Friday, December 25, 2015

Top 10 uncanny graphic novels

Ian Williams is a physician, comics artist and writer, based in Brighton, UK. His 2014 graphic novel is The Bad Doctor. One of his ten top uncanny graphic novels, as shared at the Guardian:
The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr Punch by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean (2006)

A young boy comes across an old Punch and Judy booth standing alone on the shingle beach. The thuggish red puppet soon appears and begins to talk to the boy from the stage. Later, the boy makes the acquaintance of a sinister Punch and Judy “professor” who lets him try on some of the glove puppets. When he asks to try on Mr Punch he is refused, being told “once you bring Mr Punch to life there’s no getting rid of him”. This is a tale of fading childhood memories and the intrusion of adult evil into the innocence of youth. Dave McKean’s ominous graphics, combining puppet tableaux, photomontage and paint, create a wonderfully macabre atmosphere around Gaiman’s characters.
Read about another entry on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue