Alice Cooper: The Last Temptation, Part Three

Alice Cooper: 'The Last Temptation'
(Marvel Comics, 1994)

Part Three

The third and final issue of ‘Alice Coper: The Last Temptation’ (December 1994) sees our hero Steven setting out on the school Halloween parade...but he soon sneaks off to the town library:

 

There he investigates the microfilm archive for past news stories on the mysterious theatre, whose Showman (Alice) wants Steven to be his newest actor…for a price. Steven discovers some unsettling information in the town archives…..

Steven decides to venture into the theatre and deal with the Showman, but the theatre’s creepy audience isn’t going to let him enter so easily….

I won’t spoil the remainder of the story save to say that Steven finds himself confronted with the Last Temptation, and any choice he makes will have its cost.

Overall, ‘Alice Cooper: The last Temptation’ is a solid, well-produced series that mixes low-key horror and fantasy in a way suitable for a young adult audience without being too watered-down or pedantic. 

But it will also appeal to adult readers who appreciate a well-executed concept revolving around a rock n' roll icon. Michael Zulli’s artwork is ideal for the books’ theme, and Neil Gaiman’s plot gives Alice Cooper a distinctive, even threatening role without lapsing into self-parody.