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Thumbprint
Private Mallory Grennan had done terrible things as an Abu Ghraib prison worker. After being discharged from the army, Mal thought she was leaving her sins behind to start a new life back home. But some things can't be left behind - some things don't want to be left behind! Featuring Joe Hill and Jason Ciaramella, the writing team that brought you the Eisner-award nominated one-shot, The Cape, with art by Vic Malhotra, Thumbprint will turn your guts inside out!
104 pages, Hardcover
First published December 24, 2013
About the author
Joe Hill
407 books26.4k followersJoe Hill's debut, Heart-Shaped Box, won the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel. His second, Horns, was made into a film freakfest starring Daniel Radcliffe. His other novels include NOS4A2, and his #1 New York Times Best-Seller, The Fireman... which was also the winner of a 2016 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Horror Novel.
He writes short stories too. Some of them were gathered together in his prize-winning collection, 20th Century Ghosts.
He won the Eisner Award for Best Writer for his long running comic book series, Locke & Key, co-created with illustrator and art wizard Gabriel Rodriguez.
He lives in New Hampshire with a corgi named McMurtry after a certain beloved writer of cowboy tales. His next book, Strange Weather, a collection of novellas, storms into bookstores in October of 2017.
He writes short stories too. Some of them were gathered together in his prize-winning collection, 20th Century Ghosts.
He won the Eisner Award for Best Writer for his long running comic book series, Locke & Key, co-created with illustrator and art wizard Gabriel Rodriguez.
He lives in New Hampshire with a corgi named McMurtry after a certain beloved writer of cowboy tales. His next book, Strange Weather, a collection of novellas, storms into bookstores in October of 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
June 26, 2018
The story of a soldier recently returned from Abu Ghraib. Someone starts stalking her while she tries to recover from the atrocities she committed while at the prison. It's a pretty bare bones story. It's hard to care about any of the characters when they are all dirt bags.
June 7, 2014
A soldier who did terrible things in Abu Ghraib (but wasn’t caught) returns to America and tries to re-assimilate back into civilian life. But the past still haunts her and then one day someone starts leaving thumbprints on notes in her house, her car… what does it mean and could someone from those dark days in the Middle East be returning to exact vengeance?
Thumbprint is an adaptation of a Joe Hill short story (it says “novella” on the cover and though it’s never been agreed upon exactly how many pages separates a short story and a novella, 15 pages is definitely a short story), by writer Jason Ciaramela and artist Vic Malhotra. Hill’s short story is also included here, along with a weird fantasy comic called Kodiak, plotted by Hill but not written by him.
The theme of Thumbprint is how war changes people but specifically the way that the United States has conducted its War on Terror - waterboarding, Abu Ghraib, etc. - and how that has affected their own troops’ minds; but the execution lets it down.
Written in a style that wishes it were Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon, Thumbprint’s hackneyed “mystery” story (you can guess who it is pretty early on) plods predictably on to an underwhelming finale, complete with a crazy murderer who’s not so crazy that he can’t tell the main character, and the audience, his plans in an extended monologue.
None of the characters seemed believable in the slightest, the killer’s motivations were idiotic, and the final panel reveal was groan-inducingly stupid - it comes off like it was written by a high school kid determined to write “cool” and “edgy” fiction, and making a chump of themselves instead. It’s the equivalent of writing “The End” and then “...?”.
Also, when you set up your main character as totally unlikeable and barely two-dimensional, there’s absolutely no reason to be rooting for them to defeat the bad guy at the end. Both characters were pretty awful people and I would’ve preferred if both had died instead of just one.
Thumbprint takes a lofty theme and fails to do it any justice, producing instead a cheesy, third-rate serial killer story. Hill’s short story goes into more detail and is slightly better, though the comic did set the bar really low, and the final addition to this book, Kodiak, feels very out of place here, set in ye olden dayes.
Even if you’re a Hill fan I can’t imagine you’d get much out of this; to everyone else, don’t bother.
Thumbprint is an adaptation of a Joe Hill short story (it says “novella” on the cover and though it’s never been agreed upon exactly how many pages separates a short story and a novella, 15 pages is definitely a short story), by writer Jason Ciaramela and artist Vic Malhotra. Hill’s short story is also included here, along with a weird fantasy comic called Kodiak, plotted by Hill but not written by him.
The theme of Thumbprint is how war changes people but specifically the way that the United States has conducted its War on Terror - waterboarding, Abu Ghraib, etc. - and how that has affected their own troops’ minds; but the execution lets it down.
Written in a style that wishes it were Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon, Thumbprint’s hackneyed “mystery” story (you can guess who it is pretty early on) plods predictably on to an underwhelming finale, complete with a crazy murderer who’s not so crazy that he can’t tell the main character, and the audience, his plans in an extended monologue.
None of the characters seemed believable in the slightest, the killer’s motivations were idiotic, and the final panel reveal was groan-inducingly stupid - it comes off like it was written by a high school kid determined to write “cool” and “edgy” fiction, and making a chump of themselves instead. It’s the equivalent of writing “The End” and then “...?”.
Also, when you set up your main character as totally unlikeable and barely two-dimensional, there’s absolutely no reason to be rooting for them to defeat the bad guy at the end. Both characters were pretty awful people and I would’ve preferred if both had died instead of just one.
Thumbprint takes a lofty theme and fails to do it any justice, producing instead a cheesy, third-rate serial killer story. Hill’s short story goes into more detail and is slightly better, though the comic did set the bar really low, and the final addition to this book, Kodiak, feels very out of place here, set in ye olden dayes.
Even if you’re a Hill fan I can’t imagine you’d get much out of this; to everyone else, don’t bother.
October 4, 2013
This was a somewhat disappointing graphic novel from Joe Hill that relied too much on empty shock tactics and gory images. It's a quick read and compelling enough that readers will likely find themselves finishing it in one sitting, but the story lacks any real substance. The element of the story that had the most potential, in my opinion, was the exploration of the protagonist's state of mind after she was responsible for horrific acts in Abu Ghraib. It could have been a far more fascinating read if the psychological aspect had been better examined. Unfortunately, though, this story felt like one torture scene after another.
Once the original shock and horror wore off, there was nothing left to interest me.
Once the original shock and horror wore off, there was nothing left to interest me.
April 18, 2023
A thrilling graphic novel.
'Thumbprint is a harrowing ride through war... and into the darkness that waits when the survivors return home.'
As with everything else I've read that has been written by or has been adapted from the work of Joe Hill, this was an exciting, well written and presented graphic novel, even though it didn't quite reach the highs of Plunge or Wraith which I've read recently.
This also included Joe Hill's original short story which to me fell short of the graphic novel adaption by Jason Ciaramella and Vic Malhotra, plus an enjoyable short bonus story, Kodiak, which was written by Hill and Ciaramella.
Overall, well worth checking out.
'Thumbprint is a harrowing ride through war... and into the darkness that waits when the survivors return home.'
As with everything else I've read that has been written by or has been adapted from the work of Joe Hill, this was an exciting, well written and presented graphic novel, even though it didn't quite reach the highs of Plunge or Wraith which I've read recently.
This also included Joe Hill's original short story which to me fell short of the graphic novel adaption by Jason Ciaramella and Vic Malhotra, plus an enjoyable short bonus story, Kodiak, which was written by Hill and Ciaramella.
Overall, well worth checking out.
April 30, 2014
Jason Ciaramella's adaptation of Joe Hill's story. Woman returns from working, with great regret, about things she did at Abu Gharaib, and you never really leave that behind… and so the horror continues, very violently and disturbingly, it's real life horror. Like the other one they did, The Cape, it is over the top violent and crazy. Not my usual fare, but Hill is a good storyteller in this genre…. but most people are not gonna love it, I am guessing, for all the psycho-ness and because we leave out stuff from the story in the more pared down graphic story…. though on the other hand, the graphics are appropriate to the nature of the story….
May 2, 2021
Well that was interesting and disturbing. I swear it was adapted somehow cuz I saw this story somewhere before. For the life of me I can't find it but I know I've seen it somewhere.
Would have liked this to be longer, I want to know more about the main character.
Would have liked this to be longer, I want to know more about the main character.
September 17, 2020
Disappointing, which is a surprise coming from Hill. The depiction of soldiers is lazy and stereotyped, and the ending is toothless , since it is barely a mild surprise and uninteresting to boot.
March 2, 2014
So, Stephen King's son wrote a relentlessly awful novella about an Iraq war veteran, and a couple of other guys decided to adapt it into a graphic novel. Along the way Hill & his adaptors manage to perpetuate every negative stereotype of veterans afflicted with PTSD. Simply put, Joe Hill's novella is shameful and lazy Jason Ciaramella & Vic Malhotra's adaptation of Hill's novella is shameful and lazy.
The main character of Thumbprint is a Lynndie England stand-in named Mallory. Like England, Mallory is a US Army MP who participated in the heinous abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison. My Marine Corps unit was in Iraq at the time of this scandal, so this premise is what initially drew me to Thumbprint.
I noticed right off the bat that Mallory is far more attractive than England, no doubt because this is a comic/graphic novel and all women must be hot and sexually available. Artist Vic Malhorta was determined not to break with that stereotype. This isn't the only stereotype the team that produced this book won't break.
Unlike England, the authors would have us believe that Mallory got off relatively easily because her face was not captured in any photograph documenting the torture or abuse of prisoners. This struck me as ridiculous. If you go examine even the most basic details of the soldiers intimately involved in the torture and abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, it's clear that someone as demonstrably involved in torture and abuse as we are shown Mallory was would have been reduced in rank to private and sentenced to some time in a military prison. Yet, the authors would have readers believe that the Army merely sent Private First Class Mallory home from her deployment early and quietly drummed her out once she was back in the States. Uh-huh. Right.
Later, we're treated to a scene where some of the MPs responsible for torturing & abusing prisoners at Abu Ghraib are sent out into the field to support elements of the 82nd Airborne's raids on the homes of suspected insurgents in the vicinity of Abu Ghraib. As a Marine who was in Fallujah in 2004 following the Army "occupation" of the city, I can tell you the Army, including the 82nd, was doing very little of this type of thing in late 2003 to early 2004 in the areas where insurgents were strong. But sending prison-guarding MPs to back up the 82nd makes it even more hilarious. I loved it when the soldiers used a turret-mounted .50-caliber heavy machine gun to subdue some insurgents inside a house, somehow leaving a few of the high-value targets they were there to get in good enough condition to be interrogated. Oh-kay.
