Ladies and Gentlemen!
From the Heart of Darkest Africa!
From the Hidden Places Under The Beds Of Children!
We Present For Your Astonishment
The Plucker!
Childlike innocence is unwittingly pitted against hellish depravity. Gris-gris and root magic turns a toy into a spirit of vengeance. Old, bone deep magic comes stealing up from the deep, dark parts of our collective psyche to grab you by the throat and drag you through a hell of dark magic and childhood nightmares and out the other side. This is the tale of the Plucker. You were warned.
The creation of a strange creature known as Brom, this book could properly be called an illustrated novel. Technically it's not a comic, but all lovers of comic-style storytelling will fall head over heels into The Plucker, as did I. I know that my pervu is technically webcomics, but I couldn't help but tell you, dear readers, about this treasure.
A link to Brom's work and places to buy The Plucker can be found here.
The Plucker is a tale set in Charleston, South Carolina, 1942, and it begins in a child's bedroom. At first, the themes resemble Toy Story; an exploration of how it feels to be forgotten from a toy's point of view.
And then an African Spirit Doll is brought home by a father on leave from the army. It falls. It breaks. Something comes slithering out.
And that's when things get dark.
Really dark.
The creation of a strange creature known as Brom, this book could properly be called an illustrated novel. Technically it's not a comic, but all lovers of comic-style storytelling will fall head over heels into The Plucker, as did I. I know that my pervu is technically webcomics, but I couldn't help but tell you, dear readers, about this treasure.
A link to Brom's work and places to buy The Plucker can be found here.
The Plucker is a tale set in Charleston, South Carolina, 1942, and it begins in a child's bedroom. At first, the themes resemble Toy Story; an exploration of how it feels to be forgotten from a toy's point of view.
And then an African Spirit Doll is brought home by a father on leave from the army. It falls. It breaks. Something comes slithering out.
And that's when things get dark.
Really dark.
The Rating
That's right. This one's so good I'm turning it up to 11!
The Raves
What can I say that explains how good this work is?
Well, first off, I hugged myself when I finished.
But seriously now....
But seriously now....
Well to begin with, the research. It's meticulous. From Gullah lore and mythology, to the back story of a little boy whose parents are both caught up in Wartime duties, to dialect and period slang, it's perfect.
The storytelling IS AMAZING. Told in crisp prose and clean sentence structure, it will hit you in the gut. And yet solid characterization happens and an extremely powerful, thrilling, and uplifting tale is told, without losing the feel of a telegraph to your hindbrain.
And then there's the art.
The ART
The ART
The art and the story weave together into a gorgeous, pulse-pounding, gut-churning whole that you can't put down.
The Razzes
The poignancy at the end of the tale teeters just this side of syrupy, but trust me, after the terror and the bitterness, you will WELCOME a little syrup to sweeten the finish.
Other than that....I had trouble getting to sleep that night? And jumped at shadows? Does that count?
*ahem* Yes, I know it's Thursday...blame life.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's some amazing art. Just went to The Plucker website, some beautiful stuff. That great combo of beauty/nightmare. Thanks for reviewing this. Enjoyed it. Great inspiration.
ReplyDeleteHah, yes it inspired one or two nightmares for me, but it was worth it!
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