What do you think?
Rate this book
Face
"You'll notice that my nudes never recline. I am opposed to reclining nudes. My nudes are upright, standing, strong, predatory. I want the viewers to feel that it is they themselves who should be reclining." - Milligan (Face)
60 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
1 person is currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Peter Milligan
1,317 books393 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Peter Milligan is a British writer, best known for his work on X-Force / X-Statix, the X-Men, & the Vertigo series Human Target. He is also a scriptwriter.
He has been writing comics for some time and he has somewhat of a reputation for writing material that is highly outlandish, bizarre and/or absurd.
His highest profile projects to date include a run on X-Men, and his X-Force revamp that relaunched as X-Statix.
Many of Milligan's best works have been from DC Vertigo. These include: The Extremist (4 issues with artist Ted McKeever) The Minx (8 issues with artist Sean Phillips) Face (Prestige one-shot with artist Duncan Fegredo) The Eaters (Prestige one-shot with artist Dean Ormston) Vertigo Pop London (4 issues with artist Philip Bond) Enigma (8 issues with artist Duncan Fegredo) and Girl (3 issues with artist Duncan Fegredo).
Series:
* Human Target
* Greek Street
* X-Force / X-Statix
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Peter Milligan is a British writer, best known for his work on X-Force / X-Statix, the X-Men, & the Vertigo series Human Target. He is also a scriptwriter.
He has been writing comics for some time and he has somewhat of a reputation for writing material that is highly outlandish, bizarre and/or absurd.
His highest profile projects to date include a run on X-Men, and his X-Force revamp that relaunched as X-Statix.
Many of Milligan's best works have been from DC Vertigo. These include: The Extremist (4 issues with artist Ted McKeever) The Minx (8 issues with artist Sean Phillips) Face (Prestige one-shot with artist Duncan Fegredo) The Eaters (Prestige one-shot with artist Dean Ormston) Vertigo Pop London (4 issues with artist Philip Bond) Enigma (8 issues with artist Duncan Fegredo) and Girl (3 issues with artist Duncan Fegredo).
Series:
* Human Target
* Greek Street
* X-Force / X-Statix
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 4, 2022
By the legendary creative team Peter Milligan and Duncan Fegredo, who also did the classic Enigma and underrated Girl.
This is probably the weakest of the three books. It has it's moments with some great creepy horror.
This is probably the weakest of the three books. It has it's moments with some great creepy horror.
May 30, 2015
It's a neat idea for a story, but doesn't quite take off. Can't really put my finger on it, since I quite liked the humour and character development. As well, suspension of disbelief is weakened by a lack of research into the basics of surgery, such as sterile technique. It's as distracting and lazy as a ballet movie where basic foot positions are incorrectly depicted, or a techno-thriller where someone "destroys the virus" by smashing a couple of monitors.
The art is dynamic and expressive, with very well composed panels.
The art is dynamic and expressive, with very well composed panels.
March 18, 2014
Loved the twist in the end, totally unexpected.The research the author goes into for Face is amazing. His knowledge of Human Anatomy and 20th Century Artist is fascinating.The way he make one believe the artist is a real person is great.
June 22, 2021
Tries very hard to be shocking and intelligent. Neither of those really take off and the endless talk about art and face-jobs make story drag.
Could've have been told in fewer pages and words.
Could've have been told in fewer pages and words.
December 14, 2021
The only thing that makes this comic stand out amongst the hundreds I've read, is the twist.
December 13, 2021
Have I ever told you that I like horror comics?
David is a top-class plastic surgeon. He's also got a problem or two. Both of these factors make him the perfect person to operate on Andrew Sphinx, a reclusive, eccentric painter who was one of the most famous artists on the planet several decades ago. He's ready for a new face, but when David and his wife, Rebecca (Beccy), arrive on the picturesque, private island, things get increasingly more dangerous and bizarre. The more we learn about David, the more we worry about his decision-making abilities. The more we learn about Beccy, the more we worry about her coming with. The more we learn about Andrew, the more we fear for everyone.
The art is perfect for the story. It looks like many of the Vertigo greats of the 90s. The generally muted color palette makes the few moments of vibrant fear and violence hit that much harder. Fegredo captures the unsettling and melancholic mood, but he also captures the tense and crazed moments of terror. The emotion of each scene feels distinct, and turning to the next page was often impactful before I even read a single word. There are some
I love how Milligan writes each character. David and Andrew are layered in a way that's never contrived; they reveal bits of their pasts in different ways that makes them fun to learn about. David's pseudo-catchphrase for the book is "Have I ever told you that ____?" These revelations are always told so nonchalantly, but they're often bombshells. Beccy is the only normal one there, and she grounds many of the conversations, but she's not perfect. There's also the butler, but he's more complicated than I'd like to delve into without spoilers. I will say that he's surprisingly excellent. I enjoyed how the book starts to slowly creep into madness, but it never stops once it gets going. You can tell things aren't going to end well, but it's not at all cliche despite the meta-narrative falling into place like a puzzle. It falls into place so flawlessly that even the characters involved push it in that direct exactly because it's so narratively sound.
David is a top-class plastic surgeon. He's also got a problem or two. Both of these factors make him the perfect person to operate on Andrew Sphinx, a reclusive, eccentric painter who was one of the most famous artists on the planet several decades ago. He's ready for a new face, but when David and his wife, Rebecca (Beccy), arrive on the picturesque, private island, things get increasingly more dangerous and bizarre. The more we learn about David, the more we worry about his decision-making abilities. The more we learn about Beccy, the more we worry about her coming with. The more we learn about Andrew, the more we fear for everyone.
The art is perfect for the story. It looks like many of the Vertigo greats of the 90s. The generally muted color palette makes the few moments of vibrant fear and violence hit that much harder. Fegredo captures the unsettling and melancholic mood, but he also captures the tense and crazed moments of terror. The emotion of each scene feels distinct, and turning to the next page was often impactful before I even read a single word. There are some
I love how Milligan writes each character. David and Andrew are layered in a way that's never contrived; they reveal bits of their pasts in different ways that makes them fun to learn about. David's pseudo-catchphrase for the book is "Have I ever told you that ____?" These revelations are always told so nonchalantly, but they're often bombshells. Beccy is the only normal one there, and she grounds many of the conversations, but she's not perfect. There's also the butler, but he's more complicated than I'd like to delve into without spoilers. I will say that he's surprisingly excellent. I enjoyed how the book starts to slowly creep into madness, but it never stops once it gets going. You can tell things aren't going to end well, but it's not at all cliche despite the meta-narrative falling into place like a puzzle. It falls into place so flawlessly that even the characters involved push it in that direct exactly because it's so narratively sound.
October 25, 2019
Another uncollected and thus fairly obscure Peter Milligan short story (around 50 pages.) This was another very entertaining and incredibly witty and dark Milligan comic. I really loved it. It's about a plastic surgeon who gets a bizarre job request from a pretentious artist hermit living on an island. Loved the art, the dialogue, the narration (which Milligan excels at), and the unpredictable story. I wonder if DC will ever collect all of the random Peter Milligan stories out in the wild (Girl, The Eaters, Vertigo Pop: London, etc, etc.)
December 17, 2021
That twist at the end!
June 11, 2023
Dobra rozrywka. Tajemnica, rozważania artystyczne i groza, a wszystko skąpane w karaibskim słońcu.
January 5, 2025
Not as good as girl, but better than the few super hero comics they did. Now I need to reread enigma
June 6, 2014
Pretty twisted.
September 24, 2019
Too convoluted for how short it is, but still fun.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews