Oink: Heaven’s Butcher TPB Review: Like Literary Bacon

People have always asked if their existence has any meaning. Some people even rise up and do something about it. There are extreme cases where there is bloodshed. John Mueller’s “Oink: Heaven’s Butcher” is one of those extreme cases. Originally released in 1995, Dark Horse has collected all three issues into a trade paperback and it is one of the deepest comics you’ll read.

The comic is about Oink, a humanoid pig who, along with other pigs, is a slave to a totalitarian and religious government. After killing his captors and escaping his slaughterhouse, Oink sets out to find the truth and kill the people who made him.

As far as the premise goes, this isn’t anything new or groundbreaking. However, it is creative and well written enough to be something that goes above and beyond its premise. The first point comes with the main character: He’s a pig. Traditionally, pigs have been seen as nothing more than just animals we humans raise for food. They really serve no purpose beyond that. This can be viewed as a much grittier “Animal Farm Chapter One” but with only one pig.

The events that transpire throughout the comic do a solid job of bringing out a familiar and a human element to the characters. Mueller’s intent was to mirror injustices of our world and make it darker. The theme of mindless workers with no chance of going anywhere, almost slave-like, is presented by the pigs. Then there’s the religious zealots who try to control the world do so here.

The art is also something to behold. For a comic that came out in 1995 where the quality of practically everything was down the toilet, the art is very high quality. Everything is super detailed and high quality. It’s rare that any comic can look this amazing. Of course, there are parts where the quality falls. These times are always during fight scenes. There is no way anybody, no matter what it is, can move that way or how an ax really works. Not to mention the whole bad guy standing there aiming his gun and not firing while the hero has zero-time to make it to him.

Even though these ideas are well represented, the quality of the comic does go downhill in the final chapter. For instance, the only reason things go wrong for Oink is because one character he meets has a horrible lapse in logic. It’s as if the only reason that happened is because Mueller wrote himself into a wall at that part. Then there’s the final attack. Though it looks promising, it falls into anti-climactic territory.

In all, it was a great idea for Dark Horse to release a TPB of “Oink: Heaven’s Butcher.” It has a top notch story and art despite some pitfalls.