The story was a bit creepy but I enjoyed the background on how this novel came to be, I had no idea Neil had worked with Alice Cooper. ( )

This reissue comes with lots of copies of the original script, several pages of pencil art and some stories of how it came into being. The actual story is over 3 issues so there isn't much story in the entire reissue. It doesn't break any new ground but it is a nice short story with Alice Cooper playing the baddie. More for the Alice Cooper fan or the Gaiman completist.

Digital copy provided by the publisher through Netgalley
( )

DNF
I just couldn't get into this. In the first portion, I was intrigued with the set up. Introduction of anniversary edition by Gaiman was better than the entire portion of the book I read (I'm guessing the rest too, but I don't know).

I'm a fan of Gaiman. Not die hard, or anything, but I like his books. I like Sandman a lot, haven't finished it yet having been introduced to the series only a year or so ago. Anyway, I was hoping for something like that. Instead, I got a great idea and set up but it didn't follow through. I feel like the graphic novel didn't execute exactly what it aimed to fast enough. See, I lost interest. And I feel I'm a pretty patient reader but with graphic novels I think you need to grab the readers imagination and attention fully, and faster than with novels because of the visual element. It ups the anty (for me, anyway).

I wouldn't recommend this for those who want a super engaging and fast moving plot of a read. Graphics are good, but not great. I've seen better from Gaiman, even Gaiman twenty years ago. I'm not a big Alice Cooper buff, but I've heard better from Cooper then too.

To sum it up for a short DNF review: ambitious but not quite realized the expectations given with an anniversary release and fantastical (braggy) introduction. I was let down.

*I was provided a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Halloween is almost upon them when Steven and his friends discover an alley that wasn’t there before that leads to a theatre that wasn’t there before. The Theatre de Grand Guignol is for the more, shall we say, discerning patron and the showman (the only name he is ever given in the story), who bears a striking resemblance to Alice Cooper, is offering one ticket to any boy brave enough to enter. As much as he is terrified by the prospect, Steven is shamed by his friends into accepting the offer.

The manager offers Steven a deal - he can give up all of his fears and live forever as a child among the ghosts and spirits in this traveling show but there is a down-side, of course – he must also give up all of his potential. Steven is tempted by Mercy, the beautiful and seductive ticket seller, but, when he finally refuses, he finds that the showman isn’t one to take no for an answer and, as they say, our dreams are the portals to our soul.

The Last Temptation was a collaborative effort between Neil Gaiman and Alice Cooper originally designed as a tie-in to Alice Cooper’s album by the same name released in 1994. It was re-released by Dynamite to mark its 20th anniversary. This is a marvelously dark and macabre comiing-of-age tale and is great fun to read. However, what really makes this graphic novel worth revisiting after all this time is the visually stunning artwork by Michael Zuli. ( )

Imagine if you will the collaboration between a rock and roll icon and an up and coming gothic, macabre author and you have the brilliant result in The Last Temptation. Both the graphic novel by Neil Gaiman, and the concept album by Alice Cooper tell the story of a young boy, Steven, who is tempted by the mysterious, supernatural Showman (depicted as Alice Cooper) to join his "Theater of the Real" in exchange for eternal youth. All is not what it seems, however, as Steven grapples with the Showman's twisted morality plays and his own fears about growing up and growing old.

Only Steven can see and enter the Theater, as he was selected by the Showman as "this year's model" for entry into the cast. Steven will grapple with the morbid presentations of the Showman to convince him that his life would better be spent with the Theater than in his small town American life. The book is divided into three acts where we see Steven first enter the Theater and receive his offer from the Showman, a second where he spends a day living his life as a normal tween on Halloween, and the third where he returns to the Theater to meet the Showman and make his final decision.

Set around Halloween, this book draws on the themes of the seasonal change and the symbolic death we see in the Autumn. It also pulls on the fears that most children have around the end of October. The artwork is key to getting the feel for this horror and the outright fear Steven feels at times. It is an older style than most modern comics I have seen (I mean, this is a 20 year old book), but younger or newer audiences will definitely appreciate it and the emotions it conveys clearly throughout the story. You come to fear and almost loathe the Showman for what he is trying to do, while at the same time rooting for Steven to make the right choices when he needs to.

It wouldn't be fair to not include in the review here, the definitive elements of the 20th Anniversary Edition of The Last Temptation. While the art has been fully remastered in brilliant color, the most interesting additions are the reprinted correspondence between Gaiman and Cooper and the original outlines and scripts of the book by Gaiman. It was wonderful to see how this collaboration was born, and solidified by such diverse artists half a world away. You can truly see the passion both had for this work and the love and creativity flowing off the pages as it all came together.

I would highly recommend this book along any other coming of age stories for tweens and teens. The horror and macabre elements will turn some off, but will open up the lessons of the story to a whole new audience that might usually avoid these themes as well. The wonderful thing about The Last Temptation is that this release is times perfectly with Halloween, making it the perfect gift or story at the end of the month!

Many thanks to Dynamite Entertainment, NetGalley, and Neil Gaiman, Alice Cooper, Michael Zulli, and Dave McKean for the opportunity to read and review The Last Temptation early in exchange for an honest review. The final version will be released on October 21, 2014. ( )