Year: 2009

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You Shall Die by your own Evil Creation!: More comics by Fletcher Hanks


By Fletcher Hanks, edited by Paul Karasik (Fantagraphics Books)
ISBN: 978-1-606699-160-2

The work of troubled artisan Fletcher Hanks was lost to posterity until relatively recently rediscovered by comics’ intelligentsia in such magazines as Raw! His unique visual style and manner of storytelling resulted in only 51 complete stories created over less than three years (1939-1941) – but those were the make-or-break formative times that shaped the entire American comic-book industry.

Hanks was an artist and cartoonist plagued by a dependence on alcohol and a tendency to violence. He abandoned his wife and four children in 1930 and disappeared until the incredible commercial drive to fill comic-book pages saw him resurface in 1939 as part of the Jerry Iger/Will Eisner production “Shop” producing whole stories (script, art, lettering and probably even colour-guides) for some of the most successful publishers of the Golden Age.

Now coming to prominence as a key Outsider Artist (defined by critic Roger Cardinal as an English equivalent to the French movement Art Brut or Raw/Rough Art: art created outside the boundaries of official culture). Jean Dubuffet connected it especially and specifically to the paintings and drawings of insane asylum inmates but Cardinal extended the definition to include Naïve art, some Primitivism and sustained bodies of work by creators working at all fringes of the mainstream.

In his woefully short career the impact of those 51 stories were further reduced since he only worked in a few returning characters. This book follows on from and concludes the complete works compilation begun in editor Karasik’s I Shall Destroy all the Civilized Planets! (which I simply must track down and review too).

Presented in chronological order this book contains seven Space Smith adventures ‘Captured by Skomah!’ (Fantastic #1, December 1939), ‘The Martian Ogres!’ (Fantastic #2, January 1940), ‘The Leopard Women of Venus’ (#3, February 1940), ‘The Thinker’ (#4, March 1940), ‘The Hoppers’ (#5, April 1940), ‘The Vacuumites’ (#6, May 1940) and ‘Planet Bloodu’ (#8, July 1940), a single tale of Tabu, Wizard of the Jungle from Jungle Comics #1 (‘The Slave Raiders’, from January 1940) and a bunch of red-blooded lumberjack yarns starring Big Red McLane: ‘King of the North Woods’, ‘The Timber Thieves’, ‘The Lumber Hijackers’, ‘The Sinister Stranger’, ‘The Paper Racketeers’, ‘Sledge Sloan Gang’, ‘The Monk’s War Rockets’ and  ‘Searching for Sally Breen’ from the monthly Fight  Comics (#1, January 1940, and #3 to 9, September, inclusive).

The incomparable Stardust the Super-Wizard (whose slick, sleek costume surely influenced our own Mick Anglo when he redesigned Captain Marvel into the All-English Marvel Man in 1954!) is stirringly represented by ‘Rip the Blood’ from Fantastic #2 (January 1940), ‘The Mad Giant’ (#4), ‘The Emerald Men of Asperus’ (#8) ‘The Super Fiend’ (#10), ‘Kaos and the Vultures’ (#12), ‘The Sixth Columnists’ (#14) and ‘The World Invaders’ (Fantastic #15, February 1941), whilst sword-wielding barbarian hero Tiger Hart romped through the jungles of Saturn in ‘The Dashing, Slashing Adventure of the Great Solinoor Diamond’ from Planet Comics #2, February 1940.

From Daring Mystery #4 (May 1940) and #5 come ‘Mars Attacks’ and ‘Planet of Black-Light’ two exploits of brawny, clean-limbed Whirlwind Carter of the Interplanetary Secret Service whilst Yank Wilson, Super Spy Q-4 performed much the same role for the contemporary USA in ‘The Saboteurs’ from Fantastic #6 (May 1940).

