Joe Golem and the Drowning City by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden

Joe Golem and the Drowning City: An Illustrated Novel by Mike Mignola

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Joe Golem and the Drowning City is a lovely sort of homage to HP Lovecraft and the Jewish golem folklore tradition. One wonders how they can exist together harmoniously in the same work, but Mignola and Golden do exactly that.

New York City is a very different place from the one we know and love in this book.  Some sort of ecological disaster turned half of the city into what is essentially a Venetian-like, water-logged environment.  Downtown flooded, and those who lived there are cut off from the denizens of Uptown and forced to fend for themselves. Like humans are apt and known to do, they adapt to a semi-aquatic lifestyle, living on the top floors of the taller buildings, constructing bridges and mazeways between buildings and using watercrafts to navigate the flooded streets.

This novel is initially about two of its citizenry:  An elderly magician named Felix Orlov, who can communicate with the dead, and his unofficially adopted daughter, fourteen-year-old, redheaded, former street kid, Molly McHugh.  Their somewhat harmonious lifestyle is brutally interrupted when strange, inhuman creatures abduct Felix, failing to capture Molly when she is saved by a big, rough-looking man named Joe.  Joe is special, more than they realize initially. His colleague is the ancient British gentleman, Simon Church, a man who has adapted his failing organs with mechanical parts (added a steampunk-like flair to the story). He also uses a mix of science, machinery, and magic to monitor the supernatural barometer of the city. He happens to detect a very large spike in activity the day that Felix is kidnapped, and Molly teams up with them both to find out what happened to Felix and to save him and save the world in the process.

This is a rather solemn tale.  Joe's past is very tortured, and along with Simon's regrets about the past, and Felix's special legacy, the storyline is fairly dark.  Molly is a spunky and energetic young woman, who's seen more bad things than a person of her age should. She has trouble trusting, with good reason. We feel her pain as she is helpless against forces that pull the man who is as close to a father to her as any man could be away from her by events beyond their control.

In addition to the somber tone, the Lovecraft-type storyline adds a cosmic horror to the story.  While I am personally a bit alienated by Lovecraft's concept of an ancient, extra-dimensional cosmos and its denizens (which are indifferent to our moral concepts and even our right to exist as humanity),  Mignola and Golden add an emotional context that makes this typical idea more relatable and almost heartfelt.

One of the downsides to this book is the villain truly never feels invincible or formidable. He comes off more as a petulant child who is playing with matches (dabbling with magics and science far beyond his ken), than a disturbing force for evil. He felt like a paper tiger, which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine.  I need a villain who is truly formidable--one that I question if the hero will be able to prevail against.   His creations were disgusting, and while repulsive and off-putting, they don't add much in a positive way to the creepy tone of the book. 

Despite being somewhat disappointed with the villain, I was drawn to Joe's character, his painful struggle, his search for identity, and the integration of past and future. I also liked Molly. She feels like 'me' in the sense that she is the everyday person put in bizarre and non-ordinary circumstances. I think a good weird fiction tale needs that kind of protagonist.

Mignola just does it for me, with his stories and his creations. His collaborations with Golden have been unilaterally successful so far, and I add this one to the list.  I hope to see more of Joe Golem and Molly McHugh, and more of the Drowning City.  Recommended to weird fiction readers, and avowed fans of classic horror motifs and loving homages.



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Baltimore: The Curse Bells by Mike Mignola

Baltimore: The Curse Bells by Mike Mignola

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars


This was more creepy than Baltimore: The Plague Ships, and that's saying something.  Baltimore is still on the hunt for his one-eyed, scarred vampire nemesis, but he comes across a cult of demented nuns who follow an occultist bent on rebirthing a powerful sorceress. 

I think this series is for readers who loved the Monster of the Week type programs such as Night Gallery or Thriller, or even episodic television like The Incredible Hulk where our lone hero conquers a different situation each week.  I could see this as a good television adaptation in the right hands.

