Picked up a couple graphic novels at the library yesterday just because. Gaiman’s introduction was the most interesting part of this, and, like he describes it himself, the comic is “nothing too deep, nothing too ambiguous.” Im curious now about the Alice Cooper album. And I wonder why he wanted to put together a story like this. Did he feel his potential was squandered? Or did he see the potential of his fans too often squandered and this was his way of attempting to guide them toward a better path? I’ll never know. But I do know that “potential” is a word haunting me, too, and that the demon is never more than a reflection away is a sobering thought.

Creepy good time with this fantasy, in which horrific apparitions all turn out to be--how stellar! & retro!--THE Alice! Cooper! Also, the animated corpses are standout, like the ghouls from the now-classic film by George A. Romero "Creepshow."

No me considero fan de Alice Cooper pero si lo tengo presente como a un gran artista. Y este comic escrito por Neil Gaiman es muy entretenido, bastante oscuro, por momentos pesimista pero por otro lado lleno de un optimismo adolescente que no viene mal leer y disfrutar. Me pareció una historia sobre la madurez y de la importancia de nuestras decisiones durante nuestra juventud.

No es el mejor guión de Gaiman ni por asomo pero se nota su letra en cada viñeta del comic.

Los dibujos de Zulli son espectaculares, son lo que más me gustó de la historia y le dan ese toque mágico que se mezcla muy bien con el guión.

Nice
Creo q si fuese fan de alice cooper lo hubiese disfrutado mas. Me parece re copado el trio q se armo para llevar a cabo el comic.
Cortito y al pie siento q es para ser leido escuchando el album de fondo a ver como se relacionan etc and .. puede q lo haga en algun momento

Conclusión
No me voló el bocho pero me gusto. es creepy, cortito y al pie (como ya dijiste puta). Para leerse en una noche lluviosa de otoño con un te negro xd

Picked this up on a whim at the library, and I am glad I did. This story is equal parts chilling and intriguing- a coming of age story entwined with the traditional Faustian bargain. If that weren’t enough, the art style is lovely and complements Gaiman’s writing beautifully.

A young boy named Steven is lured into the Theater of the Real by a Mysterious Showman who looks a lot like Rock and Roll Icon Alice Cooper. When he enters the theater, he is offered a deal of immortality. Can Steven resist this illusion of a deal? Read on and find out for yourself.

This was a pretty good horror and Ray Bradbury October Country Graphic novel that was written by Neil Gaiman and Alice Cooper for Alice Cooper's Album that is the same name as this graphic novel which Neil Gaiman helped him write the concept for it which is this story. The artwork is great too. Be sure to check this book out at your local library and wherever books are sold.

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.

I have always been intrigued by the character of Alice Cooper (not so much the real person) and Gaiman's interpretation of the American rock and roll icon is spot on. Cooper is at once frightening and enticing through his intimate knowledge of human weakenesses, which makes him a perfectly Gaiman-esque character.

I read the first and third installments of this comic a million years ago when I was in college, but wasn’t ever able to find the second one. I’m also not 100% certain I knew Neil Gaiman had written them—they caught my eye in a dinky little comic shop in town. So about 15 years later I finally got to read the middle!

I love this story. It’s clever and it has Alice Cooper, whom I believe is a wonderful, gentle person who endearingly loves golf and pastel sweaters as much as rock and roll. It’s a cool twist on an urban legend with an interesting history-of-horror basis.

Not much to say about this one. I was delighted to find a project between Neil Gaiman and Alice Cooper in the form of a comic book. The protagonist was emotionally tortured by this showman, but it was interesting to see how he researched it.

I added the song 'Lost in America' to my playlist. It was...interesting. It was a rather narrative song, but I don't see a strong connection between it and the story.

This was a darker version of Coraline mixed with a little Sandman, simplified down to be a companion novel to an Alice Cooper concept album. I didn’t have the Alice Cooper album when I was reading this, and I wonder how it would have changed things. But really, Alice Cooper being the villain in a Neil Gaiman story just makes so much sense.

I also loved the one kid dressed up as Dream/Morpheus from Sandman for Halloween. Nice little nod to Gaiman’s greater body of work.

Totally random side note: The edition I got from my library had a little pair of disposable sunglasses in a paper envelope in the front cover, and I’m really curious to know why. Is this part of every edition, or did someone just lose their bookmark in a library book? I could find no use for them whatsoever, so I’m inclined to think they were a leftover from the last person who checked it out.

Not classic Gaiman, but a fun read if you know the album.