Gotta say, IDW does things right. This is a big, fat, beautiful looking collection of Joe Hill's comic books stories. The only things not represented here (to my knowledge) are his Locke & Key work, and the collaboration with Stephen King, Road Rage.

Most of this stuff I'd read before, but it was nice going back over it again. The Cape and it's prequel, The Cape 1969 are funny, creepy, gory, and guilty fun. Thumbprint was one I hadn't read before, and it didn't disappoint. I'm not the biggest fan of Kodiak but hey, one story's gotta be the worst, right? And then there's the tie-in to Hill's best novel, [b:NOS4A2|15729539|NOS4A2|Joe Hill|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1369591617s/15729539.jpg|21408527], The Wraith which is weird and good.

Overall, if you've read most of his stuff, then just pick up the individual collections you're missing. If you haven't, this is an excellent starter pack. Then you can go read the best thing he's ever written. Locke & Key. ( )

"Wraith" was by far the strongest series in the collection. Creepy as all hell - Hill and the artist captured Christmasland with a surreal, sharp edge.

The others were entertaining but felt undercooked with one-dimensional characters. ( )

"The Cape" was amazing! Art, story, all of it! A little boy's cape becomes a grown up man's cape. And it ain't good! (I mean the results, not the story. The story is awesome!)

"The Cape:1969" is not nearly as good, but it gives us the background of how the little boy's cape got its powers. It's set during the Viet Nam War, and is about the little boy's father. And it has this awesome quote, by the father, "... I kissed a dead guy and then killed a shit-load of people... toasted them all into crispy bits." Gnarly.

“Thumbprint” is from "Full Throttle" a collection of short stories by Joe Hill, and was among my favorites! It holds up well in this graphic novel format, and the artwork is wonderful, but the short story version was a bit better.

“Kodiak” is a decent story, great artwork also, and a nice little ending!

“Wraith” is a good prequel to "NOS4A2"! Again, good art and a good tale of how Christmasland,
and Charles Manx, came to be! I liked the novel, and I liked this story too! Epilogue was so-so, sorta a prequel to the prequel.

All-in-all, I was very impressed by this collection! Great art, engaging stories, and plenty of entertainment! Also, a good volume to read around Halloween, as I did! Thanks Mr. Hill!

“A road map is a magic scroll and the rumble of the engine the most powerful incantation you can imagine.” ( )

Joe Hill's name is on the cover more as a brand than as a contributor. Most of these stories are adapted by another writer and just sort of fall flat. The final story, "Wraith," with an actual Joe Hill script manages to bring this book up to three stars. ( )