When a captured insurgent spits in Mallory's face after she taunts him, Mallory's partner, Anshaw – an Arab-American male junior soldier – snaps and throws the insurgent out of the back of their LMTV at convoy speed onto the unpaved road. In Hill's novella, two reporters from MSNBC witness this. In the adaptation, we can't see witnesses. In the novella, Hill resolves this by saying "three weeks later Anshaw was sent home." Bad Anshaw, no more war for you! (But, you know, no court-martial or prison sentence, either.) Even more hilarious, though, is Ciaramella's assertion in his adaptation that "Three days later, Anshaw was on a plane headed for a discharge and a veteran's hospital for PTSD." Uh, no. If the Army decided it was going to discharge Anshaw for throwing a prisoner out the back of a moving vehicle at convoy speed, Anshaw would have given a discharge – bad conduct or dishonorable – after cooling his heels in a military prison for a while.
Moreover, the Army can't just send a veteran to a VA hospital for PTSD. Enrollment and participation in VA health care is voluntary and subject to first passing through a lengthy (months or years-long) backlog of eligibility claims. And anyway, after receiving a bad conduct or dishonorable discharge Anshaw wouldn't have been entitled to any treatment at a VA hospital. To assert otherwise is to make uninformed assumptions about how military punishment and veterans benefits work. But, unfortunately for Hill & Ciaramella's readers, the uninformed assumptions don't stop there.
You see, when Mallory returns home (yes, I'm at the beginning of the novella/graphic novel), she starts receiving mysterious notes bearing only thumbprints (hence, the title), first in her mailbox, then, later in the book, on her truck and on her front porch. These freak her out. Eventually, as she's coming out of a shower, we see a new note taped to her bathroom mirror. And then, at the end, we get the big reveal. Who has been sending her these notes? Anshaw! Of course!
As both Hill and Ciaramella write him, Anshaw has gone completely crazy – we're talking paranoid serial killer crazy, here – because of PTSD. Yup, PTSD turns veterans into frothing lunatic killers who cut the thumbs off their victims back in the United States and then wear them as a necklace when they aren't using the thumbs to sign notes to their former military pals. Thanks, Joe Hill, Jason Ciaramella, and Vic Malhotra, for keeping that image drawn from the Vietnam era in the public eye and ever-so-helpfully applying it to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
If Goodreads would let me give Thumbprint zero stars and still register it as a review, I would. Instead, I'm forced to give it one star, but that's far more generous than Hill and his compatriots have been to my generation of veterans.
Don't read Thumbprint. It's lazy and completely full of crap, and it will rot your brain.
The main character of Thumbprint is a Lynndie England stand-in named Mallory. Like England, Mallory is a US Army MP who participated in the heinous abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison. My Marine Corps unit was in Iraq at the time of this scandal, so this premise is what initially drew me to Thumbprint.
I noticed right off the bat that Mallory is far more attractive than England, no doubt because this is a comic/graphic novel and all women must be hot and sexually available. Artist Vic Malhorta was determined not to break with that stereotype. This isn't the only stereotype the team that produced this book won't break.
Unlike England, the authors would have us believe that Mallory got off relatively easily because her face was not captured in any photograph documenting the torture or abuse of prisoners. This struck me as ridiculous. If you go examine even the most basic details of the soldiers intimately involved in the torture and abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, it's clear that someone as demonstrably involved in torture and abuse as we are shown Mallory was would have been reduced in rank to private and sentenced to some time in a military prison. Yet, the authors would have readers believe that the Army merely sent Private First Class Mallory home from her deployment early and quietly drummed her out once she was back in the States. Uh-huh. Right.
Later, we're treated to a scene where some of the MPs responsible for torturing & abusing prisoners at Abu Ghraib are sent out into the field to support elements of the 82nd Airborne's raids on the homes of suspected insurgents in the vicinity of Abu Ghraib. As a Marine who was in Fallujah in 2004 following the Army "occupation" of the city, I can tell you the Army, including the 82nd, was doing very little of this type of thing in late 2003 to early 2004 in the areas where insurgents were strong. But sending prison-guarding MPs to back up the 82nd makes it even more hilarious. I loved it when the soldiers used a turret-mounted .50-caliber heavy machine gun to subdue some insurgents inside a house, somehow leaving a few of the high-value targets they were there to get in good enough condition to be interrogated. Oh-kay.
When a captured insurgent spits in Mallory's face after she taunts him, Mallory's partner, Anshaw – an Arab-American male junior soldier – snaps and throws the insurgent out of the back of their LMTV at convoy speed onto the unpaved road. In Hill's novella, two reporters from MSNBC witness this. In the adaptation, we can't see witnesses. In the novella, Hill resolves this by saying "three weeks later Anshaw was sent home." Bad Anshaw, no more war for you! (But, you know, no court-martial or prison sentence, either.) Even more hilarious, though, is Ciaramella's assertion in his adaptation that "Three days later, Anshaw was on a plane headed for a discharge and a veteran's hospital for PTSD." Uh, no. If the Army decided it was going to discharge Anshaw for throwing a prisoner out the back of a moving vehicle at convoy speed, Anshaw would have given a discharge – bad conduct or dishonorable – after cooling his heels in a military prison for a while.
Moreover, the Army can't just send a veteran to a VA hospital for PTSD. Enrollment and participation in VA health care is voluntary and subject to first passing through a lengthy (months or years-long) backlog of eligibility claims. And anyway, after receiving a bad conduct or dishonorable discharge Anshaw wouldn't have been entitled to any treatment at a VA hospital. To assert otherwise is to make uninformed assumptions about how military punishment and veterans benefits work. But, unfortunately for Hill & Ciaramella's readers, the uninformed assumptions don't stop there.
