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By T.W. Worn — It is one in the morning. I am lying in bed listening to mandolin concertos. I am on four grams of magic mushrooms, and over the last four hours I have been exploring my upbringing within The Church. When you are raised a certain type of Christian, a heavy amount of expectation is thrown onto you; a worthless child of God whose only saving grace was the death of Christ. When you are raised in the church, any gift you discover belongs to God and God alone. You must use said gift to bring the kingdom of heaven to anyone who has not yet received it. A worthless ball of clay sent to use your parlor tricks in the name of the heavenly father. I wonder if I will go to hell even though I do not believe it is there. I wonder if I am wrong. In my mushroom high, I cry out about how I no longer believe in the tale of the resurrection, of hell or the afterlife in general. I worry that the absence of a savior in my life means I no longer have any gifts. It is one-thirty in the morning, and my phone alerts me that I now have access to the digital copy of Soul Plumber #1.

In the debut comic by Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, and Ben Kissel (Last Podcast On The Left,) Soul Plumber #1 follows a young man, Edgar Wiggins, who would do anything for his creator, and after a history of failure, ends up working at a small town gas station. Even though he might not be the strongest warrior of God, he knows he has gifts to use in his Holy name.

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Full disclosure, I am a fan of the boys and their podcast, following the show since near its conception. I will try my best to not let my appreciation of the podcast influence this review, but I believe that even those who are not fans of the show will find something to enjoy about the comic. A story that calls back to the early ages of Vertigo Comics, a combination of humor, filth, and anti-gospel that could have fit into the pages of any of the early 90s British invasion. But unlike Hellblazer, Preacher, and The Sandman, the tone of Soul Plumber #1 is incredibly American in the absolute best of worst ways. The malignant lower class livelihoods of those trapped in a dying desert town is so violently pungent you can smell the weeks old sweat, stale cigarettes, and gasoline in every bit each character's dialog. The exhausted victims of prosperity gospel grinding through the work week. The few who break free from this cycle are victims of something else entirely. In the eyes of Edgar, they are absent of God.

It is two in the morning and I have just finished reading Soul Plumber #1 for the third time. The mushrooms are bringing me back to Earth. My ride is soon to come to an end, but the synchronicity of Edgar and I having a similar crisis. I stare at Detective Popcorn, a character from Last Podcast On The Left, psychically begging for an answer. How do I have a gift without a creator? Will I be punished if I discover such a gift, but use it for any other purpose that for the God I no longer know? I begin to read for a third and final time. Hopefully a reflection of the trinity will bring me the answers I need. "What a horrible night to have a curse," whisper the mushrooms.

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The art in Soul Plumber #1 is split between two artists; John McCrea (Dicks/Hitman) and PJ Holden (Tharg's Future Shocks/ Judge Dredd.) The art is grotesque, in a classical sense. What some would call a crude representation of the American Southwest, but what I would call a proper depiction of the areas I've lived for most of my life. The pages are warm and dusty. A dry filth coats the edges and corners of every character, location, and panel. From the gas station crust punk to the disfigured veteran who follows the teachings of the "Fuckmother," everyone is a distorted image of someone I have met through my travels of Texas and New Mexico. All of it is brought together by the colors of Mike Spicer (Stillwater/Murder Falcon.) The greens and brown of the southwest desert coat the pages like sand itself. The contrast of purples and blues that come later perfectly reflect the grime to polish of your every-day-Joe versus the "Godly, American Elite." Through the colors, the filth of the line work is made even more visceral. Becca Carey's letters (Wonder Woman/ Eat The Rich) sit perfectly, elevating the roughness of the characters. All of it bringing the stench of poverty, sweat, and gasoline even closer to those of us that find ourselves between the covers of this comic.

It is three in the morning and I have just touched down back to Earth. My journey through heaven, hell, and the pages of Soul Plumber #1 has come to an end. I sit in bed and realize that I do have a gift. I have many gifts. We all do. All of the gifts of the people that worked on Soul Plumber #1 came together to elevate each other. And even if those gifts were given by a creator, it is our own will to decide what those gifts are for. There is no reason to worry about the gifts and curses from below and above. Heaven and hell should hold no sway in what we create. My art is made to save no one but myself. Which of God's gifts will save you?

In the words of Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, and Ben Kissel: Hail Yourself.

Overall: DC Horror Presents - Soul Plumber #1 is a combination of early 90's Vertigo Comics blasphemy and Troma Entertainment "bad taste," cooked inside a home-built pressure cooker and released onto an unsuspecting public. 9/10

REVIEW: DC Horror Presents - Soul Plumber #1

DC Horror Presents - Soul Plumber #1
Writers: Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, Ben Kissel
Artist: John McCrea
Additional Artist: PJ Holden
Colorist: Mike Spicer
Letterer: Becca Carey
Publisher: DC Comics
From the creators of The Last Podcast On The Left, exorcism just got a whole lot easier. After attending a seminar hosted in a hotel conference room by a mysterious group called the Soul Plumbers, Edgar Wiggins, disgraced former seminary school student, discovers what he thinks is the secret to delivering souls from the thrall of Satan. But after stealing the blueprints and building the machine himself, out of whatever he can afford from his salary as a gas station attendant, Edgar misses the demon and instead pulls out an inter-dimensional alien with dire consequences for all of mankind.
Price: $3.99
More Info: DC Horror Presents - Soul Plumber #1