Merrick The Sensational Elephantman: Monsters – Review
The awesome double act of Tom Ward and Luke Parker are back with two more comics in the Merrick world.
The Monsters two-issue arc is another compelling dive into the backstreets of Victorian London as we continue the fictional tale of Joseph Merrick, aka The Elephant Man. This time out we are treated to a healthy dose of Lovecraftian horror with a side of intrigue.
In The Shadow of Phu-ggogot
The first issue of the pair definitely leans heavily on it’s Lovecraftian influences, with a giant maggot god proving to be a mighty opponent for Merrick and his accomplices. Alas it also reveals the duplicity of one Doctor Treves. Those who have read The Gambler’s Cards 1-shot will know that Treves is, uh, not exactly the saintly doctor, dedicated to helping Merrick, that he makes himself out to be. He’s definitely into some shady stuff, and those less above board exploits are brought to light (literally) at the end of Monsters #1.
Huge shout out to Luke Parker for that splash page of Merrick and Phu-ggogot that made me squeal with joy.
The Wrath of Man-Elephant
But Clare, I hear you cry, Merrick is the Elephant Man, not the Man-Elephant. I know, I know, but remember I said before that Treves has been up to some shady shit? Well here you have it. Our dear doctor has been conducting experiments on behalf of a shadowy organisation using helping Merrick as a cover. His duplicity brought into the open has shattering consequences for our major players. I’ve got to say that while this issue closes the “Monsters” double bill out nicely it does an even better job of setting up what is to come. A cameo appearance from the Napoleon of Crime (no, not McCavity the Mystery Cat) at the end of the issue had me scrambling for twitter to pester Mr Ward for more!
I am a sucker for fictional tales featuring real life characters, especially ones that push me to find out more about those characters. Merrick doesn’t so much tick that box as colour it in fully, just to make sure you’re getting the point! Tom has a knack for writing absolute page turners. I blasted through both issues so fast just to devour the story and then went back to pay closer attention to the details on a second read through because it would be a crime not to give equal enjoyment to Luke’s art!
If you want to grab Monsters 1#2, plus any back issues of Merrick then you can grab them all from www.merrickcomic.co.uk