You see, when Mallory returns home (yes, I'm at the beginning of the novella/graphic novel), she starts receiving mysterious notes bearing only thumbprints (hence, the title), first in her mailbox, then, later in the book, on her truck and on her front porch. These freak her out. Eventually, as she's coming out of a shower, we see a new note taped to her bathroom mirror. And then, at the end, we get the big reveal. Who has been sending her these notes? Anshaw! Of course!
As both Hill and Ciaramella write him, Anshaw has gone completely crazy – we're talking paranoid serial killer crazy, here – because of PTSD. Yup, PTSD turns veterans into frothing lunatic killers who cut the thumbs off their victims back in the United States and then wear them as a necklace when they aren't using the thumbs to sign notes to their former military pals. Thanks, Joe Hill, Jason Ciaramella, and Vic Malhotra, for keeping that image drawn from the Vietnam era in the public eye and ever-so-helpfully applying it to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
If Goodreads would let me give Thumbprint zero stars and still register it as a review, I would. Instead, I'm forced to give it one star, but that's far more generous than Hill and his compatriots have been to my generation of veterans.
Don't read Thumbprint. It's lazy and completely full of crap, and it will rot your brain.
November 5, 2013
"You’d be surprised what you can do to people".
I haven’t read or watched a lot of fiction that has to do with war. I've only really seen a handful of movies and the majority of them paint soldiers in a glowing light. I’m not about to sit here and criticize those who put themselves directly in harm’s way on a daily basis – a job I could never find the balls to do myself – I’ll leave that to others; others like Joe Hill.
The bulk of this story follows Mal Greenfell, a soldier that returned from Iraq and is trying to adjust to life as a private citizen. Having died approximately ten hours before her arrival back in America, Mal’s father left her his home as well as his car.
Mal takes a job as a bartender and slowly realizes that she’s not the person she was when she ventured overseas, that her true self is who she is now – a careless and ruthless individual who isn't above violence and theft.
Following the arrival of a letter containing only a single fingerprint, Mal begins to question if someone is threatening her. Given Mal’s sordid past, she may have created several enemies.
Over the past year, I've become a pretty big supporter of Joe Hill having read his novel, Horns, as well as his awesome graphic novel series, Locke & Key. I thought this was pretty average; not bad but not on the level that he’s capable of. That being said, I thought it was paced well and had a decently satisfying conclusion. So a solid 3 stars.
**The above portion was taken from my review of the original short story. Below are my thoughts on the graphic novel adaptation.**
So I recently had the good fortune of reading the graphic novel adaptation by Vic Malhotra and Jason Ciaramella. Ciaramella has worked with Joe in the past, bringing his short story The Cape to life in a comic form. In my opinion, he knocked it out of the park, so a second collaboration was more than welcome.
Malhotra’s art is perfect for the story. Minimalist visuals coupled with drab and bleak colors paint the perfect picture of Mal’s post war world. The story moves along swiftly, keeping that frantic pace that enhances Mal’s growing paranoia as well as her search for the person responsible.
It’s a great mini-series compiled in a quick one shot graphic novel. Check it out!
I haven’t read or watched a lot of fiction that has to do with war. I've only really seen a handful of movies and the majority of them paint soldiers in a glowing light. I’m not about to sit here and criticize those who put themselves directly in harm’s way on a daily basis – a job I could never find the balls to do myself – I’ll leave that to others; others like Joe Hill.
The bulk of this story follows Mal Greenfell, a soldier that returned from Iraq and is trying to adjust to life as a private citizen. Having died approximately ten hours before her arrival back in America, Mal’s father left her his home as well as his car.
Mal takes a job as a bartender and slowly realizes that she’s not the person she was when she ventured overseas, that her true self is who she is now – a careless and ruthless individual who isn't above violence and theft.
Following the arrival of a letter containing only a single fingerprint, Mal begins to question if someone is threatening her. Given Mal’s sordid past, she may have created several enemies.
Over the past year, I've become a pretty big supporter of Joe Hill having read his novel, Horns, as well as his awesome graphic novel series, Locke & Key. I thought this was pretty average; not bad but not on the level that he’s capable of. That being said, I thought it was paced well and had a decently satisfying conclusion. So a solid 3 stars.
**The above portion was taken from my review of the original short story. Below are my thoughts on the graphic novel adaptation.**
So I recently had the good fortune of reading the graphic novel adaptation by Vic Malhotra and Jason Ciaramella. Ciaramella has worked with Joe in the past, bringing his short story The Cape to life in a comic form. In my opinion, he knocked it out of the park, so a second collaboration was more than welcome.
Malhotra’s art is perfect for the story. Minimalist visuals coupled with drab and bleak colors paint the perfect picture of Mal’s post war world. The story moves along swiftly, keeping that frantic pace that enhances Mal’s growing paranoia as well as her search for the person responsible.
It’s a great mini-series compiled in a quick one shot graphic novel. Check it out!
