Richard Sala (1959–2020)

What Akira did for E*X*P*L*O*S*I*O*N*S, The Chuckling Whatsit does for murders. Hardly a page goes by without some character getting murdered horribly, usually by a man in a hideous mask with a grotesque knife. Murder, murder, murder. But why? Who is killing all the astrologers? Is it the Gull Street Ghoul back again? What is the secret society called GASH really all about? And why are they in fear of Ixnay? Will poor Mr Broom find his way through the grotesque and intricate murder labyrinth show more to the truth and survive? Horror and noir and German expressionism and surrealism and murder all mix it up in a ghastly and delightful entertainment of murder and psychosis and dark shadows and evil deeds. Bloody briliant. show less

I adore Richard Sala and love his work. This is another twisted tale of a young orphan sent to a strange school where her talent for burglary is put to good use. Wonderful.

This is my first time reading one of Richard Sala's books and it's...interesting. I had to read this book twice to fully appreciate the story and the artwork, although I still have some mixed feelings about the book.

Overall the story is pretty fantastic. A strong young female character who can stand up for herself doesn't come along as often as it should in stories. And Sala does a masterful job of portraying K with her strength and weaknesses and has created a character that anyone can show more identify with, particularly young women I think. My mixed feelings come from a what appears to be a couple of plot holes with introducing characters that, at least in this story, have no real impact. Perhaps Sala is planning a second story in which this will be resolved, but I've found no evidence at the moment of this. I also had to read the book a second time to fully appreciate all of the aspects of the story, but I'm glad that I did.

The artwork isn't quite what I expected either, but it grew on me by the end of the book. The watercolor quality fits well with the story and gives it a almost ghostly feel to it. The villains of the story have a slight Gothic feel to them and are quite enjoyable as Sala expertly captures their emotions so that we are clued in early to who they really are.

Overall I enjoyed the book and would really like to see a sequel as K finds out what happened to her friends and parents. Hopefully Sala will create one for us. show less

Sala's art is perfect for this deliciously creepy atmospheric modern fairy tale; inspired by snow white and seen from the Prince's view. Much is left unsaid, for it's a book that revels in mystery as we follow our hero in his search for the girl of dreams. we follow as he descends into dark nightmarish places, as the townsfolk mislead bewilder and confuse. Forget 7 dwarves happily singing songs this is haunting, sinister and fun, a comic that leaves a strong taste too and makes you want to show more revisit again soon. show less