But for me the biggest, most enjoyable revelation is the captivating batch of uncanny tales featuring the frankly indescribable Fantomah. The “Mystery Woman of the Jungle”, a blend of witch, goddess and animated corpse, used startling magic to monitor and defend the green places of the world against all manner of threats from poachers to mad scientists and aliens. Here her beguiling feats begin with ‘The Elephants Graveyard’ (Jungle Comics #2, February 1940) and just get wilder and wilder, continuing with ‘The Super-Gorillas’ (#4), ‘Mundoor and the Giant Reptiles’ (#5), ‘Phantom of the Tree-Tops’ (#6), ‘The Temple in the Mud Pit’ (#8), ‘The Scarlet Shadow’ (#11), ‘The New Blitzers’ (#12), ‘The Tiger-Women of Wildmoon Mountain’ and conclude with ‘The Revenge of Zomax’ from Jungle #14, February 1941

These stunningly surreal and forceful stories created under the pseudonyms Barclay Flagg, Hank Christy, Henry and Chris Fletcher, Charles Netcher, C.C. Starr and Carlson Merrick are a window into a different, bolder, “anything goes” era and the troubled mind of a true creative force. Seen in conjunction with Karasik’s insightful introduction and the many early sketches and illustrations from before that too-brief foray into comics present a fascinating man at a crossroads he was clearly able to shape but never grasp.

This is a magical book for both fans of classical comics and the cutting edge of modern art: and just in case you were wondering, the stories a re weird but read wonderfully.

It Must Be Yours!!!

All stories are public domain but the specific restored images and design are © 2009 Fantagraphics Books.

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Mome 15: Spring 2009


By various (Fantagraphics Books)
ISBN: 978-1-60699-152-7

The latest volume of the inimitable showcase of alternative graphic narrative features the landmark conclusion of Tim Hensley’s Wally Gropius; a fixture since the fifth issue (Fall 2006) among the usual unusual treats of comics and art illustration, and also sees the debut of T. Edward Bak’s enchanting pictorial biography of Georg Wilhelm Steller, the German naturalist who with Polar explorer Vitus Bering endured so much on the Second Kamchatka Expedition in 1741. There’s also a translated classic from Spanish cartooning master Max…

After three stylishly intriguing Nipponese Bestiary illustrations, Urashima and Tarô, Ryûjin and Ningyo from Andrice Arp, (who also provided the evocative cover image) Hensley concludes his contemporary saga of hip modernity with Jillian in “Spoilers”, Gropius Besieged and Nondenominational, all nicely book-ended by one more Arp creature, Umibôzu.

Sara Edward-Corbett explores the pressures of childhood romance in Pool Party, Ray Fenwick once again provides a telling exercise in design and narrative typography with How I Do It, and Conor O’Keefe shows his impressive virtuosity and quirky sense of humour with Ducks.

Bak’s Stellar then begins, a tour-de-force of black and white illustration techniques married to a challenging narrative methodology that is funny, sad, terrifying and utterly absorbing, followed by the third and final part of legendary underground cartoonist Gilbert Shelton and the enigmatic Pic’s Last Gig in Shnagrlig, featuring that lost music super-group Not Quite Dead in a valiant escape bid from a desert nation pummelled by Uncle Sam’s unwanted attentions… and tanks.

Delia’s Love by Nathan Neal beguilingly examines the pitfalls of modern romance whilst newcomer Noah Van Sciver impressively relates some spooky urban history in The True Tale of the Denver Spider Man, Robert Goodman delineates a charming fable of reincarnation in Living Like a Pig and Dash Shaw treats us to a wonderfully imaginative and uniquely expressive experience in the dream-like My Entire High School… Sinking into the Sea!

The superb Paul Hornschemeier ends the book with the penultimate instalment of Life with Mr. Dangerous (part 10) and that aforementioned Max story The Confederacy of Villains (first published in Spain’s legendary El Vibora (#93, 1987) is stitched into the back as a complete colour and black-&-white mini-comic. Fabulous!

Mome is more magazine than book and features strips, articles, interviews and graphic artworks from a variety of earnest and dedicated comics creators – both internationally renowned or soon-to-be – from the capital “A” end of the art form. It is intense, occasionally hard to read and produced to the highest production standards. Considered by many to be the successor to Art Spiegelman’s seminal Raw, it doesn’t come out nearly often enough.

Whether you’re new to comics, just now exploring the areas beyond the mainstream or merely want something fresh and clever and honest rather than ingeniously recycled; these strips and this publication will always offer a decidedly different read. You may not like all of it, and perhaps the serializations should provide recaps (they still don’t) but Mome will always have something you can’t help but respond to. And since copies of all volumes are still readily available, you really should try it…

Mome © 2009 Fantagraphics Books. Individual stories are © the respective creator. All Rights Reserved.

