Aleister and Adolf Review: Crowley Steals the Show

Aleister Crowley was one of the most mysterious figures in history. He was almost one of the most feared. Some believe he was one of the main reasons Germany lost World War II. Douglas Rushkoff took this to task in his comic “Aleister and Crowley” with art by Michael Avon Oeming. While an interesting premise, it stops at Crowley himself.

During World War II, US soldier Roberts is sent to England to find Aleister Crowley because he knows how to defeat Adolf Hitler who is using a spear that is reported to be the spear a Roman soldier used to stab Jesus. By doing so, Roberts has now become a part of Crowley’s organization and is now falling deeper into Crowley’s spell.

With a title like “Aleister and Adolf,” many people will think they’ll see both figures together. That never happens. The title is more about Crowley using his magic to find ways of defeating Hitler.

With that in mind, the majority of the comic is Roberts getting involved with Crowley’s day to day life and even his ritualistic sex. Besides the sex, the rest of the comic is pretty interesting. Seeing Crowley do his magic and reading stuff he may have said is a joy to read and it captures the attention of the audience. In fact, the best thing about the comic and the only reason to read it is Crowley.

The rest of the characters are boring. Roberts has little personality and does little until the end. Daphne, Crowley’s follower and the girl Roberts loves, serves as only a way for Roberts to be initiated into Crowley’s sect and one event at the end. That’s it. There are some historical figures like Ian Fleming but they do little for the story.

The art is this black and white noir style that’s similar to “Sin City.” This may seem like a weird design choice, but since this is Aleister Crowley we’re talking about, it fits perfectly. The dark everything of this style just screams Crowley and you have to applaud Oeming for going this route.

The only reason to read “Aleister and Adolf “is because of Crowley and that’s it. The rest of the cast is boring and not worth your time. The art style wonderfully fits this comic which brings out everything you’d imagine Crowley was like.