Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • Schlock & Awe 00: Manifesto

      Jason Sacks
      October 1, 2013
      Columns
    Recent
    • Revisiting the Witchblade/Fathom/Tomb Raider Crossover

      Daniel Gehen
      February 8, 2021
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • Collecting Profile: Harley Quinn

      Jason Sacks
      February 15, 2020
      Big Two, Collectibles, DC Comics, Miscellaneous Comic Book Content
    Recent
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • Comictober 2018: Tim Seeley's HACK/SLASH

      Jason Sacks
      October 24, 2018
      Devils Due Productions, Image, Indie
    Recent
    • 4.0

      Review: Beast Wars #2 another chance to change the past

      Stephen Cook
      March 3, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 4.0

      Daredevil #6

      Jason Sacks
      December 8, 2011
      Reviews
    Recent
    • Singles Going Steady – Vowels, Who Needs Them?

      Daniel Gehen
      March 8, 2021
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • Danny Fingeroth: Writing Full Circle

      Jason Sacks
      May 26, 2008
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • Classic Interview: Sal Buscema Part 2

      Jason Sacks
      October 23, 2015
      Classic Interviews
    Recent
    • VISITOR is the Quintessential “SPIRIT” Story

      Daniel Gehen
      March 26, 2021
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • Exclusive Marvel Preview: "Deadpool and the Mercs for Money" #4

      Jason Sacks
      May 12, 2016
      Marvel Comics, Previews
    Recent
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN’S UNIVERSE

      Daniel Gehen
      February 18, 2021
    • SAVAGE DRAGON IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 17, 2021
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • Review: 'Machete Squad' is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
      Books
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Collecting Profile: Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Collecting Profile: 1990 Marvel Universe Trading Cards
  • Collecting Profile: Red Sonja
  • Collecting Profile: Dr. Doom
  • VISITOR is the Quintessential “SPIRIT” Story
  • Collecting Profile: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Reviews

List (The): Volume 3

Jason Sacks
June 1, 2011
Reviews
List (The): Volume 3
3.5Overall Score
Reader Rating: (0 Votes)

When a skillful creator puts the reader inside the head of a murderer and forces us to see the world as the killer sees it, it can be a truly frightening experience. The List is a truly frightening experience.

The List chronicles the story of an unnamed man who is out to complete the final Commandments on his List–a list that he has carved into his stomach. This man has delusions of grandeur, of the angels literally smiling down on him from above. As he confronts the evil of his actions, a fateful encounter with a family member threatens to bring his story to an even more horrifying end.

Let’s dissect the information in the above paragraph for a second, because it all amplifies the fear in the story.

Isn’t it more frightening to have this killer be unnamed? He could be anybody, an anonymous face on the street. You may step over a man like him every time you step over a homeless man, and doesn’t that thought make you cringe a bit?

Even more frightening is the way that the killer carves his Commandments onto his stomach. The killer’s plans are literally cutting into him, causing him deep physical pain and driving him to commit his evil acts. The full-page shot midway through the book in which the killer is wandering through a house with a hoodie covering his head and bloody words carved into his stomach, is strikingly eerie.

Then there’s the case of the angel smiling on our killer. Of course, we can presume that the angel is just a manifestation of the killer’s inner delusions, but how can we know for sure? How can we be positive that the man’s experiences aren’t literally true? We’re seeing the events from inside his eyes, after all, so does it matter how real the experiences are if the killer believes they’re real? Perception literally trumps reality in the killer’s mind, so his experiences are what we readers experience.

All of this is presented in a calm, quiet, deliberate pace that only adds to the horror. The sparse style of the book helps to accentuate the painful events being depicted and serves to embrace the holy horror of the events. We’re stuck trying to figure out what the hell is going on, as the story slowly progresses in front of us.

The art by Henry Popienia and Tom Bonin is ideally suited to this book. It’s a realistic style, similar to work that we might see in a superhero title. The characters look realistic, with true-seeming musculature and facial expressions that only add to the horror. In fact, the familiar style of an American pop comic book feature makes the story even more frightening and intense.

This is book three of The List, but it stands on its own. I don’t think readers will be confused if they encounter this story without reading the previous chapters. Horror this intense stands well on its own.

For more on The List, see here.

 

Dog With A Bone StudiosHenry PopieniaJason SacksPaul Bedford

Share On:
Tweet
The Archie Comics Edition
Life With Archie: The Married Life #10

About The Author

Jason Sacks
Jason Sacks
Publisher Emeritus
Google+

Jason Sacks has been obsessed with pop culture for longer than he'd like to remember. Jason has been writing for Comics Bulletin for nearly a decade, producing over a million words of content about comics, films and other media. He has also been published in a number of publications, including the late, lamented Amazing Heroes, The Flash Companion and The American Comic Book Chronicles: the 1970s,1980s and 1990s. Find him on Facebook and Twitter. Jason is the Publisher Emeritus of Comics Bulletin.

Related Posts

  • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

    Mark Stack
    January 2, 2019
  • Top 10 Thoughts About Jack Kirby

    Jason Sacks
    August 28, 2017

Latest Reviews

  • Singles Going Steady – Vowels, Who Needs Them?

    Daniel Gehen
    March 8, 2021
  • 3.0

    Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

    Daniel Gehen
    February 22, 2021
  • 4.5

    Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

    Daniel Gehen
    February 19, 2021
  • 2.3

    Review: SAVAGE #1 Needs Taming

    Daniel Gehen
    February 16, 2021
  • 4.3

    Review: RADIANT BLACK #1 Shines Brightly

    Daniel Gehen
    February 12, 2021
  • 2.7

    Review: DEEP BEYOND #1 Can’t Commit to a Premise

    Daniel Gehen
    February 4, 2021
  • 2.0

    VINDICATION Falls Short of its Lofty Goals (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    February 1, 2021
  • 4.5

    DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    January 22, 2021
  • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

    Daniel Gehen
    December 14, 2020
  • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

    Daniel Gehen
    December 3, 2020
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders