El Diablo

by Brian Azzarello, Danijel Žeželj (Illustrator)

Former bounty hunter Sheriff "Holy" Moses Stone is drawn out of his quiet life in Bollas Raton after outlaw El Diablo pays an unwelcome visit to his peaceful town.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Westerns, Horror, Thriller, Crime, Graphic Novels Comics

104 pages, Paperback

First published February 22, 2001

About the author

Brian Azzarello (born in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American comic book writer. He came to prominence with 100 Bullets, published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo. He and Argentine artist Eduardo Risso, with whom Azzarello first worked on Jonny Double, won the 2001 Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story for 100 Bullets #15–18: "Hang Up on the Hang Low".

Azzarello has written for Batman ("Broken City", art by Risso; "Batman/Deathblow: After the Fire", art by Lee Bermejo, Tim Bradstreet, & Mick Gray) and Superman ("For Tomorrow", art by Jim Lee).

In 2005, Azzarello began a new creator-owned series, the western Loveless, with artist Marcelo Frusin.

As of 2007, Azzarello is married to fellow comic-book writer and illustrator Jill Thompson.

information taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Az...

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

"My name is Moses Stone. I am not a killer, though I have killed. It happened a long time ago, in a different time, when I was a different man. I'm a sheriff now -- a peacekeeper. I have a beautiful wife, a town that respects me, and a life I love dearly. It means everything to me. So why am I risking it all, chasing a shadow through the desert?" -- Sheriff Stone (or is he?), at the opening of chapter two

A supernatural-horror-western hybrid in graphic novel form? Well, sure - I'll try anything once . . . and twice if I like it😉. Author Azzarello's El Diablo is first-person narrated by Moses Stone, a bounty hunter-turned-lawman in a dusty Texas or New Mexico frontier town of the 19th century. Although Stone seems to be an upright fella who claims to have mended formerly cold-blooded questionable ways, readers quickly get the hint that things may not be completely what they seem. Then EVIL arrives in his town - a silent rawboned stranger guns down a saloon full of folks, dovetailed by an alarming scene of a flaming horse trotting into the center of town to die on the street - and Stone scrambles to deputize a posse and pursue the mysterious malefactor across the sparse desert. What follows is an intriguing and often ruthlessly violent little tale that worked up until the conclusion, which featured a twist worthy of a Rod Serling screenplay but yet also misfired in its murkiness.

[Ill D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Double-dipping is awesome!

Brian Azzarello tag teams again with Danijel Zezelj (the very same duo from Loveless) in another stellar work of art, El Diablo! Perfectly matching dialogue is sewn together with equally deserving depictions of the good ol' Wild West. Wispy pencil-work harkens back to the bygone era with characters that feel like they've been perfectly replicated out of a classic Clint Eastwood or John Wayne movie.

The pacing is great! The story is great! And the plot twist is a stellar cherry on top of an already delicious sundae!

Two big thumbs up!

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

When an outlaw starts trouble near his town, Sheriff Moses Stone goes looking for him with a posse and doesn't like what he finds...

Okay, so this doesn't have anything to do with the classic DC character El Diablo other than the name Lazarus Lane being mentioned a few times. It's a story of a man's dark past coming back to bite him in the ass. Azzarello writes a good western and I love the dark art of Danijel Zezlj. The ending was a little bit of a letdown after the bloody ride to get there. 3 out of 5 stars.

[Viktor Davion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice dark, gritty with a bit of horror old west story here. It short but has some really nice twists. There are some horror elements in the beginning, but only some. They create really nice atmosphere without sliding to low rate horror story. Story unfolds gradually, leaving El Diablo mysterious and his personality hidden. Later you acknowledge that El Diablo is not the story-driven force but Moses is. Actually he has quite a number of skeletons in his closet. Ironically even more than he knows about. End of the story delivered complete delight and surprise to me. Recommended.

[Timo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Artwork a bit too rough for my taste and the story that had some good chills.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This blood-soaked book takes the hard-boiled crime genre and moves it to the Old West, with simple yet striking art by Croatian artist Danijel Zezelj. Since I like hard-boiled crime, westerns, and Zezelj's other work, it was a no-brainer to pick this up. The story is a great mishmash of noir, ghost story, and pure pulp. One of the central themes of the noir genre is that one can't escape the past, and that's at the heart of this book. Sheriff Moses Stones used to be a cold-blooded bounty hunter, but has since settled down to keep the piece and raise a family. Unfortunately, the past comes knocking in the form of a wraith-like outlaw named El Diablo who seems intent on meting out justice. The Sheriff rounds up a posse to track him down and kill him, but one by one, members of the posse are killed and it becomes increasingly uncertain whether or not El Diablo is man or something supernatural. Eventually, it all comes back to the Sheriff's home town and the dark secret he's been hiding from. The plot twist at the end is a classic one, straight out of the Twilight Zone and at least a few '40s crime films. The story is a dark and grim one, with lots of violence and a sprinkling of graphic sex. Zezelj's style instills everything with a grimness, and the palette is a murky, dirty one, reflecting the tone of the story and the stained moral character of the protagonist. A good choice for comics-readers looking for something for grownups or just another good Western title.

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gustó: la premisa, la narración, el ambiguo final, casi todos los dibujos, el estilo, el ritmo, el coloreado en alguna que otra página, lo sutil de lo sobrenatural y un par de detallitos más.
No me gustó: varios aspectos de los diseños (salvo los 4 ó 5 personajes principales, el resto son muy fácilmente confundibles), el coloreado plano, antifuncional y "aburridor", lo inexpresivo de algunas caras que deberían transmitir mucho y un par de detallitos más.
Sin duda es un muy buen comic, pero por algún motivo los puntos en contra me molestaron lo suficiente como para no permitirle escalar las cuatro estrellitas. Quizás alguna viñeta remendada o algún colorista más inspirado (o un buen trabajo de grises directamente) habría hecho que la balanza se inclinara hacia el cuatro, pero nunca lo sabré.
En cuanto a la edición en castellano de Planeta: la traducción es buena, con los infaltables errores boludos, pero no tantos como en otros títulos. La edición es bonita pero la tapa dura y las estúpidas páginas extras con propagandas y textos innecesarias la encarecen muchísimo. Más con el criminal tapa x 8,5 de los hardcovers de Planeta. A ver si de pedo encuentro el saldo de Norma por algún lado...

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eu já havia lido o incrível Loveless da mesma dupla Brian Azzarello e Danijel Zezelj, mas esse El Diablo me fisgou de vez. Foi por causa de Loveless que comecei a dar mais importância para os quadrinhos de faroeste e como esse El Diablo, uma versão revigorante de um antigo personagem de western da DC Comics, eu aplaudo os seus produtores mais uma vez. Um quadrinho que rompe com qualquer expectativa, ao mesmo tempo que as constrói. Ao longo das quatro edições desse volume, a dupla de quadrinista nos leva a criar uma fantasia nas nossas mentes, para, no final, cortar elas todas. E fazem isso da forma crua e cruel do velho oeste: sem poupar ninguém que fique no caminho. É um quadrinho inteligentíssimo que fala de identidade. Seja a identidade que é roubada ou àquilo que acreditamos que é identidade, seja a nossa própria ou a do outro. No final, todas as identidades, mesmo as sobrenaturais são aquelas que construímos e destruímos nos nossos âmagos e mesmo que invistamos numa cruzada contra aquilo que fomos, os fantasmas da memória e daquilo que fizemos sempre voltará a nos assombrar. Assim como faz El Diablo, o justiceiro fantasmagórico do velho oeste, reimaginado por Azzarello e Zezelj. Lindo, lindo, pessoas!

[Luca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mini-serie vertigo di genere western abbastanza canonica, tra cacciatori di taglie, indiani, vendette sangunarie e oscuri passati, ma con un taglio più moderno e pulp a tratti, soprattutto nell'uso della violenza, e un paio colpi di scena anche azzeccati.
Insomma il lavoro fatto da Azzarello è più che buono, e i disegni di Žeželj, un po' espressionisti e dal tratto bello marcato, dipingono bene il tutto. Un punticino in più per le copertine curate dal mitico Tim Sale.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Weird Western, which is one of my favorite genres. (I've even written a few Weird Western novels myself, shameless plug.) El Diablo is more of a force or spirit in this series than an actual character, but he gets the job done just the same. The art comes across a little primitive at times, but does fit the story. Several twists I didn't see coming.

If you like Weird Westerns, you should give this one a look.

[Kurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rock solid old west horror tale that gripped from the beginning. Seems to be one thing but has a satisfying twist. Starts dark and just keeps getting darker until it’s pitch black. Only downside is there is not a lot to this one off story but I loved the art work and dialogue. Words were clean and true and the art was kind of a dark brushed chalk version of rotoscoping from the Ralph Bakshi animation days. Grizzly fun.

[Theediscerning · Rating 1 out of 5]

Artwork meant I could hardly tell what was going on. Poor.

[Fadzlee Abdul Rahman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring

[Hugo Chávez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cambiar de vida te ata a un pasado que no puede desaparecer y que siempre estará ahí

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read the original issues. Nice blend of noir with Azzarello's trademark vernacular.

[Gabriel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cool looking art that makes it incredibly difficult to tell characters apart and that ending….woof.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a twisted story.

[Joe Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brian Azzarello - author
Danijel Zezelj - author

Sheriff Moses Stone's quiet, idyllic life is shattered when a mysterious outlaw known only as "El Diablo" abruptly appears in his town, wildy shooting up a gang of outlaws on the run. While trying to intervene, Stone is knocked unconscious. When he comes to, the sherrif has been hung from the rafters of the local saloon and a word has been carved into his back -- "Halo", the name of the Texas town where he was born and raised. The message is not lost on Sheriff Stone, who embarks on a wild chase across the wild west, doggedly hunting "El Diablo" driven by a desperate need to keep his dark past a secret.

Great storytelling from Azzarello and newcomer (to me) Zezelj. Pretty mediocre art. Check this one out from the library if you like morality tales and the wild west.

[Mark Desrosiers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unsettling and beautiful: the "good" sheriff sheds one or three layers of self-invention as he chases the title character back to the "Halo" carved upon his back.

Identity theft rerouted to an amoral core: I bet both John Ford and John Milton are smiling at this odd plot & scratching their heads, just like you and me.

[Sarah]

I agree with those who call this western noir. I was expecting a supernatural shoot 'em up, and this is not that. Where the story starts in the first chapter and where it ends are so different. While I would not call this Azarello's finest work, it is an accessible introduction to his writing style in one book form.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A unique take on the western with a narrative that forces you to question who you can and can't trust.
The less you know about this book, the better. It's gritty, dark, and a lovely approach to the generic tales of the western.

The book does lose its shock value on rereads, however, it is still enjoyable.

[Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some may be able to escape the reach of the law for what did they did with greed and a gun, but something or someone is still watching.

I really enjoy Azzarello's work, so I borrowed this book from the library and was very impressed with the story and art.

[Hillingdon Libraries]

Find this book at Hillingdon Libraries

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art makes good use of shadows and, with sparse backgrounds and a muted color palette, it's a good fit for the story. The central mystery works well with a pretty good twist that felt earned. I'm a sucker for horror/western mashups and this was just enough to not be too over the top.

[Corto Maltese · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really great, twisted, amoral western tale by the master that gave us 100 Bullets. I liked to read a cool western story without supernatural elements for a change (love Jonah Hex all the same). This is as hardboiled, as stories can get. Not recommended for those with a weak stomach though.

[Lauri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Väga vägivaldne aga võrdlemisi tüütu kellegi teise identiteedi näpanud karjavargast kes hakkas teises linnas šerifiks. Poomisi, mahalaskmisi, skalpeerimisi jne on suhteliselt palju. Kunstnikujoon on kuidagi rõhutatult räpane ja robustne. Keskmine, mulle väga ei meeldinud aga hädapärast käib kah.

[Pedro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brian Azarello es definitivamente uno de mis autores de comics favorito. En esta ocasión, un sheriff persigue y es perseguido por un siniestro forajido. Western noir, con un ritmo y violencia digno de una puesta cinematográfica e Robert Rodriguez...

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was okay and worth a read but not my favorite.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid well-written story. The art was not my favorite, but it didn't get in the way of the storytelling.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice jaunty tale. While I actually enjoyed this narrative, I wish I liked Azzarello's series, Loveless, as much as I enjoyed this.