November 18, 2013
Sometimes when reading these longer books, rather than individual issues, I like to get something down on paper before I finish reading, or as in this case, within the first few pages of the story. I was due to review this a few days ago, but when I opened the book and saw the dreary drudging art with the only true colour being blood red, I swiftly closed the review file and opened up my nice shiny copy of Amazing X-Men and reviewed that instead. This is not a book to go to for a nice casual read through! As I learnt a few weeks ago my nice safe bubble of reading Marvel comics has been utterly shattered as I reviewed a book of ‘The Crow’ which was disturbing at best, and utterly horrifying at its worst. I have to say from just the first few pages, I really think I am in for another dose of intense ‘bubble popping.’
Without further circumlocution this story is about torture during the Gulf War. Just writing that down makes me want to stiffen my upper lip and start talking about the rain. Leaving my personal prejudices to one side I am really going to end up sitting on the fence on this one. I was about to write that I ‘liked’ the story, but that is so far from the truth I had to rethink entirely. I hate the story with a capital H. Does not mean the story is not good, which is still a hard concept for me to get my head around when thinking about comics. However this is not the reason why I am unsure. The subject material for me needs to be dealt with a good deal of respect and I am not sure if the comic’s resolution does that. However from a purely comic book stand point the resolution to the story is perfect and the timing and layout of the reveals is wonderful.
I think the naming of the prison and giving exact circumstances leave this story in bad taste; it would have worked better if they did not name the war, or country or prison and the implication would have been enough for me to draw which ever conclusions I wanted. Other than that this is a comic that ‘affected’ me. Normally at this point I want to say that I really like the art, or that the story was great and the dialogue fun and witty; the problem is that it is absolutely none of those. The art is dark, murky and unclear, the story was horrible and the script was one dirty word after another coming from the mouths of some really unpleasant people. It does not stop this from being an utterly captivating read which held me from the moment I started reading all the way through the moments where I wanted to turn away in disgust. If anyone needed proof that comics can be much more than superheroes and kiddie stuff, then this is it.
http://cmro.travis-starnes.com/blog/2013/11/thumbprint-review/
Without further circumlocution this story is about torture during the Gulf War. Just writing that down makes me want to stiffen my upper lip and start talking about the rain. Leaving my personal prejudices to one side I am really going to end up sitting on the fence on this one. I was about to write that I ‘liked’ the story, but that is so far from the truth I had to rethink entirely. I hate the story with a capital H. Does not mean the story is not good, which is still a hard concept for me to get my head around when thinking about comics. However this is not the reason why I am unsure. The subject material for me needs to be dealt with a good deal of respect and I am not sure if the comic’s resolution does that. However from a purely comic book stand point the resolution to the story is perfect and the timing and layout of the reveals is wonderful.
I think the naming of the prison and giving exact circumstances leave this story in bad taste; it would have worked better if they did not name the war, or country or prison and the implication would have been enough for me to draw which ever conclusions I wanted. Other than that this is a comic that ‘affected’ me. Normally at this point I want to say that I really like the art, or that the story was great and the dialogue fun and witty; the problem is that it is absolutely none of those. The art is dark, murky and unclear, the story was horrible and the script was one dirty word after another coming from the mouths of some really unpleasant people. It does not stop this from being an utterly captivating read which held me from the moment I started reading all the way through the moments where I wanted to turn away in disgust. If anyone needed proof that comics can be much more than superheroes and kiddie stuff, then this is it.
http://cmro.travis-starnes.com/blog/2013/11/thumbprint-review/
December 21, 2013
I love comics. If you have ever read my blog you would know that at times there are more graphic novel reviews posted than actual books. One series that I have been a big fan of is Joe Hill's Locke and Key. I really enjoyed the writing in the series. I am not a fan of his novels much, because I keep comparing him to his dad Stephan King. Every time I do, Hill comes up short, and I just can't get into the book. His graphic novel series was different for me and I really liked it. When i saw this Kindle single adapted into a graphic novel I jumped on the chance to read it.
Again I would have to admit that I was disappointed. The whole story is about soldiers behaving badly and the consequences of coming home with secrets. The idea sounded interesting. A soldier arrives home to find a mysterious thumbprint left on a card. The mystery drew me in at first, but I just couldn't get past the soldiers and their actions. I have read new articles, and this type of stuff happens. I am not in the military, so I have no idea what it is like to serve, but I like to think of our heroic men and women who do serve being honorable, and the stuff in this story bothered me. It kind of ruined the rest of it.
To add to this, the art work wasn't very good either. There was a lack of detail to the panels that made this feel mediocre. This is a story driven book with little to no action. This makes sense that the art work isn't impressive since it is the story that is important. However, when I read a graphic novel I want to enjoy the art work just as much. This is one of those books where I've read it, and now I can move on. I will have to give this only 2 out of 5 stars. In the end I wasn't impressed with the story or the art work, and I slightly felt like I wasted the little time I have to read on this. I have a few other graphic novels I need to read and would have rather read those. I think Joe Hill is a good writer. I just think that he might not be for me. I am still looking forward to book 6 in the Locke and Key series with anticipation.
Again I would have to admit that I was disappointed. The whole story is about soldiers behaving badly and the consequences of coming home with secrets. The idea sounded interesting. A soldier arrives home to find a mysterious thumbprint left on a card. The mystery drew me in at first, but I just couldn't get past the soldiers and their actions. I have read new articles, and this type of stuff happens. I am not in the military, so I have no idea what it is like to serve, but I like to think of our heroic men and women who do serve being honorable, and the stuff in this story bothered me. It kind of ruined the rest of it.
