Adaptation and art: Shane Oakley
Review: Will Dubbeld
Or the product of whatever fever-dream Grant Morrison is on at the moment.
Ol' Wacky Grant...
So out of my Fab Four of British scribes I've got to hand the top spot to Neil. From Fortunately, the Milk to Sandman, his tales nearly always hit the literary spot and Forbidden Brides does not deviate.
As the title may lead you to believe, Forbidden Brides is not necessarily to be taken seriously. Tongue planted firmly in cheek from the opening line, "somewhere in the night, someone was writing", Forbidden Brides juxtaposes an author endeavoring to write a gothic horror novel and the prose contained therein. Tropes and cliches abound in this satire of gothic penny dreadfuls and their ilk, from a raven-tressed beauty in a sheer, white gown to fratricidal sword duels and talking ravens.
Poe, Hammer Horror, and perhaps a dash of Coleridge and 1960s Barbara Steele make their way into the script in one way or another and it's a grand piece.
I'll not gush overly about Gaiman's writing as I've already espoused his talent and my adoration thereof.
Dude's good, though...
Oakley's art is nothing to be scoffed at either. It's a good, thickly inked piece that looks almost like a woodcut in several bits. The colors are moody and balance light and dark perfectly while maintaining a black and white inkwash look in the novel-within-a-novel segments.
The book's price tag is a skosh on the high side at $17.99 for a 48-pager, hardcover or not, but it's not highway robbery. It's a well-crafted story in a beautifully illustrated and bound book representative of Gaiman's finest work, albeit not his deepest or most thought provoking.
Highly recommended in any case and a welcome addition to any Neil Gaiman collection.
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