Ghost Stories of an Antiquary Volume 1 – RRP £9.99 Book of the month price £8.99
Written by John Reppion & Leah Moore
Dark evenings and Victorian ghost stories are a perfect match. The original stories by MR James were published in 1904. Leah Moore and John Reppion have kept the stories both true to their source and powerfully re imagined in the art work. H. P. Lovecraft called M.R. James “a literary weird fictionist of the very first rank’ This is top of our list for winter reads.
Sandman Overture – RRP £17.99 Book of the month price £16.20
Written by Neil Gaiman, art by JH Williams III & Dave Stewart
If you’re a fan of epic, whimsical, character-driven tales that rarely follow traditional storytelling structure and feel oddly like historical fiction at times, then you probably know Neil Gaiman. Gaiman is responsible for introducing the mysterious Lord of Dreams into our lives; the most beloved character in the Sandman comic book series that ran from 1989-1996. But if you’re not yet familiar with Gaiman’s work, then the new Deluxe Edition of Sandman: Overture—the prequel to Sandman, published November 2016 in paperback—might even be a bigger treat for you. If anything, it’s sort of like something you’d stumble upon in, say, your most provocative dreams. The book starts off with multiple plot strands, bringing many familiar faces into the fold. The standout of which involves Dream in 1915 London, where he has summoned The Corinthian—a nightmare he created—to give him some rather upsetting news. The scene plays out like a Noir film, a contrast to the Harry Potter-esque flight over the city that Dream later takes to land back in his Kingdom (stomping ground of the visually delightful Merv Pumpkinhead). But, as with most books in the Sandman series, Gaiman’s lush world is only made all-the-more incredible thanks to its visuals. Later on, as we venture into the troubled past of Mad Hettie, J.H. Williams III’s artwork—along with Dave Stewart’s colours and Todd Klein’s lettering—take centre stage. With their tapestry-like panels that sometimes resemble possessed Salvador Dalí artwork, there is a mounting, ticking time bomb feeling of unease. A beautiful playground for Gaiman’s nursery rhyme-like dialogue at its most startling and remarkable. “Time goes in so many ways… it runs. Sometimes it even flies. But as for telling the time… sometimes what time tells us is for it alone to know.”
Rolling Blackouts – RRP £16.99 Book of the month price £15.50
Written by Sarah Glidden
Sarah Glidden accompanies her two friends—reporters and founders of a journalism non-profit—as they research potential stories on the effects of the Iraq War on the Middle East and, specifically, the war’s refugees. Joining the trio is a childhood friend and former Marine whose past service in Iraq adds an unexpected and sometimes unwelcome viewpoint, both to the people they come across and perhaps even themselves. Sarah Glidden (How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less) records all that she encounters with a sympathetic and searching eye. Painted in her trademark soft, muted watercolors and written with a self-effacing humour, a medium that seems somehow to reflect her refusal to deal in certainties.