Windlesham's Folly Review: Daniel Bell’s Folk Horror Comic
Reading time: 3 minutes
How about the strangest of tales, maybe even a rather tall one, of small village weirdness and podcasts with ancient stones and missing persons in black & white mood setting art? Then step into Windlesham's Folly by Daniel Bell.
Daniel Bell is a Brighton-based comic book maker with a penchant for horror and folklore. Daniel's previous comic books are The Ferryman, Joanna Fisher & The Golden Idol, Arthur Machen's The Great God Pan and The Fingers Of Famhairstone. Decidedly devilish draftsman determined, to the review.
So, let's start with the art. Daniel Bell's art on Windlesham's Folly extends beyond the panels and into design. This one is a fantastically organic-feeling hook bait of horror-edged elements. The "schematic" cover and typed introduction, disarm and prime an experience that sucks you in. By the time the sequential's started I'd bought the ticket for this ride.
Then the art begins. Using strong and bold ink lines, it's deceptively simple-looking black & white art with oodles of quality and impact. The slight roughness to the presentation even plays into the narrative in building an emotion and world of unease. There's a punk undercurrent here too, the kind synonymous with the creepypasta genre. That, combined with careful and clever panel choice, does an incredible job in building the intrigue. The narrative is left to dictate the tempo.
The overall package of art sweeps you up in a beyond-compelling way. I felt uncomfortable in places, by design I'm sure. By the end, certainly unsettled, thanks to this three-pronged attack of art, design and narrative. Speaking of which.
Windlesham's Folly is the story of Cassandra Oakes' final podcast, her missing father and the strange monument in Windlesham. I , thankfully, went into this one completely blind so to speak. I read it at face value, failing to even take note of our own website press release. For which I'm very glad, as Daniel has crafted a special experience with this one.
I have no shame in saying this is so good I immediately went searching for more on the A Wyrd Turn podcast and its host Cassandra Oakes. I ignored the results with talk of the book and artist and searched. Do you know what I found? No results, but not nothing. In fact, it's the lack of results that stands out. Furthermore, the omitted results are due to a court injunction. Make of that what you will. Curiouser and curiouser.
Legal stuff aside, nothing more should be said in the interest of preserving spoilers. Needless to say, it's the ride this one takes you on. The tone and experience to leave you unsettled the way all good horror can. This one does it right.
For fans of horror, podcasts, creepypasta, folklore, British aristocracy's eccentricities manifest in purchases of monolithic Neolithic stone works, missing persons, moats, stepping stones, floaters, doors, copyright fine print and time weirdness in black & white art that delivers exactly what it needs to. Tune in to Windlesham's Folly by Daniel Bell.
To get your copy, well this one's just finished a successful Kickstarter which is well deserved but does make things tricky. The best thing I can recommend is following Daniel on Instagram and regularly checking in on the shop here, maybe purchase and enjoy the back catalogue while you wait for this one to become available.
Windlesham's Folly Review: 5/5
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