue to see long after it.
The characters are extremely basic. Because these are all new characters, Garth had to set up their backstory, personalities and interpersonal relationships such that we would actuallly *care* about them being hunted down by a madman, but with how little screentime they all get, one only gets a very basic character archetype to deal with. "Has problems with his dad", "is the cute little kid we have to be worried about because she's the cute little kid", "tough guy macho man" and a pair of idiots is the best you will get.
This is tragically true for the big bad himself, Stein. Ennis has the characters attest to how creepy he is, how he gets in your head, how he can follow you step by step and appear without you knowing he's even there, but....there's a handful of occasions where he does this, but he is virtually absent from the series for a good 95 % of it, so that we never really even get a good look at him until issue 4. There is one moment where he says he isn't actually interested in revenge but does it because that's what everyone expects him to do....but this idea is left completely unexplored as the guy gets shot about two pages later.
Overall, the worst part of this is the fact that by the time Ennis finishes setting everything up, he has 1 issue to resolve everything and he just goes through the motions of a standard thriller finale with nothing special or unique, none of that bizarre and over the top insanity that once had him dubbed the Tarantino of Comic Books.
There is really nothing at all original or exciting about this. I kind of wonder what the other reviewers see in P&J. I don't hate it but I don't see why you'd give something this unmemorable 5 stars.
As for this mini series, I saw it advertised in Preacher way back in the day and always considered picking it up. But I have to say the end result is extremely underwhelming.
The story is a bog standard thriller of a man and his family on the run from a criminal with whom said man had dealings in his somewhat shady past. Now, the problem is, there is absolutely no new spin, take or perspective on this, the story is indistinguishable from the dozens of identical plots from movies, video games and comic books we've seen long before P&J and continue to see long after it.
The characters are extremely basic. Because these are all new characters, Garth had to set up their backstory, personalities and interpersonal relationships such that we would actuallly *care* about them being hunted down by a madman, but with how little screentime they all get, one only gets a very basic character archetype to deal with. "Has problems with his dad", "is the cute little kid we have to be worried about because she's the cute little kid", "tough guy macho man" and a pair of idiots is the best you will get.
This is tragically true for the big bad himself, Stein. Ennis has the characters attest to how creepy he is, how he gets in your head, how he can follow you step by step and appear without you knowing he's even there, but....there's a handful of occasions where he does this, but he is virtually absent from the series for a good 95 % of it, so that we never really even get a good look at him until issue 4. There is one moment where he says he isn't actually interested in revenge but does it because that's what everyone expects him to do....but this idea is left completely unexplored as the guy gets shot about two pages later.
Overall, the worst part of this is the fact that by the time Ennis finishes setting everything up, he has 1 issue to resolve everything and he just goes through the motions of a standard thriller finale with nothing special or unique, none of that bizarre and over the top insanity that once had him dubbed the Tarantino of Comic Books.
There is really nothing at all original or exciting about this. I kind of wonder what the other reviewers see in P&J. I don't hate it but I don't see why you'd give something this unmemorable 5 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2016
I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Every now and then I read a book that stops me dead in my tracks when I finish it. It's the sort of book that sticks to you like after you finish it. It lingers like a scent in the air and no matter what you do you can't really get past it. It's there, lodged into your soul like a bullet and nothing will ever take it out. Pride & Joy, like so much of what I've read of Ennis, was just that sort of book.
It was just what I was hoping it would be.
This is a basic revenge tale, but told from the perspective of the people being hunted rather than the hunter. This is a story of what it means to be a man, and the shifting definitions of such a title. It's about growing up and the difficulty in defining your own self and taking responsibility for your actions. It's hard, but what else would you expect from Ennis? It's ugly. It's everything I wanted it to be.
Ennis has a way of romanticizing the old cowboy ethic macho bullshit while simultaneously realizing all of its faults. I've yet to find another writer like him. I'm grateful that his work keeps popping up into my life.
Further, the artwork in this book was fantastic. It melded perfectly with the writing, and the dark palette really fit the tone of the story, interspersed with the neon red of blood. It was evocative without being distracting, subtle and rewarding those who look closer.
Great book. Vaguely reminiscent of Fargo's season 1 in some places. Powerful stuff.
Every now and then I read a book that stops me dead in my tracks when I finish it. It's the sort of book that sticks to you like after you finish it. It lingers like a scent in the air and no matter what you do you can't really get past it. It's there, lodged into your soul like a bullet and nothing will ever take it out. Pride & Joy, like so much of what I've read of Ennis, was just that sort of book.