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Divine Melody Volume 3


By I-Huan, translated and adapted by Lobelia Cheng & Sue Yang (DrMaster)
ISBN: 978-1-59796-175-2

Celestial Fox-Demons have almost vanished from the land: only vixens remain and if they wish to advance their status, let alone survive as a race, they must propagate their kind at all costs…

To this end their Shifu (leader/teacher) long ago stole the baby girl deity Cai-Sheng, who with the proper training and refinement would, when grown, be able to transform into a male to father another, superior generation. But this plan was necessarily a very long-ranging one. On the haunted mountain they inhabited the Fox clan grew impatient. Some, like Hui-Niang, renounced their powers in order to marry mortals, whilst bold Yu-Niang began to steal little boys as “offerings”…

Little Cai-Sheng was a bored and very lonely child. One day she escaped from her lessons and met two village children. With the girl Xiao-Que and boy Duo Xi they cavorted and played until a dog attacked the magical child (canines are the mortal enemies of foxes). Brave Duo Xi fought the hound and little Xiao-Que suffered a cruel bite protecting Cai-Sheng. Just in time her guardian Hui-Niang appeared and killed the hound with a well-aimed arrow…

To thank the humans for spilling their blood to defend the chosen child, guardian Hui-Niang marked the boy’s torn forehead and the girl’s bitten hand with mystic marks. No matter how long, nor how many incarnations passed, their sacrifice would be rewarded. Promising to meet again tomorrow, the children parted, but time and duty is different for celestial beings and the humans never saw their new friend again.

Two hundred years passed and Cai-Sheng finished her training. The Chosen One had never forgotten her joyous day with the mortal children, and more importantly, for one glorious afternoon, she learned of freedom from duty and destiny. Centuries later she was reunited with them – or at least their latest reincarnations, beautiful, rich scholar’s daughter Su Ping and apprentice priest/exorcist Han Yun-Shi. To repay them for their kindness Cai-Sheng determined to act as matchmaker for the pair, but Ping had seen Cai-Sheng’s male form Qin Cai-Sheng, and become enamoured with “him”.

Yun-Shi is smitten with Su Ping but can’t understand why the weird girl Cai-Sheng is always hanging around, making herself a nuisance. Moreover, while performing his appointed duties for his disreputable master the apprentice realizes he has a rival in Cai-Sheng’s male form, even if the transforming neo-deity doesn’t…

The debased fox-demon Yu-Niang has haunted Cai-Sheng, grown strong on two centuries of blood taken from boy children. She wants the power tied up in Cai-Sheng’s male form and has begun preying on the humans of the city. Even though Yu-Niang’s cat familiar now (supposedly) serves Cai-Sheng, the wicked fox-demon’s evil schemes are advanced in this third captivating volume as tragedy and death strike, destroying the Chosen One’s oldest friend and protector as well as the only mortal capable of thwarting Yu-Niang’s evil plans…

Cai-Sheng is confused, heartbroken and angry. She wants revenge and justice, but unknown to her the Goddess Lady Peony has informed her celestial envoy Wei Zi-Qiu – who has developed ungodly feelings for Cai-Sheng – that should the Chosen One advance the Fox-Demon cause in any way or harm a human then he must kill her…

This enchanting shōjo tale of legendary China moves into the arena of grand tragedy as events are set in motion that will have disastrous repercussions for all, in Taiwanese creator I-Huan’s flawless blend of mythology and soap-opera. Huan seamlessly blends passion, comedy and action to tell a charming tale of duty versus free-will, and familial expectation battling personal desire. The beautiful, lyrical art perfectly captures the sense of a lost age and the enduring immediacy of three people falling in love in a world spiralling into cataclysm. A lovely series for the fanciful and romantic, this latest volume finally shows the claws beneath the velvety fur…

This book is produced in the traditional Japanese format and should be read from back to front and right to left.

© 2003 I-Huan/Tong Li Publishing Co. Ltd. English translation © 2009 DrMaster Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Secret Invasion: Thor


By Matt Fraction & Doug Braithwaite (Marvel)
ISBN: 978-0-7851-3426-8

The Skrulls are shape-shifting aliens who’ve bedeviled Earth since Fantastic Four #2, and they have long been a cornerstone of the Marvel Universe. After decades of use and misuse the insidious invaders were made the stars of a colossal braided mega-crossover event beginning in April 2008 and running through all the company’s titles until Christmas.

