(Trade paperback, Words and art by Roman Dirge, Published by Slave Labor Graphics )
Lenore is a cute little dead girl - Tim Burton must adore her. Well, in fact, he does, because I heard he wants to animate her, which is great because animated shorts in Dirge's artwork style would be cool, and the mini stories and one-page strips are ideal for short animation.
But for now, I'm happy reading the comic, or this tpb which collects the first four issues. The characters look cute and adorable, but the humour is dark, just like the Hello Kitty tarot deck. The black-and-white artwork is simple and uncluttered (unlike, say, Johnny the Homicidal Maniac), and the short stories reflect that simplicity. All kids have a dark streak in them, lurking beneath the cute smiles the way fizzy sherbet is hidden in a sickly boiled sweet.
Twisting well-loved nursery rhymes, taking sly digs at horror flick staples and inspired by Edgar Allen Poe, Lenore is the perfect comic for the kid who thinks that Miffy is too straight, and a dead cat is a good friend to have. Buy this for yourself, for your kids, for your friends' kids, then buy it for your friends, Lenore is too sherbet-fizzin' not to take in and love.
(Plus, Noogies comes with a special bonus strip, Lenore's Slumber Party, done by the Gloomcookie team and featuring some favourite characters.)
http://209.132.12.15/SpookyLand/linkies.html Links to all manner of Lenore sites from Roman Dirge's own site. Lots of pictures and some one page strips from the comic.
Anna Jellinek
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