Review: Hedrek Night Of The Mummers
How about some darker than sin mystery thriller psychedelic horror of good intentions cladding the road to hell in black and white horrifyingly terrific art from a myriad of talented artists? Let this one under your skin, it's Hedrek Night Of The Mummers collected from Scratch Comics by Laurence Alison and David Hitchcock.
Laurence Alison is a writer last seen here on Odysseus with previous works also including Out There, Warfighter, Madness & Monsters, The 12 Labours Of Hercules and work with PSY Comics. In a previous iteration, Laurence has worked for 30 years as a professor of forensic psychology, working on offender profiling and criminal investigation, terrorism and disaster studies. For this work, he was awarded an MBE for his services to decision making, rapport-based interviewing and child protection. This work makes him uniquely suited to add real gravitas and realism to what is an unflinchingly dark story, and therefore I think it is worth mentioning.
David Hitchcock is an Eagle award-winning artist. He has worked for 2000ad, Heavy Metal Magazine and Accent UK. He previously worked on The 12 Labours Of Hercules with Laurence and is most well-known for his award-winning book Springheeled Jack, and is the co-creator and main artist on this one.
Short story art comes from the following:
Damian Edwardson is an artist and illustrator with over 30 years of experience; previous works include Pre-mortis, Galaxy Grappling Alliance, and his work has been published in art books for Ghostbusters and Stranger Things.
Adam Jakes is an artist with previous works including Longpig, Whatever and The Chaos Of Floid, to name a small few, along with a smorgasbord of indie creators.
Steven Austin is a comic book artist with previous works including Futurequake, Zarjaz, 2000 AD and Judge Dredd Megazine.
Paul McCaffrey is an artist with previous works including Adler, Dr Who, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Anno Dracula.
Finally, last but no means least, it's Ess Kaydee, a superb artist who has done work for Psychedelic Journal, Paragon, El Bigote Exorcismo and Madness & Monsters. By crikey, what a tumultuously talented team, let's get into it.
So, let's start with the art. We'll go in order of appearance, so first up it's Damian Edwardson with a pop art aesthetic modern style. The realism edge to this art adds to the sinister subject matter to make for impactfully creepy art. It's a fun way to kick things off stylistically as it felt like this art locked me into a grounded feeling, as if further cementing a realism to amplify the horror. This is something bolstered again thanks to the decision to keep things black and white. Sterling, stirring stuff.
Up next then is the main artist David Hitchcock, and well, this is unstringingly (yes, I'm using it as an adverb) beautiful art. The level of detail is fabulous, with the sketch pencil line quality shading adding something maddeningly brilliant. The police interview sequence of hallucinations or that ridiculously good ending boat scene, I felt really captured the imagination of fantastic horror set pieces. The character designs and foundational work is really solid, but where this art shines is the psychedelic, folklore and horror centric imagery. David's art relishes in the fine, heavily saturated busyness of detail, the more intricate a design, the more impressive the detail and style. It's the tone that David's art creates that I enjoyed as well as it just suits the story so well as sitting grounded in reality, yet able to leap into horrifying areas by always having its foot in the door of a padded cell. Unsettling in the best way art.
Next up it's Adam Jakes whose style sits somewhere in between Davids' and Damians'. Presented in a white negative heavy style, this contrast really cuts through with aesthetically pleasing quality. The realism edge again amplifies the sadness in the story, making for a wonderfully complementary storytelling vehicle and working as a great juxtaposition for the occult and horror moments.
It's a return to detail rich work with Steven Austin next. Steven presents exemplary art with a super Bronze/Dark age of comics style. It's powerful ink work with cross-hatch shading perfection, bringing that old school horror quality that once again complements the story and tone of this world.
Paul McCaffery appears now with a graywash-soaked style. It's highly skilled art that carries its story well. There's a really novel essence of "Twilight Zone" episode to the style, which was particularly enjoyable. I also found that as this story is followed by more of David's art, Paul's quality of style added to the unhinged flavours and qualities of David's art.
This collection ends with something truly special in the epilogue, with art from Ess Kaydee. This art sings with jewels of Silver and Bronze age horror comic style. Ess gifts us 5 pages of perfectly disturbingly beautiful comic book pages. Each one is a masterclass in presentation that, even if isolated, would look gorgeous to be admired adorning your favourite space. This is art to sit with and bask in. A beautiful end to a beautiful collection. This art as a collection is horror decadence of the highest order, and I love it. Can the story match it?
Laurence Alison is to me a new writer with my first experience coming by way of Odysseus. While holding a unique quality, the myth and Epic that is that story is easily more overwhelming than the voice of Laurence as a storyteller. Hedrek feels much more personal and that alone would be enough for compelling storytelling. However, Laurence packs this one with paradigmatic pernash the likes of which I've not experienced since reading Rory Collins mind expanding Arks series. Rory's unmatched talent is giving life to the magic of science and sci-fi, Laurence is at a different end of the storytelling concept spectrum, bringing haunting accuracy to the horrors of life and reality to that end. It's the very human part of humanity's horrific haunting side.
Hedrick Night Of The Mummers is an excellent police procedural, powerfully punctuated with psychedelic and folklore moments. The beauty is in the, sometimes literally, poetic delivery, with the ecstatic horror in the realistic, believable, human elements. The unflinchingly dark criminal aspects make for compelling horror, but what makes this story special is D.I Hedrek Stern as a character. He has a likeability deserving of the audience that Barneby or Morse could command. Hedrek's sympathetic background adds depth and justification to the visually striking, endlessly endearing man whose power lies in his conviction to always do the right thing and, just as importantly, to do it with compassion.
I was particularly impressed that this character embodies these traits and isn't burdened with them being born of naivety. It's the ability to hold onto these values despite knowing the ugly truths of so many things that gives Hedrek palpable, permeating conviction. Hedrek is a good man, exquisitely simply a good man trying to do the right thing, and that is reassuringly magic in its undeviating delivery. Ugly truths is an understatement as the world of Hedrek is one filled with disgustingly vicious villains, and even those trying to do the right thing are sinking beyond questionable levels, so this one's not for the faint hearted.
A recurring calling card has Hedrek hot on the heels of this mystery tied in folklore and painted in blood. This is a story of the cycle of violence, vividly, disgustingly beautifully so, portrayed with a graphically satisfying ending, this one's a complete package of gripping story, compelling and endearing lead, eye-blanchingly gorgeous art and uncompromising, unflinching human horror.
For fans of mystery, thriller, horror, police procedurals, Mummers, folklore, one eyed inspectors with uncompromising morals and unrivalled compassion who will stop at nothing to prevent evil and unnecessary harm while also making Beyonce's "All The Single Ladies" a darkly humorous interrupter, graphic violence, good comics, poetry, lyrics and monochrome art so good it will haunt you like your past. Uncover yourself a copy of Hedrek Night Of The Mummers.
To get your copy, you should go to Scratch Comics directly here for the collected hardcover that looks tantalising as hell or the TPB. If you're somehow still on the fence, you can even just pick up issue 1 there, so treat yourself or someone you care about. While you're there, have a good look round as Scratch are a really awesome sounding bunch with a great mission.
Review: 5/5
