Edgar Allen Poe’s The Conqueror Worm
Review by Reece
Morris-Jones
A horrifying
adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic by comics legend, Richard Corben. A
betrayed man hunts down his wife and her lover only to stumble upon a gruesome
puppet show based on his life.
Writer:
Richard Corben
Artist:
Richard Corben
Lettering:
Nate Piekos
Publisher:
Dark Horse
Price:
USD$3.50
Though many of
his ideas have become part of cultural iconography and I’ve read a lot of H.P.
Lovecroft’s work, Poe has eluded me. So, it’s nice to read this interpretation
of one of his short poems, which itself appears at the end of the comic. A man
in the American Wild West pursues his wife and lover, his brother, before
coming across a bizarre menagerie of indigenous people, who promise to perform
him and his family a play.
First, the
good. The art matches the tone of the piece perfectly, managing to invoke a
sense of dread throughout the entire comic. Particularly well done I felt were
the indigenous people which, thanks to a smart design process, seemed
otherworldly and were something unique. The story itself doesn’t quite hold up
though. Adapting any piece from something in another medium is hard, especially
when turning verse into a straight comic, so I certainly can’t criticise it too
much. It’s just that for a period comic, the occasional use of modern turn of
phrase (or at least ones I associate with modern times) threw me out of the
piece. Whilst at times a bit flabby round the edges, it was otherwise very
good.
In the end, there’s
not much to say about this comic as it’s a one shot and very self contained.
However, if you like your horror shots, this offers a refreshing change to most
of the fare that is out there at the moment. The artwork by far makes up for
any slight letdowns in the narrative.
The
Conqueror Worm is available now from Dark Horse. In the oft chance you haven’t heard of
Richard Corben, you owe it to yourself to visit his site.
Reece writes for quite a few places on the net, mostly
on the subject of comics. Yes, he does think it's weird writing about himself in
the third person. Regardless, you can talk to him on Twitter @reecemjones.
Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.
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