And Then I Read: HECK by Zander Cannon

Images © Zander Cannon.

This small but powerful book is a testament to what one writer/artist can do with a good idea. Hector (“Heck”) Hammarskjöld is one of those guys who seems to have it easy in life, from football hero in high school on. His father was a powerful sorcerer, and when he dies, Heck discovers he’s inherited a house that contains a gateway to Hell. It’s the hell of Dante’s “Inferno,” the one with all the different levels for different sinners and their punishments. Heck decides to open a most unusual consulting business, one where he will travel into Hell to make contact with the deceased loved ones of his clients to learn last wishes, or ask important questions.

Heck is not alone in this, he has an assistant named Elliot, who we first meet as an overly-fawning fan of Heck since high school. Later we find Elliot drastically changed by one of their missions into Hell, covered with bandages and seemingly a broken person, giving us the first clue that Heck’s travels below are not so easy.

But business seems to be going okay. Hector is visited by a new client, Amy, a girl he had a crush on years ago, who wants to get information from her recently deceased husband. Thus begins the harrowing adventure of Heck and Elliot’s latest descent into the underworld, where we and they quickly discover how hellish it really is.

This is more than a thriller or adventure story, it delves into complex psychological depths that unveil many things about the characters that will surprise you, or perhaps not, depending on your knowledge of human nature. It’s a masterful piece of writing by Zander. The art, on the other hand, is very simple and cartoony. Generally that works fine, but at times I found it got in the way of the story for me, especially when character faces became so simplified they lost humanity, as in the girl’s face above. But other times the simplicity allows Zander to get across moments that would have been too horrible in great detail, so it’s a delicate balancing act that works most of the time.

I can’t recommend this book enough. It’s an experience that will keep you thinking for a long time.