At one point in Neil Gaiman's The Last Temptation, the macabre master of ceremonies (a perfect 2-D rendition of Alice Cooper, as drawn by Zulli) makes a most tempting final offer to the young protagonist, Steven. There's only one thing he wants in return, and it's so small that the boy will barely notice it's gone. He doesn't need it, won't even miss it.

Let me guess, Steven says, at his age already worldly to horror cliches. My soul?

"Oh, no!" replies the master of ceremonies. "Your potential."

This little exchange is typical of Neil Gaiman - always refreshing, he never falls back on cliches. It is difficult to read much nowadays without guessing motives and endings, because so many authors get so lazy. But Gaiman manages to elevate the most frequent scene in literature - that of evil tempting innocence and offering fantasies come true, all in exchange for the poor sap's soul - into something quite unique.

Gaiman has therefore, understandably, been a favorite author of mine for years. From his graphic novels (Sandman, Books of Magic, 1602) to his welcome foray into mainstream literature(American Gods, Good Omens, Anansi Boys) and film (Mirrormask), he continually impresses with his talent. Like his Sandman protagonist, the king of dreams, Gaiman creates whole ficticious worlds and actually makes you believe that maybe it's all real. And he makes you care about what his characters go through.

Unfortunately, regarding The Last Temptation, that's the end of the pluses for me. I really didn't care what happens to Steven; I never got a sense of his personality, any feeling that he was real or realistic. As a lead character, he's a bit dull. The plot itself doesn't offer much. I found myself skimming bits of it just to get to the end. I always thought it impossible for Gaiman to write something mediocre, so I'm surprised.

The artwork is fun. As I said above, Zulli is spot-on with his depiction of Alice Cooper. And who else but Alice is perfect in a role as the ultimate showman (who really does turn out to be evil incarnate)? My only beef is the choice for black-and-white, which often makes the comic difficult to read. I hear there's a color version, which I've yet to find, but doing so may make it easier to follow the action.

In the end, it's a simple, straightforward little horror tale with not much to offer. Gaiman's admitted it's not his best work, just a cheap little thrill, not unlike a trip to the carnival or eating cotton candy when we can't find gelatto.

I picked the book up on a whimsy. I like Gaiman, and this book looked different from the rest.

The introduction was among the most interesting parts for me, the prose that allowed Gaiman to tell how Last Temptation came about. Helping write a concept album for Alice Cooper sounded exciting and neat, and I imagine it is an opportunity that happens too often. Within the context of the album, the resulting graphic novel take form.

The tale is of Steven, a boy pressed with many fears and threats in his life, nothing amazing though, more on the level of a meek Joe Average. He is offered a place in the Theater of the Real by the Showman in exchange for his Potential. The Showman is very much the serpent, playing to Steven through the mouths of those around him, trying to tempt him to accept.

The story is pretty straight and simple. I believe it is the result of the collaboration. The story is a bit simpler in plot and character than I would ordinarily expect, but it is to the point and well told. The art is evocative and well done, bringing out the eeriness of the theme.

I would mostly recommend this to Gaiman and Cooper fans. There are definitely better books out there on this theme.