Merrick the Sensational Elephantman (2015)
Chosen by me at thought Bubble, though I guess I should mention I know the sister of the artist, after all, as Jon Polito in the great Miller's Crossing is fond of saying - "It's all about ethics".
As you may see from the cover it is probably impossible to write a review of this book without mentioning the spirit of Mike Mignola.
I've always thought it strange that Mignola did not have a more obvious following of artists trying his idiosyncratic style, but that could be my ignorance showing, and maybe pulling it off is quite hard.
In either case kudos to Luke Parker who manages to capture that mood and tone very well, his face work is not quite as good, lacking some definition that keeps the characters from becoming iconic but the panel layouts feel pulpy in an interesting way and whilst it might not exactly have forged it's own unique voice at this point it feels on it's way to something special.
I saw the David Lynch film of Merrick's life many years ago but dont recall much detail, I have some concerns over choosing a real life figure to create a pulp-hero origin tale around but the first issue mostly plays it straight and it may be fascinating to learn what true events Tom Ward has constructed his narrative around.
An unusual comic, playing with some old tropes given a distinctive look.
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