It was just what I was hoping it would be.
This is a basic revenge tale, but told from the perspective of the people being hunted rather than the hunter. This is a story of what it means to be a man, and the shifting definitions of such a title. It's about growing up and the difficulty in defining your own self and taking responsibility for your actions. It's hard, but what else would you expect from Ennis? It's ugly. It's everything I wanted it to be.
Ennis has a way of romanticizing the old cowboy ethic macho bullshit while simultaneously realizing all of its faults. I've yet to find another writer like him. I'm grateful that his work keeps popping up into my life.
Further, the artwork in this book was fantastic. It melded perfectly with the writing, and the dark palette really fit the tone of the story, interspersed with the neon red of blood. It was evocative without being distracting, subtle and rewarding those who look closer.
Great book. Vaguely reminiscent of Fargo's season 1 in some places. Powerful stuff.
May 13, 2016
This was a fairly solid, yet typical crime/revenge drama.
Jimmy Kavanagh's been hiding out and playing family after the shit hit the fan in Hell's Kitchen. But, well, when you're in the phone book, you're not exactly laying low and the past will come a calling.
I would have liked to see more on Stein, the psychopath looking for revenge. There was some fantastic gore in his kill of Kavanagh's friend. And, sadly, neither Jimmy nor his son are terribly interesting.
*Digital review copy provided by NetGalley and the publisher.
Jimmy Kavanagh's been hiding out and playing family after the shit hit the fan in Hell's Kitchen. But, well, when you're in the phone book, you're not exactly laying low and the past will come a calling.
I would have liked to see more on Stein, the psychopath looking for revenge. There was some fantastic gore in his kill of Kavanagh's friend. And, sadly, neither Jimmy nor his son are terribly interesting.
*Digital review copy provided by NetGalley and the publisher.
March 22, 2013
Tough-guy dad and his twitchy emo son escape, through a dark forest of cliches, from a zero-affect nemesis named Stein. Hard not to plop a bust of Carl Jung on top of all this, but the story's actually quite entertaining, until things wind up in ultra-schlocky fashion at the finish.
April 17, 2023
Garth Ennis is my favorite comic book writer and I truly think the man is a genius. This one’s a quick read and really does provide everything you want from an Ennis story. Guns, bloodshed, bad motherfuckers and revenge. I love it.
May 25, 2025
Re read on this. Standalone tale, just incredible.
January 19, 2022
Interesting read. Story was odd at times as it would switch locations without warning and then end up on the middle of a conversation.
May 15, 2024
Garth Ennis sure liked A History of Violence, Die Hard, and presumably No Country for Old Men.
All these stories are emblematic of neo-westerns, and question the black and white morality of those stories through morally ambiguous protagonists and antagonists who indulge in depravity for depravity's sake. Pride & Joy takes the way violence is learned and passed down from generation to generation from a History of Violence, the guilt-ridden child-killer/family man from Die Hard, and the Anton Chigur of No Country and mixes it all together with some old western tropes to create this miniseries.
He also takes the misogyny and archaic masculinity of the Western genre wholesale, and portrays it with a dignified air, while dismissing the many, many criticisms of it. In one scene, Kavanaugh's wife brings up the ways her father-in-law demeans her son using homophobic language only for Kavanaugh to immediately laugh it off. Rather than berating him for disrespecting her and not taking her concerns seriously, she just shrugs it off and embraces him. "Boys will be boys."
Kavanaugh is constantly dismissive and insulting to his son, just like his father, but we are meant to read it as jocular bonding. We see in flashbacks how Kavanaugh connects with his father over repeated stories of his glory days while his son Patrick initially ignores Kavanaugh's tales. A large part of the story is Patrick and Kavanaugh connecting over these stories, of the violence he's done or had done to him. One especially awful scene shows Kavanaugh accidentally murdering a black child, which feels pulled straight from Al Powell's backstory in Die Hard. It was manipulative and artless there, and even more exploitative here as we are shown the scene in full. We also see afterwards how "sorry" Kavanaugh is when he drunkenly apologizes to the child's father. He responds not like a grieving father might, but as a tool for Ennis to make his main character feel bad.
While I don't like the message of the book as a whole, Pride & Joy is well told. I found myself connecting with these characters in spite of their shortcomings. While Ennis and Higgins are good storytellers, their themes have aged about as well as John Wayne's decaying corpse.
