COMICS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS

STEVE TOASE PRESENTS HIS LATEST PICKS FROM THE WORLD OF SEQUENTIAL ART

Megatropolis, Book One

Kenneth Niemand, Dave Taylor Rebellion Publishing, 2021

Hb, pp96, £19.99, ISBN 9781781089354

In the world of Judge Dredd, Mega City One is as iconic a character as any of the judges and criminals who populate its streets. That means any reimagining has to strike a careful balance: it has to be different enough to attract an audience, but familiar enough to be recognisable. Megatropolis strikes just that balance.

Delving deep into noir, the comic follows Officer Amy Jarra and Detective Joe Rico as they investigate a series of murders. Many Dredd regulars appear in different roles; reporters, high society psychics, and the mayor. Also, as any longtime reader of 2000AD would expect, there are pop culture nods throughout.

This book is gorgeous. From the Art Deco endpapers to the vehicle designs and architecture, Megatropolis demonstrates how comics are able to evoke a cast of thousands in a vast city in ways that would wipe out the special effects budgets of many films. From the labyrinthine pipework to the luxurious parties that somehow still feel grubbier than the mist-coated streets, this is a visual feast of design. Kenneth Niemand imagines a city that never existed from the solid foundations of a world of iconic design: it’s no surprise his original inspiration was a 1930s Henderson motorbike, and artist Dave Taylor has done a fantastic job of bringing it all to life. I highly recommend Megatropolis to fans of Dredd, Noir, and Art Deco design; and if, like me, you’re a fan of all three, then it’s an absolute triple lock.

Greyscale

Sarah Gordon www.gumroad.com/sarahgordon

Pb, pp250, £16 / Digital, pp250, £10

One of the most interesting aspects of reviewing comics is seeing how different writers and artists use technology to find new ways of combining pictures and words to tell stories. Greyscale is not the first comic to use Instagram as a platform, but it’s one of the best I’ve seen. By combining multiple photos in one post, with Instagram’s ability to add small animations, it offers an enjoyable and engaging reading experience.

The comic itself is based around (unsurprisingly), greyscale artwork, with each episode featuring up to 10 panels, and touches on many fortean topics that will appeal to FT readers. The main character is an unshaven Grey, working as a private investigator in Kent and investigating strange phenomena. There are racist ghosts, reincarnated police, and mysterious things under the English Channel, not to mention séances and spirits. Underlying the compelling storytelling is a strong vein of humour, helping deliver a comic with plenty to say about modern Britain while revelling in the some of our favourite strange phenomena.

Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done?

Harold Schlecter, Eric Powell Albatros Funnybooks, 2021

Hb, pp224, £26.99, ISBN 9781949889048

True crime, particularly true crime focused on one of the most infamous cases of the 20th century, is never going to be an easy read. It’s fair to say from the outset that Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? ( DYHWEGD?) Is not going to be for everyone. Yet, in its presentation of the Ed Gein story, it doesn’t feel sensationalist. Beginning with the cultural impact of the case, a theme it circles back to, DYHWEGD? goes into the background of the family, particularly the personality of Gein’s mother, and how those childhood experiences influenced, and maybe created, the person he became later. Throughout, the black and white artwork gives the story a considered feeling. Within the 220 or so pages, Schlecter and Powell bring in many different perspectives on what one newspaper man describes as the “creation of a boogeyman” – a creature straight out of folklore to terrify the children.

The artwork throughout is accomplished, capturing the personalities and emotions of the people involved in the story, but doesn’t shy away from the more visceral aspects of the story. Two sections really play with comic form. The first draws on the EC Comics that caused such a moral panic in the 1950s; the second echoes, in the most grotesque (though artistically accomplished way) the dance numbers of musicals of the time.

The comic comes complete with notes and several appendices, which include factual sources for some of the story, as well as interviews with people involved in the case.

DYHWEGD? deals with some pretty disturbing subject matter – including the media fall-out around this notorious serial killer and the cultural impact of the case – but it covers all these aspects extremely well.

E: A 24 Hour Comic

Naan

Online at: https://belinconnu.jadinerhinestudios.com/ the-being-e/comic/

Doing anything in 24 hours is a challenge. To put together a comic (layout, storyline, artwork.) is an achievement that deserves respect. The trick is that there needs to be a coherence, and that is exactly what Naan has achieved with E. The comic opens with the protagonist experiencing intrusive thoughts, perfectly rendered as black panels containing white text, while they progress through a computer game character design-type set-up, choosing their features, body shape and clothes.

The storytelling here is strong, building steadily throughout the comic. By the time of the final reveal, Naan has created within the reader considerable empathy for the main character.

When taking on a challenge like a 24-hour comic, the temptation must be to keep the formatting straightforward and to simplify things, but here Naan experiments with layout, panels, text and colour. It’s a heartfelt comic that is well worth picking up.

Dark Side of the Moon

Art and Script by Blutch Europe Comics, 2021

Kindle & Comixology, 56pp, £6.49

Let’s get the obvious out of the way at the beginning of the review: Dark Side of the Moon comic has nothing to do with British rock bands. This is a surreal, sometimes bawdy, often complex comic set in a strange near future. The whole planet is run by a single company – The Orifice – responsible for an unusual machine into which workers place their hands with no real knowledge of what they are working on.

The comic opens with Liebling, one of the main characters, being given advice by her mother, then follows her as she takes up a new role at The Orifice. The story then switches to Lantz, a writer responsible for the highly successful “New New Testament”, a comic that the whole economy depends on.

The artwork has nods to pulp, with a huge amount of attention to expression, and the use of colour enhances the storytelling – with characters in some scenes being depicted without any colour at all. The technology depicted will appeal to Cronenberg fans. Timezones intertwine, characters find themselves in disturbing situations… and above it all sits The Orifice.

It’s an unsettling, complex, read that depicts uncertainty, doubt, relationships, and occasionally brutality with a sense of weirdness perfect for forteans.