The premise of Secret Invasion is simple: the would-be conquerors have undergone a mass religious conversion and upped their game. They are now utterly resolved and dedicated to make Earth their new homeworld. To this end they have gradually replaced a number of key Earth denizens – including superheroes. When the lid is lifted no defender of the Earth truly knows who is on their side…

Along with that the Skrulls have also unraveled the secrets of magic and superpowers, creating amped-up counterparts to Earth’s mightiest and set them loose to destroy the world’s heroic champions.

Broxton, Oklahoma, is a small simple community with some intriguing neighbours. Local doctor Don Blake is dealing with a problem pregnancy in town when a colossal fireball strikes and he discovers that an old friend has returned. Blake is the mortal host for the God of Thunder and the fiery impact signals the agonized return of his old comrade Beta Ray Bill, an alien hero who possesses power the equal of his own.

The alien is severely wounded: tortured and traumatized near to death, he was thrown to Earth as a warning. The Asgardians must leave the world immediately. If they fight for humanity or oppose the Skrulls they will be destroyed by the same power that shattered Beta Ray Bill…

And so begins another glorious classic of noble combat as the unstoppable invaders are resisted by the epitome of supernatural nobility in a tale of heroism, tragedy, sacrifice and redemption that is any fan’s wildest dream.

But…

This is an oh-so-nearly perfect superhero fun-fest that just misses because of – as is too often the case – editorial sloppiness or lazy thinking.

I was dubious when J. Michael Straczynski and Olivier Coipel revamped Thor but their thoughtful and fun reiteration which established the return of the Norse gods and the rebuilding of the hallowed city of Asgard in – or rather slightly above – the Oklahoma badlands proved an intriguing delight and a solid springboard for fresh wonderment.

Moreover the three-issue miniseries which comprises the Asgardly niche of the company-wide event is compellingly written and superbly illustrated – if only it were longer… I even adore the fact that to pad out the book the editors have included a pertinent 1967 Lee/Kirby Thor classic ‘The Scourge of the Super Skrull!’, from Thor #142, wherein the Son of Odin delivered a sound and spectacular trouncing to a shape-changing marauder with all the powers of the Fantastic Four, but Why on Earth would any editor also include that issue’s back-up strip as well?

Don’t get me wrong: ‘We who are about to Die…!’ is Kirby at his most creative and mythic. He’s revisiting the legends of the Arabian knights with a young Thor and the Warriors Three fighting Djinni, wizards, giants and a host of fantastic horrors.

But this is part 6 of a nine-chapter Tales of Asgard epic that is just plain bewildering seen in isolation. It is five pages of pictorial candy that needs to be in a whole collection of these brilliant fantasy back-ups, not sitting here uncomfortably out of place and generally unappreciated because someone couldn’t search the archives for something more appropriate and new-reader accessible. As there was still room for two text pages on Beta ray Bill why not just add similar pages on Skrulls and Super Skrull? An old Asgard adventure from Marvel Comics Presents? Even a pin-up or two?

Ranting aside: There’s too much competition for the leisure dollar – and £ – to risk alienating new readers even slightly and dedicated fans surely deserve a little regard for their years of service. With the incredible wealth of material sitting unseen and unused in those capacious comics vaults surely a little industry and creativity isn’t too much to ask?

© 2009 Marvel Publishing, Inc., a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

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An Apology

We’re having a few problems with our picture quality – and proportions – at the moment, but we’ll carry on regardless and try to fix the intransigent icons as quickly as possible.

Please accept our apologies, and we hope the truncated visuals don’t spoil things for you.

Normal service and full sized covers will be restored as soon as possible.
Thanks.

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American Surreal


By Todd Schorr (Last Gasp)
ISBN: 978-0-86719-709-9

There’s an intriguing coagulation of populist imagery and the childhood iconography happening on the capital “A” art-scene which blends baby-boomer memories of cartoons, comics, television, toys, monster-movies and a million other empty, unforgettable delights into a high gloss, stunningly lavish exploration of modern culture.

These lush and lavish pictorial conglomerations assemble myriad nostalgia-drenched components into stunning investigations of modernity. Whimsical and sly yet searching they take as their starting point the hyper-realistic painterly techniques of early Salvador Dali and the master artists of the Renaissance. The movement is known as “Lowbrow” or Pop Surrealism and the supreme master of this visual sampling is Todd Schorr.

American Surreal collects his latest works (2003-2009) with many beautifully luxurious close-up and detail sections, explores his work philosophy and techniques and even examines his twin affinities: the Old Masters of the art world – particularly the narrative genius of Peter Bruegel and Hieronymus Bosch (imagine what they could have done with editorial independence and an exclusive contract with Vertigo Comics) – and the gestalt synthesis of childhood diversions that shaped his own life.

