“Am I a Henry or a Glenn?” This is the question that popped into my head as I dug into Tom Neely and Igloo Tornado’s Henry & Glenn Forever & Ever; a collection of comics that explore the fictional relationship between Henry Rollins and Glenn Danzig. The first quarter or so of the book contains Neely’s work and was the part that I enjoyed the most. The plot is entertaining and I love how Herny and Glenn are drawn like old cartoon characters. Neely’s section is full with cameo’s of some very recognizable metal musicians and plenty of not-even-thinly-veiled pop culture references that should amuse your inner nerd.
After Neely’s section, I began to lose interest. Most of the other contributions to the collection were short one-off’s that were just the same gay joke being told over and over again with a different person illustrating it. The artwork varies wildly from excellent to something you would expect to see drawn on a bathroom wall. When it comes to a concept like this, you have to find a way to stand out and either tell a story or simply be funnier than everyone else who is going after the same bit and the rest of this book was pretty bland. At some points, the art looks like it was drawn by a middle school kid in study hall and the content amounts to little more than; “They’re gay, isn’t that hilarious?” You have so much material between the two of them, Black Flag, and the Misfits that the fact that so many of the authors just go after the easiest gay joke is disappointing.
Some artists did try and were able to successfully keep my attention such as Mark Rudolph’s How the Chores Thrill. In this short comic, Glenn, much like Hercules (of Greek legend, not Kevin Sorbo), is sent on an epic quest and must complete three labors of varying difficulty. There are a few references to earlier portions of the book as well. It’s adorable and I loved it.
Overall, the collection is a decent read even with its flaws. I enjoyed finding musicians hidden in different scenes and how ridiculous some of the scenarios were. It’s also impossible to go wrong with Daryl Hall and John Oates as next door neighbors who also happen to be Satanists. Maybe that’s why I love them so much. Hardcore fans who can’t take a joke may want to avoid the read, though. That said, I’m definitely a Henry and I would buy the hell out of some Henry & Glenn themed tarot cards.
7.0/10
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