The artwork is as beautiful as The Plague Ships, and the writing just as atmospheric.  Although this was more scary. It delves deeper into the themes of diabolism and occult dealings with dark entities, and this town that Baltimore goes to is full of a sense of wrongness, death and murky secrets.  I did read this at night and I didn't have nightmares, but that was because I read something else before I went to sleep.

Baltimore has to balance his selfish need for revenge against the greater good, and he teams up with an American journalist who is writing a book about vampires after discovering they were real in the Great War. I thought the reporter looked a lot like Edgar Allen Poe, and I wouldn't be surprised if that was a deliberate choice of the creators of this graphic novel.  Part of the narrative even includes as passage from "The Bells" by Poe. 

I think this was just as good as The Plague Ships if not better, but it's more disturbing and disarming than that prior book in the series. I know that's because it focuses on occultism, black magic, and people who trade the lives of others for ultimate power. Those subjects are inherently more affecting to me than, say zombies and vampires.

Baltimore is a very effective dark hero with an antiheroic bent.  He is the dark hero that fights against the darkness, and strives to recover his own lost soul in the process.  Those kinds of heroes always get me.

I am loving this series.  Keep them coming!

Overall rating: 4.5/5.0 stars.



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The Silent Pulpit by Donald Allen Kirch

The Silent Pulpit by Donald Allen Kirch

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars


Donald Allen Kirch writes an effective short story here, with the appeal of the old school macabre tales of terror and the unknown. His gift for humor is evident, as I found myself chuckling at some of the main characters observations and actions, even though some of it was a bit on the irreverent side. Humor aside, he expertly maintains that sense of dread that a good horror story gives this reader, where I know something bad is coming, and it ain't good. The idea behind this story was very interesting, and there was enough ambiguity that brought to mind the old school ghost stories where I didn't quite know everything that was going on for most of the story, and maybe not even completely at the end. Added to that were a couple of freaky and just downright wrong images that I need scrubbed out of my impressionable, visual brain!

The sinister tone of this story sticks with me, and gives me that lingering feeling of unease and alarm that makes me such a inveterate reader of tales of terror. That makes this a successful read. I liked this story a whole lot, although I didn't quite feel like my idea of justice was done. Of course, I can see that there were seeds with Father Donavon that led him down his unfortunate path. However, this hopeful reader always wishes for the moment of clarity that causes the doomed person to come to their senses before it's too late. But oh well! You can't always get what you want. And the reader can take some comfort in knowing this is just a scary story, and you can turn off your Kindle and go back to your less frightening real life existence. At least until your urge for a good scare brings you back.

Write faster, Donald! I need more scary stories to read!

Overall rating: 4.5 stars.


Thanks for letting me read this one, Don.



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Jason Dark-Ghost Hunter: Demon's Night (Volume 1)

Jason Dark - Ghost Hunter: Demon's Night by Guido Henkel



What a delightful story. As a fan of the Victorian setting in horror, I had a lot of fun reading this story. Jason Dark is a great new hero for me. This urbane, kind gentleman is brave enough to take on a demon with the power to tear him to shreds. He's a ghosthunter with an arsenal to make a lover of arcane artifacts and gadgets very happy. And he's got the coolest sword. I'm jealous of that sword. I really am. This short story is full of action, barely slowing down once it gets started. Although not really scary, it did have some tense moments, and wonderful, cinematic atmosphere. And Mr. Henkel gets points for having a heroine who is a formidable warrior in her own right, Sui Lin, who is of Chinese heritage.

I can say one thing. I'd love to read more by this author. Are you running short of classic horror short stories or novels to read? Check this one out. It has the elements that make such fare so appealing. Fans of Sherlock Holmes, occult detectives, and classic action-adventure/pulp fiction with supernatural elements, be sure to check out Jason Dark-Ghost Hunter: Demon's Night.

Overall rating 4.5 out of 5.0 stars .

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