Prison Pit: Book One (Prison Pit)
“For splatter-movie fans and anyone trying to grok the splatter-movie ethos, not to be missed.” (Ray Olson - Booklist)“Prison Pitis insane; it is a title that simply shouldn’t exist outside of a teenager’s head. But it does, and it’s brilliant. A forgotten level of comedic violence, an absence of exposition and dialogue that all reduces down into a paste of pure barbaric fun.” (Kevin Scully - Comicsphere)“I wish to add my voice to the chorus of those who really, really like Johnny Ryan's left-hand turn into violent fantasy… [E]very scene inPrison Pitseemed to flow naturally from the previous one right up to the brutally funny, icky and appropriate ending. I hope there are ten more.” (Tom Spurgeon - The Comics Reporter)“This is the best comic Johnny Ryan has ever drawn. And I'm the guy that ranked the lastAngry Youth Comixin his Best of 2008....You've gotta see it to believe it. That final scene might as well last forever and end the story for good—it works perfectly—though the title says there's sequels. I hope there's a dozen.” (Joe McCulloch - Jog - The Blog)“Prison Pit... is nothing less than a continuous, no-holds barred, violent assault on the eyes. It is literally one god damned, bloody fight scene after another... The book's genius lies in Ryan's sheer nerve and imagination in setting up these battles; he constantly ups the ante in the most bizarre and inventive ways possible. ... Ryan's love of body functions goes into full gonzo mode here. ...you've got a book where body horror extends far beyond the repulsive into the truly sublime and inspired. ... Despite the gore, or perhaps, because of it,Prison Pitis a fantastic, accomplished work.” (Chris Mautner - Robot 6)“WhilePrison Pitdoes, in fact, have a definable story throughout, it’s one that feels as though it were crafted in the margins of a spiral-bound notebooks stowed safely away in some backpack littered with the Sharpie penned names of metal bands. And though Ryan didn’t go so far as to in append a listening soundtrack to the back of this volume, one can almost certainly be assured that it contains its share of Cannibal Corpse and Slayer tracks.” (Brian Heater - The Daily Cross-Hatch)“Next to Jughead, Johnny’s about the best thing going on in comic books these days, so don’t be a chump and wait until they make some perverted documentary about him and he’s some hipster darling! ACT NOW!” (retroCRUSH)“[An] over-the-top, ultra-violent, gross-out juvenile, yet fun and hilarious book... The dialogue that does exist retains his comic sense of disjunction and fights are as demented as you’d expect. This is not a jokey book, but his humor is retained in subtle ways—if you can envision subtle Johnny Ryan humor. ... This is just a balls-out, funny, sicko, good time. My only complaint withPrison Pitis how quickly the story ends, but hopefully the subtitle (Book One) is a promise and not a joke.” (Lincoln Michel - The Faster Times)“[Prison Pit] is great and an essential read since so few new good comics get made. ... If you love or hate Johnny R. you gotta get this…It is important. Buy buy buy.” (Nick Gazin - Vice)“The Good:Prison Pitreminded me a lot of Gwar, professional wrestling and the comic strips my friends and I used to draw in junior high. ... It was gross as hell and filled with blood and gore and just straight-up repulsive juvenile humor. It was a lot of fun. The Bad: It’s probably too awesome for a lot of people to handle. ... The Bottom Line: Dude, it’s great. Just shut up and buy it. ...I’m givingPrison Pitan A and as soon as I’m done writing this review, I’m going to sit down and re-read it.” (Chad Derdowski - Mania)“Unlike anything Ryan's done thematically…Prison Pitis a non-stop action comic. It's pretty successful in that regard, with imaginative character designs and some surprising battles... And although the genre is different, Ryan can't seem to deviate from a fascinating mix of sex and violence and bodily fluids.” (Christopher Allen - Comic Book Galaxy)“Johnny Ryan draws the bad pictures. Unapologetically and lots of ‘em and I hope to god he never stops. …Prison Pit… kinda’ sorta’ kicks serious ass. ... The story definitely puts the GORE in phantasmagorical… you can smell it from miles away.” (Jared Gniewek - Graphic NYC)“[T]he single-minded commitment to vileness is so perversely pure that it goes right past lowest-common-denominator entertainment and on into snooty, fancy-pants art. ... Ryan’s world is essentiallyWaiting for Godot, from the bleak landscape to the slapstick violence.” (Noah Berlatsky - The Comics Journal)“Book of ‘09... If the point of comics is f---ed up s--- happening, this is the best f---ing comic ever made.” (Sean Witzke - supervillain)“Refreshingly devoid of any literary or artistic pretensions, this first of what I hope will be many, many volumes nevertheless comes across as somehow one of the smartest and well crafted books of the year. No, really.” (Patrick Markfort - Articulate Nerd)“Johnny Ryan takes ideas and styles that have been knocking around the art comics scene for the last few years, and injects them with gallons of fun, attitude and humour. My favourite new comic of the year!” (Richard Cowdry - The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log)“Aggro, obscene, hilarious, compulsive:Prison Pit. It wasn't just the greatest comic of the year, it was one of those comics that operated like the end result of a math equation, a definitive answer to the question of what comics are, and what they should be.” (Tucker Stone - comiXology)“Next toScott Pilgrimthis felt to me like the western comic that’s got closest to properly understanding the energy of manga, rather than simply aping the surface elements. ... It’s the best art I’ve seen Ryan do in his career.” (Brian Smith - Awesome Engine)“Amazingly, I was sucked in by the whole enterprise, laughing and groaning and shaking my head. ... These are ugly characters in a gross situation, andPrison Pittreats them with all the indulgence and nastiness needed.” (Mark Hale - The Bureau Chiefs)“Johnny Ryan’sPrison Pitis something I keep coming back to — and not just because it’s the only comic book I’ve ever seen that can actively liven up a party. It’s a hilarious, visceral and quick read… for really dumb fun, this is pretty much unbeatable.” (David Uzumeri - Robot 6)