Holy Terror [2011] by Frank Miller

HOLY TERROR HARDCOVER

Frank Miller brings his Holy Terror book to life as the first book Legendary Comics. Miller first mentioned this “piece of propaganda” against terrorists in 2006 when the project was under DC Comics and called Holy Terror, Batman! After receiving criticism and unwanted attention as an anti-Islamic book, Batman was no longer the central character and the project moved to another publisher.Miller was known for writing and drawing The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City,and 300. Now Miller takes on what could be a controversial book released 10 years after the events of 9/11.

The story takes place within a fictional city in the United States called Empire City, which seems synonymous to New York City. The Fixer is tracking a Natalie Stack who operates as a cat burglar. She nearly falls to death over the rooftops of the city until the Fixer catches and tries to arrest her. The two embrace until an explosion of nails rips through the night. The scene flashbacks 10 minutes prior following a Muslim exchange student named Amina who is also a suicide bomber responsible for the first explosion. Another bomb goes off full of razor blades.

Meanwhile tough cop Captain Don Donegal investigates the bombings and communicates with the Fixer. A Statue of Liberty-like called Blind Justice near Empire City is destroyed by fighter jets. Afterwards the Fixer and Natalie head towards a mosque where the terrorist attacks were launched. Natalie disguises herself as a Muslim woman and is taken underground and later captured. But the Fixer finally arrives to rescue her, kill the terrorists, and saves Empire City.

The book is extremely empty with emotion with two dimensional villains. Majority of this book was filled with splash pages and wordless however a picture is not worth a1000 words. The terrorists are portrayed as drinking beers, scream “Allahu Akbar” before bombing themselves up, illiterate, however are able to get stinger missiles? Miller uses one Muslim to describe the others as sand monkeys and camel jockeys since he seems like too much of a coward to have the Fixer say them instead. Really was expecting more from this book since it was mentioned 5 years ago. Definitely not worth the wait.

WASTED TALENTS – 2 OUT OF 5