"Holy Terror" was controversial upon release; many comic book writers and reviewers argued that the novel's depiction of Muslims was Islamophobic. David Brothers of ComicsAlliance, in a review of the book, felt that Miller's writing "matters to an almost absurd level... the enemy in "Holy Terror" is not so much the terrorist organization, Al-Qaeda, but the religion of Islam." Similarly, Cyriaque Lamar of Io9 called the portrayal of terrorists "cartoonish... [gutting "Holy Terror" of any emotional resonance." Spencer Ackerman of "Wired" wrote that the book was "one of the most appalling, offensive and vindictive comics of all time... Miller's "Holy Terror" is a screed against Islam, completely uninterested in any nuance or empathy toward 1.2 billion people he conflates with a few murderous conspiracy theorists."