Wry and absurdist, these astonishingly compelling paintings are presented in a deluxe, wonderfully large format (38.6 x 25.7 x 1.8 cm) in eye-popping colour. This exquisite tome is a fabulous treat for anybody who’s ever regretted growing up, put away their toys a little too soon or recently felt the guilty pangs of pure, unadulterated nostalgia.

© 2009 Todd Schorr. Text © 2009 the respective authors. All rights reserved.

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Avengers/Invaders – UK Edition


By Alex Ross, Jim Kreuger, Steven Sadowski, Patrick Berkenkotter & Jack Herbert (Marvel/Panini Publishing UK)
ISBN: 978-1-84653-413-3

I’ve mentioned before my innate antipathy to time-travel stories, which can too often simply be an excuse for empty posturing and flamboyant stunts without impacting on a profitable brand.

It’s all true, and I stand by my view but every so often an exception comes along to shake my surly foundations and Avengers/Invaders happily falls into that rare category.

Released as a 12 part limited series this is a classy and well thought out romp set in the post Civil War Marvel Universe with renegade heroes on the run from the government (represented by superhero technocrat Iron Man,) for refusing to submit to federal registration and licensing.

In 1943 war-time super-team the Invaders (Captain America & Bucky, Human Torch & Toro, Sub-Mariner, Spitfire and Union Jack) is battling its way into Hitler’s Fortress Europe when a cosmic mishap sucks most of them to New York in our era. Disoriented and wary they encounter a battle between government-sponsored heroes and the unlicensed outlaw Spider-Man, and jump to the uncomfortable but logical conclusion that the Nazis won World War II!

They soon come into conflict with Iron Man’s Avengers and battle is joined…

And that’s just the start of a compelling epic which combines chilling mystery and a universe-rending threat with sheer, bravura comicbook shtick as childhood icons battle in spectacular manner, whilst the plot contains many twists and surprises to keep the accent on action and suspense.

Even though this sprawling epic contains a host of guest-stars the creators never forget the cardinal rule that every comic is somebody’s first one; meaning that even the freshest reader can happily navigate these continuity-packed pages with comforting ease, particularly in the extended sub-plot concerning Cap meeting the mystery man who replaced him (sorry, no spoiler hints from me!). This makes Avengers/Invaders a magnificently accessible tale for all lovers of the superhero genre in its most primal form.

Also included in this volume is the Sketchbook issue containing Alex Ross and the greatly underrated Steve Sadowski’s working drawings and un-inked artwork, plus a gallery of the many cover variants that graced the original comicbook releases.

© 2008, 2009 Marvel Entertainment Inc. and its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved.

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Songs of the Black Würm Gism: the Starry Wisdom volume 2


By various, edited by DM Mitchell (Creation Oneiros)
ISBN: 978-902197-28-9

Although (somewhat aptly) borderline to my usual reviewing fare this intriguing and disturbingly adult collection of words and pictures is worth a brief mention, not only because of the stellar crew of contributors but also for the simple reason that it creatively honours the legacy of an author whose works shaped twentieth century horror writing and consequently greatly informed the comicbook continuities of many a publishing giant.

The Starry Wisdom was first published in1995 (with a revised edition in 2003, ISBN: 978-1-84068-087-4) and contained a number of tales inspired by the terrifying visions of H.P. Lovecraft. It included works by Ramsey Campbell, J.G. Ballard, Alan Moore, Brian Lumley and an unholy host of others. Now a second chilling and disturbing volume has been compiled featuring contributions from some of the world’s most individual horror writers and artists.

Enclosed within this tome are 22 features, essays, photo-spreads and stories from Grant Morrison, Aishling Morgan, Herzan Chimera & James Havoc, David Britton & Mike Butterworth, Jacques Dengue, Ian Miller, John Beal, DM Mitchell, Hank Kirton, Jacques Bertrand Houpinière, Frater Erich Zann, Alexandria D. Douros, David Conway, Kenji Siratori, The Reverend Paul Stevens, Claudia Bellocq, Joshua Hayes, Wakamatsu Yukio, Reza Negarestani, Alan Moore and even Lovecraft himself (!).

