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Graphic Novel Review: Abbott by Saladin Ahmed, art by Sami Kivela

Abbott by Saladin Ahmed, art by Sami Kivelä

BOOM! Studios, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1684152452

Available:  Paperback, Kindle, comiXology

Hugo Award-nominated novelist Saladin Ahmed gives us the story of journalist Elena Abbott, who is investigating police brutality and corruption in 1972 Detroit. There are crimes being committed by the very people sworn to protect and serve. Elena doesn’t shy away from controversy, and isn’t afraid to ruffle a few feathers. One of her recent reports, however, has received the attention of some racist white men who own the paper, and she’s been ordered to work on other, less interesting, cases. Instead, she discovers supernatural forces controlled by a secret society made up of the city’s elite. However, these forces are not unknown to her. After all, her husband was taken by the shadowy Umbra. When she’s chased down by masked men and creatures that are stitched together from remains of animals and Black citizens, things get messier for our intrepid reporter.

Abbott doesn’t just face the Umbra (the raised and stitched creatures), and the dark society that cultivates them, but also racism, sexism, and, to some degree, homophobia, in this dark tale. Looking at other reviewers’ words to describe Abbott, one rings out clear: badass. She really is. She is the only Black reporter on staff at her paper, she loves her brandy, and smokes incessantly. While she exhibits a healthy fear of the shadows closing in on her, she never backs down in moments of stress, especially when it comes to her convictions. The social and historical commentary is important for us to read today. For the other strong readers out there, do yourself a favour and pick up Abbott. Ahmed pens an excellent story, and artist Sami Kivelä provides incredible illustrations. They make an excellent team for this book. I need to search out other work both of them have created. Highly recommended.

Contains: blood, gore, misogyny, police brutality, racism

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

 

Editor’s note: Abbott is a nominee on the final ballot for the 2018 Bram Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel. 

Posted on May 2, 2019 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Jenny Finn by Mike Mignola and Troy Nixey, art by Troy Nixey and Farel Dalrymple

Jenny Finn by Mike Mignola and Troy Nixey, art by Troy Nixey and Farel Dalrymple

Dark Horse, 2018

ISBN: 9781427606754

Available: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, comiXology edition

A mysterious girl, Jenny Finn, arrives in Victorian England and leaves death, destruction, and a strange curse in her wake. There is a plague causing gruesome lesions in the crooked streets of London. Joe, a slaughterhouse worker, aims to find out what’s going on in his city. When the pursuit of his investigation leads him to Jenny, Joe is attacked by a religious zealot named Hornsbee who attempts to kill her, and has a number of strange and disturbing encounters: a serial murderer bent on wiping out the “ladies of the night” is loose, the ghosts of the murdered women roam the streets, and mutated half-human, half-fish people devote themselves to Jenny Finn. Pippa Platt, who clearly loves the oblivious Joe, takes him to a séance to see if a group of spiritualists can help him track down Jenny and what is happening in the town.

I liked this story for several reasons. The Lovecraftian tone and the Victorian setting were essential elements for this kind of tale. The griminess of old London and themes of punishment, forgiveness, and doom are exactly what I like in my horror. The art for this volume fits with the story well. Sequential art that includes body horror has always been a draw for me. The hybrid humans in particular are interesting in these pages.

While Jenny Finn does not compare to the Hellboy mythos, it is an interesting tale with great artwork. If you enjoy Lovecraftian tones, Victorian settings, and body horror, this would make a nice addition to your collection.

Recommended

Contains: body horror, nudity, implied rape, sex

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on April 10, 2019 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Mr. Higgins Comes Home by Mike Mignola, art by Warwick Johnson-Caldwell

Mr. Higgins Comes Home by Mike Mignola, art by Warwick Johnson-Caldwell

Dark Horse, 2017

ISBN: 9781506704661

Available: print, ebook

 

Mr. Higgins Comes Home is an original graphic novel by Mike Mignola and Warwick Johnson-Caldwell. The household at Castle Golga are planning for the annual festival of Walpurigsnacht, as a pair of vampire killers question a man locked in a monastery on the Baltic Sea. The last thing Mr. Higgins wants to do is relive the last moments of the death of his beloved wife, and be reminded about the terrible thing that happened to him. The problem is that the vampire hunters are persistent, and will stop at nothing to destroy all vampires that plague the land. To do so, they feel they must have the help at the exhausted and frightened Mr. Higgins. When the trio do manage to get themselves into the castle, things don’t quite go as planned; Mr. Higgins reveals just why he didn’t want to go there in the first place, and why he insisted upon his own imprisonment.

 

This is yet another fantastic story by Mike Mignola, and is set unexpectedly outside the universe readers are used to seeing. There is no Hellboy, and no BPRD in this setting. The horror setting is also well paired with some great humor. Johnson-Caldwell’s artwork complements the story nicely in that he selected a very different colour palette for the typical Victorian setting. Colors are brighter, while somewhat muted, and the art style is simple, yet communicates the necessary details to the scenes. If you are a Mignola fan, you really should pick up a copy of this book. You will not be disappointed. Recommended.

 

Contains: some violence

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

 

Posted on March 20, 2018 by , Reply
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