To add to this, the art work wasn't very good either. There was a lack of detail to the panels that made this feel mediocre. This is a story driven book with little to no action. This makes sense that the art work isn't impressive since it is the story that is important. However, when I read a graphic novel I want to enjoy the art work just as much. This is one of those books where I've read it, and now I can move on. I will have to give this only 2 out of 5 stars. In the end I wasn't impressed with the story or the art work, and I slightly felt like I wasted the little time I have to read on this. I have a few other graphic novels I need to read and would have rather read those. I think Joe Hill is a good writer. I just think that he might not be for me. I am still looking forward to book 6 in the Locke and Key series with anticipation.
January 3, 2020
Enjoyable, though I definitely missed out not having read the original first.
January 27, 2024
In this interesting book, you get three things. The first is the graphic novel Thumbprint. This is followed by the novella Thumbprint. Finally, you get a graphic short story entitled Kodiak. The illustrations of the first story were relatively simple compared to most modern graphic stories. I enjoyed the story of a war vet who brings her bad experiences home with her. The second is a novella originally written by Hill. I felt this was a much darker story than the graphic novel. While the novella was written first, the graphic novel changed things around in the story. Personally I preferred the novella to the graphic novel. The third story is also a graphic novel. Titled Kodiak, this one wasn’t really tied to the other story. It was more of a fable for kids and I was left wondering if it actually happened or was just the storyteller boasting. All three stories were enjoyable to me, and I loved the time I spent in each of them. Actually, I think a book club might enjoy talking about the three stories.
December 2, 2013
Mallory Grennan returns from Iraq and tries to pick up the pieces of her broken life. Someone from her past starts sending her thumbprints and she needs to find out who. The truth she finds is gruesome and revealing of who she really might be.
This is based on a short story by Joe Hill, and, while it's not as horrific as some of his other work, it has an inward darkness to it. From Mallory's confession of her past in Iraq, which she seems to have no qualms about, to the constant pressure from her boss John Petty at the VFW bar she works at, there is not a lot of hope or happiness here. The characters exist in a sort of moral ambiguity that they have justified for themselves, so the progression of the story seems like a natural finale.
Story by Joe Hill and Jason Ciaramella is dark and only gets darker. Art by Vic Malhotra is simple with vague shapes that fit the ambiguous moral nature of the story being told. I enjoyed it.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for letting me review this graphic novel.
This is based on a short story by Joe Hill, and, while it's not as horrific as some of his other work, it has an inward darkness to it. From Mallory's confession of her past in Iraq, which she seems to have no qualms about, to the constant pressure from her boss John Petty at the VFW bar she works at, there is not a lot of hope or happiness here. The characters exist in a sort of moral ambiguity that they have justified for themselves, so the progression of the story seems like a natural finale.
Story by Joe Hill and Jason Ciaramella is dark and only gets darker. Art by Vic Malhotra is simple with vague shapes that fit the ambiguous moral nature of the story being told. I enjoyed it.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for letting me review this graphic novel.
December 5, 2014
Fue un gran error haber leído primero la novela gráfica y luego el relato original (ambos incluidos en la edición de Panini en español). El relato es bueno, simplemente eso... ahora la adaptación del relato al comic es pésima ya que no respeta la historia de varios de los personajes y realiza una interpretación muyyyy libre del relato original. Creo que no ha sido muy acertado incluir ambos en un mismo tomo.
Así que, si tienen pensado adquirir el comic de Panini lean primero el relato original y luego la adaptación. Creo que de esa manera no tendrán el mismo sabor amargo que me ha dejado al terminar de leer...
Así que, si tienen pensado adquirir el comic de Panini lean primero el relato original y luego la adaptación. Creo que de esa manera no tendrán el mismo sabor amargo que me ha dejado al terminar de leer...
December 15, 2023
I've read this at the library in about one hour and I was surprised by the graphic, brutal stories presented and the way it was sketched on pages. Haven't read the original novel, but I feel the story was well covered in this graphic novel. It was a good read for a little break, with a kinda unexpected plot twist in the grandious finale.
Tw for the book: torture, blood, gore.
Tw for the book: torture, blood, gore.
April 14, 2014
I'm really enjoying graphic novels, I thought I had grown out of comics... Guess I was wrong.
August 13, 2016
Wow koliko je ovo loše.
June 5, 2017
I think the story works better in graphic novel form. The extra star is for the bonus bear short!
October 25, 2019
The novella, “Thumbprint”, was first published in “Postscripts #10” in 2007 and has been reprinted in a couple different anthologies, including "The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume Nineteen", edited by Stephen Jones in 2008. You can also find it within Joe Hill’s latest collection, “Full Throttle”. IDW Publishing released this graphic novel hardcover edition in 2013. Like all IDW hardcovers, the book has solid construction. The pages are nice and thick with a smooth texture and graphic inlays on the cover and the back of the book give it an aesthetics boost.
“Thumbprint” is a fun story about a mentally deranged chick named Mal, who has returned home from her tour of duty in the Iraq war, and some of the events that took place against the detainees in Abu Ghraib prison that resulted in the predicament she ultimately ends up in. She is haunted by guilt, a crappy job, and an old acquaintance who appears to be mentally insane.