As you’d expect this is a chilling surreal exploration of the nastiest places in reality – and beyond – so it’s strictly one for grown-up and those minors so debauched and twisted that they are beyond the salvation of good and rational souls. Does that sound like anybody you know?

© 2009 DM Mitchell and individual creators. All rights reserved.

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Famous Players – the Mysterious Death of William Desmond Taylor


By Rick Geary (NBM/Comics Lit)
ISBN: 978-1-56163-555-9

Master cartoonist and dedicated criminologist Rick Geary returns with another compelling and witheringly comprehensive episode of his latest series of crime reconstructions in this superb black and white hardcover. Combining his unique talents for laconic prose, incisive observation and detailed extrapolation with his proven fascination for the darker, human-scaled aspects of history, Rick Geary’s forensic eye rolls back the last hundred years or so as his latest ‘Treasury of XXth Century Murder’ re-examines the landmark homicide that shaped early Hollywood and led in large part to the swingeing self-censorship of the Hays Commission Production Code.

Some things never change. In 1911 the first moving picture studio set up in the sunny orange groves of rural Hollywood. Within a decade the place was a burgeoning boom town of production companies and back lots, and movie stars were earning vast sums of money. The area had become a hotbed of vice, excess and debauchery.

William Desmond Taylor was a man with a clouded past and a tremendous reputation as a movie director – and ladies man. On the morning of Thursday, February 2nd, 1922 he was found dead in his palatial home by his valet, opening one of the most celebrated (and still unsolved) murder cases in Los Angeles’ extremely chequered history. Uncovering a background of drugs, sex, booze, celebrity and even false identity, this true crime became a template for every tale of “Hollywood Babylon” and more than even the Fatty Arbuckle sex scandal drove the movers and shakers of Tinsel-town to clean up their act – or at least to keep it out of the public gaze.

Geary is meticulous and logical as he lays out the crime, examines the suspects – major and minor – and dutifully pursues all the players to their recorded ends. Especially useful are snippets of historical minutiae and the beautifully rendered maps and plans which bring all the varied locations to life (the author should seriously consider turning this book into a Cluedo special edition) and gives us all a fair crack at solving this glamorous Cold Case.

Geary presents the facts and the theories with chilling graphic precision, captivating clarity and devastating dry wit, and this volume is every bit as compelling as his Victorian forays: a brilliant example of how graphic narrative can be so much more than simple fantasy entertainment. He is a unique talent in the comic industry not simply because of his manner of drawing but because of his method of telling tales. This merrily morbid series of murder masterpieces should be mandatory reading for every mystery addict and crime collector.

© 2009 Rick Geary. All Rights Reserved.

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Dark Entries – a John Constantine Novel


By Ian Rankin & Werther Dell’edera (Vertigo Crime/Titan Books Edition)
ISBN: 978-1-84856-342-1

Award-winning – and officially honourable – crime writer Ian Rankin makes a remarkable debut as a graphic novelist in this superbly unsettling horror story starring the best anti-hero in the business. John Constantine, seedy modern magician and consummate bad seed. tends to bring out the best in his writers, and although the plot here is nothing new the treatment of the large cast of characters is a deft juggling act nicely handled, while the narrative set-pieces are gripping and stuffed with good old fashioned creepy tension.

Constantine has acquired a certain reputation in the right circles over the course of his life, so he’s not too suspicious when a sleazy TV producer offers him wads of cash to advise on the latest reality show Dark Entries (I have to admit I loathe the title) wherein six contestants are isolated in a rigged haunted house, competing for big prizes and fully expecting to be scared out of their wits.

Unfortunately what’s terrifying these housemates is nothing the producers and technicians devised but appears to be the real thing.

Quickly inserted into the show as a new contestant Constantine finds himself mired in a diabolical mystery involving the seemingly innocent competitors, and too late realises that he’s fallen for the oldest trap in the world. Stitched up like a kipper, his only chance is to free his companions before he can escape the house and the horrors that built it.

Sharp, gritty and deeply compelling this is a powerful recapitulation of classic horror and murder yarns complete with a sting-in-the tail that will leave the reader breathless and hungry for more.

Viscerally illustrated by Italian artist Werther Dell’edera this black and white hardback is similar in format to the old Paradox Press DC imprint to which gave us A History of Violence and Road to Perdition among other gritty adult thrills. Dark Entries is easily in the same class and would make any reader a very happy – if nervous – fan.

© 2009 DC Comics. All rights reserved.