All these stories are emblematic of neo-westerns, and question the black and white morality of those stories through morally ambiguous protagonists and antagonists who indulge in depravity for depravity's sake. Pride & Joy takes the way violence is learned and passed down from generation to generation from a History of Violence, the guilt-ridden child-killer/family man from Die Hard, and the Anton Chigur of No Country and mixes it all together with some old western tropes to create this miniseries.
He also takes the misogyny and archaic masculinity of the Western genre wholesale, and portrays it with a dignified air, while dismissing the many, many criticisms of it. In one scene, Kavanaugh's wife brings up the ways her father-in-law demeans her son using homophobic language only for Kavanaugh to immediately laugh it off. Rather than berating him for disrespecting her and not taking her concerns seriously, she just shrugs it off and embraces him. "Boys will be boys."
Kavanaugh is constantly dismissive and insulting to his son, just like his father, but we are meant to read it as jocular bonding. We see in flashbacks how Kavanaugh connects with his father over repeated stories of his glory days while his son Patrick initially ignores Kavanaugh's tales. A large part of the story is Patrick and Kavanaugh connecting over these stories, of the violence he's done or had done to him. One especially awful scene shows Kavanaugh accidentally murdering a black child, which feels pulled straight from Al Powell's backstory in Die Hard. It was manipulative and artless there, and even more exploitative here as we are shown the scene in full. We also see afterwards how "sorry" Kavanaugh is when he drunkenly apologizes to the child's father. He responds not like a grieving father might, but as a tool for Ennis to make his main character feel bad.
While I don't like the message of the book as a whole, Pride & Joy is well told. I found myself connecting with these characters in spite of their shortcomings. While Ennis and Higgins are good storytellers, their themes have aged about as well as John Wayne's decaying corpse.
Read
April 3, 2020Pride & Joy is certainly a Garth Ennis book: war stories, masculinity, honor, and gore feature prominently. It’s predictable, yes, but there’s a powerful story here about fathers and sons and regret. Widower Jimmy’s criminal past catches up with him as an old boss comes into town seeking revenge. Jimmy takes his kids on the run, along with the two crook friends who came to warn him. Amidst it all, he tries to connect with his son who would rather read than hear his dad go on about baseball and war. Call me sentimental, but any story about fathers and sons bonding and learning from each other is bound to strike a chord with me. Pride & Joy did, and I think Ennis succeeds in infusing the story with emotion. If you want an Ennis book devoid of crass humor, it’s a solid pick.
February 23, 2023
I was surprised this was a Garth Ennis written story because it didn’t have his usual tropes there’s of course is a war story in here, but it’s a small part of the overall narrative, the cornerstone of this book is a relationship between his father and son, the uneasiness between that relationship, and dealing with the actions of one past. This is a good crime story. The villain stein is cold methodical, terrifying, and a psychopath the art in this book it’s OK it is from the 90s so if you don’t mind that I think you will like this a solid crime story/family drama that is not in the usual wheelhouse of Garth Ennis.
March 11, 2023
There's some interesting sad dad war trauma stuff going on in this, but it's really surface level in its examination of it and never reaches a satisfying conclusion. The kind of phantom danger that embodies past worries and mistakes was a fun angle, but it's also an under utilized thing that should be a cornerstone to the thematic base of the comic.
Haven't really read anything by Ennis, but if this is any basis on his output, I probably won't like most of his works.
Haven't really read anything by Ennis, but if this is any basis on his output, I probably won't like most of his works.
January 22, 2018
Wanted in fact to read Brian K Vaughn story bcs of the new series but stumbled into this comic, ha. Nice anyways, but not very special. Always nice to read garth ennis though.
February 11, 2019
Damn good story. A little heavy on the family drama toward the end, but not so much I'd suggest you didn't read it. It's definitely worth the time.
December 23, 2019
Interesting cat & mouse with high stakes, but I'm tired of the theme "be a man."
June 1, 2020
3.5 really
February 20, 2022
I don’t know who writes a better crime graphic novel: Ennis or Brubaker. Very intriguing story about a man who is living with guilt and paying for the sins of his last.
April 15, 2022
I'm a big fan of Garth Ennis and this didn't disappoint. A crime thriller with a family relationship that made me care about the characters.
November 18, 2023
Generic action movie with extra padding. Not a giant Ennis fan, but this is really weak.
January 27, 2025
Not free of warts, but still perhaps the first step Garth Ennis took towards being the writer of War Stories and Punisher MAX
May 2, 2025
DNF at 34%
not my speed at all
not my speed at all
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