Horsemen: The Four Jackasses of the Apocalypse
Written by: Sal Crivelli
Art by: Michael Lunsford
Created by: Sal Crivelli and Sam Chafin
Cover art by: Dan Schoening
Website: http://fourjackasses.blogspot.com
Also Check out: http://4jackasses.deviantart.com/

Reviewed By: Shawn Swanson… Aka Vernon T. Waldrip

Horsemen #1 is a great comic! It’s hands down one of the best truly Independent books I’ve read this year. How’s that for an opening thought? Independent comics are interesting to review, because you just never know how bad they are going to be. It’s not that there aren’t really good Indie books out there, it’s that there are so many bad Indie books that the truly good ones get lost in a sea of mediocre graphic hell. So, I guess the question is: How do you make your comic stand out from the crowd; how do you shine brighter than all the rest? I think that Sal Crivelli, Michael Lunsford, and Sam Chafin have answered these questions with Issue #1 of Horsemen. Create, write, illustrate, and produce a book that reads and looks perfect. Take an original concept and enhance it with a unique artistic style and then wrap it all together with a script that has its own unmistakably interesting viewpoint. If you want to know how to do that you will have to ask Sal. I can tell you from personal experience though, that it takes a lot of hard work along with a huge amount of talent, which these guys have in spades.

Issue #1 isn’t exactly an origin tale. It’s more of an introduction, or a meet-and-greet. The story revolves around four friends who have just been puked out of a flaming vortex onto the DMV’s parking lot with no idea of how they got there or how long they’ve been gone. The friends quickly notice that they have been altered; one with flaming hair, one with a tail, one with horns, and the last with demon wings, and hilarity ensues! Wow, that was an awful description. I wrote that one myself. Here is a much better description straight from the creators that really does this book justice:

Once they were just four assholes from Jersey. After their untimely demise, they were brought back, hell-formed shadows of their former selves. The forces of Heaven and Hell want them back. They could care less. Keenan, Sal, Ben and Tim are now Arrogance, Sarcasm, Lechery and Apathy: the Four Jackasses of the Apocalypse.

I really, really, really like this book. The writing is awesome. The artwork is fun and I want to read the next issue, because I believe that “Horsemen” is only going to get better. “Horsemen: The Four Jackasses of the Apocalypse” is a hilarious piece of religious sacrilege. How do you like that as a closing line? I thought it was fitting.

Want to purchase a copy? Well here is the skinny on that front straight from http://fourjackasses.blogspot.com:

- We ordered a little over 100 copies.
- It will hopefully be available for sale online through ComixPress, but I doubt anytime soon.
- Right now, if you’re in our area, you can go to Funnybooks, Comics & Stuff in Lake Hiawatha (Parsippany) or Ray & Judy’s Bookstop in Rockaway and pick up a copy.
- If you want to email us and request a copy, the issue is $3.50. We accept checks and money orders. Please email 4jackasses@gmail.com for all inquiries and Horsemen-related questions.