Joe Hill does a pretty good job painting Private Mal as Lynndie England in my opinion…. Although I think “Thumbprint” is a great short story, I do not share the same opinions as Mr. Hill on the treatment of prisoners of war, child molesters, wife beaters, rapists, or murderers…. A have no problem with SOME of the behavior and actions that took place in Abu Ghraib during a time when Americans were dying on a daily basis. I have zero sympathy for enemy combatants…. Although I disagree with taking pictures of naked prisoners for kicks and making fun of the size of their manhood, torture (waterboarding doesn’t qualify in my book), cutting hands off, or castrating is justified in my eyes if it means retrieving vital information that could save American lives. I’m an eye for an eye kind of guy, anyway….
But, I was very disappointed in the weak artwork, illustrated by Vic Malhorta…. Although this is not necessarily a jab directed toward him, alone. I’ve seen some of his stuff online and the guy can draw, so it’s possible it was an editors choice to downplay the illustrations. I don’t think it did the story any justice. I would’ve preferred A LOT more detail and time put into it like the illustrations in “Road Rage” and the “Lock and Key” books, but it is what it is. “Thumbprint” has a terrific ending, though…. Sadistic and action-packed. Just the way I like it.
There is an additional short story at the end of the book titled, “Kodiak”, which was included to fill out the book. It is a real quick read that was co-written by Jason Ciaramella and is about a fire-blowing circus performer with a jacked up face who has an innocent conversation with some smokin’ hot chick which results in him being thrown in a locked cell by her crazy, overly possessive brother…. The circus performer tells the tale of how his face became disfigured to a couple of interested boys and that concludes the story. “Kodiak”, as a bonus story, was an entertaining read.
FINAL VERDICT: I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. This was one of Joe Hill’s weaker graphic novels, due to the bland artwork. The only thing that saved it for me was the original short story that included, following the comic adaptation. I would only recommend this book to Joe Hill fans if they’ve read his other IDW Publishing’s first.
“Thumbprint” is a fun story about a mentally deranged chick named Mal, who has returned home from her tour of duty in the Iraq war, and some of the events that took place against the detainees in Abu Ghraib prison that resulted in the predicament she ultimately ends up in. She is haunted by guilt, a crappy job, and an old acquaintance who appears to be mentally insane.
Joe Hill does a pretty good job painting Private Mal as Lynndie England in my opinion…. Although I think “Thumbprint” is a great short story, I do not share the same opinions as Mr. Hill on the treatment of prisoners of war, child molesters, wife beaters, rapists, or murderers…. A have no problem with SOME of the behavior and actions that took place in Abu Ghraib during a time when Americans were dying on a daily basis. I have zero sympathy for enemy combatants…. Although I disagree with taking pictures of naked prisoners for kicks and making fun of the size of their manhood, torture (waterboarding doesn’t qualify in my book), cutting hands off, or castrating is justified in my eyes if it means retrieving vital information that could save American lives. I’m an eye for an eye kind of guy, anyway….
But, I was very disappointed in the weak artwork, illustrated by Vic Malhorta…. Although this is not necessarily a jab directed toward him, alone. I’ve seen some of his stuff online and the guy can draw, so it’s possible it was an editors choice to downplay the illustrations. I don’t think it did the story any justice. I would’ve preferred A LOT more detail and time put into it like the illustrations in “Road Rage” and the “Lock and Key” books, but it is what it is. “Thumbprint” has a terrific ending, though…. Sadistic and action-packed. Just the way I like it.
There is an additional short story at the end of the book titled, “Kodiak”, which was included to fill out the book. It is a real quick read that was co-written by Jason Ciaramella and is about a fire-blowing circus performer with a jacked up face who has an innocent conversation with some smokin’ hot chick which results in him being thrown in a locked cell by her crazy, overly possessive brother…. The circus performer tells the tale of how his face became disfigured to a couple of interested boys and that concludes the story. “Kodiak”, as a bonus story, was an entertaining read.
FINAL VERDICT: I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. This was one of Joe Hill’s weaker graphic novels, due to the bland artwork. The only thing that saved it for me was the original short story that included, following the comic adaptation. I would only recommend this book to Joe Hill fans if they’ve read his other IDW Publishing’s first.
August 26, 2021
Thumbprint, another one of Joe Hill's graphic novels.
This is a taut short story about a soldier returning from Abu Ghraib and how the horrors of war affect everyone. PTSD abounds. While the concept wasn't a terrible one, the execution of it just didn't quite work for me. I think it would have been better suited as a short story than a graphic novel, in spite of some interesting panels detailing just how to properly chop a thumb off with a pair of garden shears or similar.
The social commentary wasn't at all misplaced, but again.... it would have worked better as an actual short story than as a comic, where such scenes could have hit harder and the flashbacks been more potent.
None of it really landed that well for me, including the ending.
Interesting idea, just not the execution or story that really worked for me now.
This is a taut short story about a soldier returning from Abu Ghraib and how the horrors of war affect everyone. PTSD abounds. While the concept wasn't a terrible one, the execution of it just didn't quite work for me. I think it would have been better suited as a short story than a graphic novel, in spite of some interesting panels detailing just how to properly chop a thumb off with a pair of garden shears or similar.
The social commentary wasn't at all misplaced, but again.... it would have worked better as an actual short story than as a comic, where such scenes could have hit harder and the flashbacks been more potent.
None of it really landed that well for me, including the ending.
Interesting idea, just not the execution or story that really worked for me now.
