Richard Corben (1940–2020)

A renowned comic book author and illustrator collects his adaptations of fifteen Poe tales and poems. He usually sticks to the plot of the originals. I wish he’d used more quotes from them. He is a good writer but of course it is his art, drawing and coloring, that is unforgettable. The background is traditional Gothic. The characters are his very much his own, creatures that resemble either human/rodent hybrids or tall people with heads shaped like Easter Island statues or show more Frankenstein’s monster after a visit to a stylist, with expressions full of fear and dread and pain and wrath. He has a recurring character, Mag the Hag, who introduces, comments on, and ends the tails with a dose of modern sensibility to otherwise nineteenth century material. A great example of comic book horror art. show less

This collective take on William Hope Hodgson's challenging The House on the Borderland is rewarding, and in many ways is stronger and more effective than the prose original on which it is based. Richard Corben and Simon Revelstroke deserve a certain amount of respect simply for tackling this complex and amorphous tale, but the final product is probably as satisfying as any interpretation of this material could be.

Hodgson's original novel is wordy, overwrought, and at times quite silly. Of show more necessity, Revelstroke trims down the exhaustive narrative to a more concise package, and adds an original "wrapper" story concerning two young men on a tramp through Ireland in the 1950's. This new introduction works very well, both by adding some much-needed action to an otherwise dreamy tale, but also by creating a wider temporal span, making it clear that The House on the Borderland is a malignant force with a lifespan that transcends the events of Hodgson's own imagining.

As for Corben's artwork, there's not much to be said, other than the fact that Corben was the single best choice to illustrate Revelstroke's script. Corben is a natural at depicting demons and horrors of all sorts, and he impregnates Hodgson's vague visions with a tangible sense of menace and threat - an outstanding job across the board. show less

The first time I checked out the graphic novel adaptation of William Hope Hodgson's THE HOUSE ON THE BORDERLAND, I was repulsed by what happened to the only female character. I checked it out again because I was reading the original and wanted to compare the two.

Parts of this graphic novel are definitely taken from the original. However, what repulsed me in Messrs. Corben and Revelstroke's version isn't. I really wish that they hadn't combined the two female characters in the novel into one show more woman and then given her such sadistic treatment.

That said, the framing sequence here is much more horrifying than in the book. I think it's quite the best part of the comic -- and that Mr. Hodgson's nameless recluse might prefer this fate.

If you hate women, you will love what happens to Mary. show less

John Constantine in prison, now that's something to see. Is it really any surprise that in about 2 seconds he's running the place? It may be his magic that does the physical damage to the other inmates, but John just has the aura of "don't fuck with me" confidence that's pretty hard to beat, even amongst a bunch of tough guy convicts. The lot of them might have been put in prison for vicious murders, but none of them have played witness to the things that John has seen, much less show more participated in. The real question is: why did John get out of jail so easily> Some kind of trade went down, but what will the consequences be? And was it John's magic that caused the mania in the prison in the first place? show less