"Have you seen any horror movies from the 80s? In the end only the big boobs girl is still alive."Its this kind of sarcastic, self-deprecating wit that makes the titular heroine of Nancy in Hell such a charming and likeable protagonist. She knows its all sh*t and isn't afraid to admit it. After all, the book isn't Nancy GOES to Hell, it's Nancy IN Hell. There's no saving grace and, at least at the story's introduction, Nancy isn't looking for one either. That's the brilliance of El Torres, who some of you may remember from our review of The Veil awhile back.
El Torres kicks things off with a flashback that's narrated by Nancy, we learn nothing about her origins aside from the fact that she simply awoke in a pool of blood being chased by all sorts of demons through a hellish landscape worthy of Hieronymus Bosch's worst nightmare. This is where the artist Juan Jose Ryp really shines, with a hyper-detailed linework that just screams at you from every angle. No space on the page is wasted and by the time the book is over you'll be wanting to go back just to pick out all of the gruesome details.
So anyways, Nancy is caught by two smoking hot demonesses who proceed to fondle her nasty bits before subsequently exploding into splotchy, green smears courtesy of a faceless friend known only as "Philosopher." Jump back to the present and Nancy is enjoying a few drinks with her newfound buddy "Phil" as they discuss some rather interesting ramifications of their current predicament.
Worst. Blind Date. Ever.
Nothing is ever sociable in Hell for very long, however, and the two find themselves being attacked by a pack of hell hounds (again, Juan Jose Ryp doesn't disappoint with the grue). Seems these beasts are working for a demon who calls himself Mr. Macabre (don't let the name fool ya, he's a mean one) and he's looking for some faces to crush.
Far be it for our heroine to give up without a fight, though, as she whips out a chainsaw worthy of induction into Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers (1988) and proceeds to carve up some demon ass! She holds her own until reinforcements arrive and is forced to flee, but falls face first into a pit full of undead ankle-biters (zombies, folks). Darn the luck. Never fear, however, as Nancy pulls a page from another horror classic, Braindead, and starts carving herself up buckets full of bloody bits only for their heads in inexplicably explode in unison. Creepy.
If they're demons does it still count as girl-on-girl action?
Seems a particular special demon has set his sights on young Nancy... Lucifer himself. So let's recap: hot chick wakes up in hell and is subsequently fondled by equally hot demon girls... blood, blood, blood... character development... chainsaw PLUS blood, blood, blood... zombies... exploding heads... Lucifer... and, end scene. And this was only the first issue, wow! In a word, Nancy in Hell is heavenly. Buy it, love it, come back for Round 2.
Interesting. I just saw this book on Comics Should Be Good in Greg's What I Bought section. It looked intriguing and then I see you review it. Well done, sir. This looks good. The artwork is fantastic. I may have to grab a copy.