December 23, 2019
I'll be honest, I've actually now read this story, I think, three times. The first time by itself. Then I read it again in FULL THROTTLE. Then I found out there was a graphic novel and was told there was an ending (that the shortstories didn't have), and it's true. That said. It's still so bleak, and so depressing, I'm not sure why I gave it this much of my time. Well written. For sure. But like so many of Hill's stories, upsetting to a degree I sometimes find hard to deal with. Not because of gore, or violence, or a lack of humanity and empathy. But there is just something about the way he writes real feeling stories, like that mass shooter one, that stick with you and are so troubling. Very talented, for sure, but I hate having some of this stuff stuck in my head.
October 20, 2019
I have just read "Full Throttle" a collection of short stories by Joe Hill, and this tale was amongst 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. Good news! That version is in here too! You can read for yourself, but I found that the biggest difference was in the ending. For my value, I liked that short story version of that better too!
In addition, there is a short, short story in this volume titled "Kodiak". Decent story, great artwork also, and a nice little ending! Not related at all to the main story, but a nice little bonus!
In addition, there is a short, short story in this volume titled "Kodiak". Decent story, great artwork also, and a nice little ending! Not related at all to the main story, but a nice little bonus!
January 2, 2020
Qua dentro ci sono l'adattamento a fumetti del racconto, il racconto originale e un altra storia breve a fumetti con dei bei disegni.
Son rimasta un po' perplessa: leggere prima l'adattamento a fumetto e poi la versione originale è stato traumatico. Anche perché ci sono dei piccoli cambiamenti che mi hanno confuso le idee. Un po' perché non ho capito il finale della versione a fumetti, mentre il finale del racconto originale non ha alcun senso.
Neanche i disegni mi son piaciuti molto. Quelli della storia finale, invece, erano molto meglio.
Sigh, nella collana Ai confini della storia non ho ancora trovato nulla di mio gradimento.
Son rimasta un po' perplessa: leggere prima l'adattamento a fumetto e poi la versione originale è stato traumatico. Anche perché ci sono dei piccoli cambiamenti che mi hanno confuso le idee. Un po' perché non ho capito il finale della versione a fumetti, mentre il finale del racconto originale non ha alcun senso.
Neanche i disegni mi son piaciuti molto. Quelli della storia finale, invece, erano molto meglio.
Sigh, nella collana Ai confini della storia non ho ancora trovato nulla di mio gradimento.
June 15, 2017
That was...wow, just wow! The original short story was very, very good, but this just took it up a notch.
A woman comes back from the military (without honor) where she was an interpreter who helps with interrogation. She was not only good at it, but enjoyed it a bit much.
In just over a hundred pages, the writer and illustrator managed to invest you in this woman you simply cannot like and also make you feel fear on her behalf. Fear for her. That's quite a feat when you don't care for someone.
The illustrations were spot on. I'm so glad I picked this up.
A woman comes back from the military (without honor) where she was an interpreter who helps with interrogation. She was not only good at it, but enjoyed it a bit much.
In just over a hundred pages, the writer and illustrator managed to invest you in this woman you simply cannot like and also make you feel fear on her behalf. Fear for her. That's quite a feat when you don't care for someone.
The illustrations were spot on. I'm so glad I picked this up.
August 12, 2017
Leí primero el comic y luego el relato en el que fue basado...error
me gustó mucho mas el relato que el comic, refleja una verdadera personalidad alterada como imagino que serán las personas que pasaron por la guerra, y mas las que se dedican a "ciertas" tareas dentro de la guerra...
No le veo el sentido a cambiar la historia original, se podría haber hecho el comic igual...
En fin, el comic me gustó, pero es mas real la historia...
En el mismo libro también viene Kodiak, que me pareció muy bueno...
me gustó mucho mas el relato que el comic, refleja una verdadera personalidad alterada como imagino que serán las personas que pasaron por la guerra, y mas las que se dedican a "ciertas" tareas dentro de la guerra...
No le veo el sentido a cambiar la historia original, se podría haber hecho el comic igual...
En fin, el comic me gustó, pero es mas real la historia...
En el mismo libro también viene Kodiak, que me pareció muy bueno...
May 27, 2020
The four stars more for the "novella" of Thumbprint, Kodiak, and the artwork. Is it a great story? Maybe not. I did find it compelling though, more so in the long form. Could have more to do with the vague ending of the novella version. Are these characters likeable? Absolutely not, but there is something to be said for enduring horrors that rip the humanity right out of characters. Is the story full of cliches about soldiers with PTSD? Probably. For all of this story's flaws, I wanted to see if Mal could find her humanity again.
December 22, 2017
While I am sad to say I didn't enjoy the art style of the Thumbprint GN (I much preferred the art for the included Kodiak graphic story at the end), I was glad to see Joe's original prose for Thumbprint included as well. Some changes made to the adaptation to the GN format I didn't care for as well. I much preferred Joe's original prose. But overall, glad I have this in my collection due to my 'completionist' nature when it comes to Joe Hill works.
Shelved as 'collected'
November 27, 2017included in Joe Hill: The Graphic Novel Collection
February 6, 2023
This one didn't sit that well with me, possibly because of the subject matter. It's a dark, short and brutal story touching on just how nasty and brutish people can be. Not a comfortable read.
I did enjoy the - completely separate - story at the end, called Kodiak. Not sure how many editions have that story as well. It was a bit of a palate cleanser for me.
I did enjoy the - completely separate - story at the end, called Kodiak. Not sure how many editions have that story as well. It was a bit of a palate cleanser for me.
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