The Big Burn is Officially One Hell of a Heist

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I frequently discuss how the 1960s marked a turning point for comic books with the arrival of a new wave of writers. Unlike the first generation, who drew inspiration from pulp magazines and early newspaper comics, these writers grew up reading comics themselves. This made a huge difference because they understood what fans wanted and brought that passion to their work.

Over time, the way stories were created changed. It wasn’t just fans who’d enjoyed comics as kids who started writing them – it was fans of those fan-written comics too. This created a cycle where the fans and the writers constantly influenced each other, like a snake eating its own tail.

It wasn’t necessarily a negative development, actually. It led to a style of writing called deconstruction, where authors skillfully subverted familiar stories and themes because they were so well-versed in them. Writers such as Grant Morrison, Alan Moore, and Garth Ennis started creating stories that did just that, and they were very successful.

I was thinking about this while reading a comic called The Big Burn by Joe Henderson, with art by Lee Garbett, colors by Lee Loughridge, and lettering by Simon Bowland and Lucas Gattoni. It’s a really cool story about a team trying to pull off a heist – but instead of money, they’re trying to steal back their own souls after making a deal with the devil. It’s a wild ride!

This story takes familiar ideas and presents them in a fresh, inventive way. At its heart is a love story so captivating, it’s easy to understand why the characters would do anything – even make extreme sacrifices – for a happy ending.

Who are Owen and Carlie?

Okay, so the game starts with me as Owen trying to pull off a bank heist, but it turns out I walked into a situation – another robber, Carlie, was already there! We quickly realized we actually work really well together. She’s a total mastermind when it comes to planning everything out, but I’m the one who can actually make those plans happen, and I also push her to go for bigger, bolder moves. It’s a pretty cool dynamic!

They fall in love, but like many infamous criminal couples, they’re eventually caught. This is where the story takes a supernatural turn: the devil offers them freedom in exchange for their souls. They accept, but that’s when things truly begin to unravel for them.

It’s strange, but you don’t truly appreciate someone until they’re gone. After losing that connection, Owen and Carlie didn’t necessarily stop loving each other, but the intense spark they once shared definitely faded.

After saying goodbye, Carlie checks into a mental health facility because she’s deeply troubled by the recent traumatic experience.

How does Own put a crew together?

Owen learns that Carlie started investigating what happened to their souls and even contacted others who she believed had made the same deal. This gives Owen an idea: he can assemble a team to try and reclaim everyone’s souls.

While Owen was making his plans, he nearly lost his life at the hands of a bookie he owed a large sum of money to – money he’d been paying off with the profits from his crimes with Carlie. Though he was brought back from the brink, he first caught a terrifying glimpse of what his afterlife would be like. Despite the horror, he realized he might be able to outsmart the devil and save his own soul.

Owen assembles a team to pull off a heist, and Henderson is skilled at creating a group of characters, each with unique personalities and a different understanding of what it means to feel lost or morally compromised.

Garbett excels at bringing the characters to life through their facial expressions. The emotional impact of this comic book heavily relies on Garbett’s ability to convey feeling, working in tandem with Henderson’s writing to connect readers to the characters.

If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll likely know what to expect from this story: a classic heist plot, but with a focus on philosophical and spiritual themes.

The journey is filled with betrayals – including Carlie unexpectedly refusing rescue, as therapy helped her realize she’d imagined her soul being stolen. But more importantly, the story excels at showing characters struggling against their own flaws, which is exactly what the devil usually exploits.

The story also raises some thought-provoking questions, such as whether a character like Owen could ever really retire from a life of crime. It makes you wonder if his personality is just naturally drawn to risk, and if he’d even want a victory that doesn’t come with significant danger.

I was really struck by how Garbett portrayed the devil. He wasn’t just scary, he felt genuinely powerful and ominous, but also surprisingly charismatic. What’s even more interesting is that I got the sense the devil actually has a lot more in common with Owen and the other characters than he lets on – it adds a really fascinating layer to his character.

The Big Burn is a hell of a fun heist story.

The Big Burn hardcover is on final order cutoff this coming Monday.

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2026-04-30 06:54