Review- DAMAGED GOODS

DAMAGED GOODS (AAM/ Markosia, 2012; Softcover)

Black and white original graphic novel

Writer: Richard McAuliffe

Artist: Mark Chilcott

I am a sucker for Horror anthologies, especially black and white Horror anthologies a la Creepy and Eerie. This book has more a sketch, or vignette, approach, but there is also a super thin thread tying it all together. I didn't even see it until the 2 page dummy guide that points out the Easter eggs in the back of the book showed it to me. The last story pointed to the first one, and I was flipping back to the front to see if the quote was the same.

There are several great story ideas here, such as The Magpie, The Tea Party, and Hello. They are genuinely creepy and inventive, which is refreshing in this genre. It is so easy to tread familiar ground and go for the crowd pleaser, and while Damaged Goods delivers what most people would want from this sort of book, it's the little twists and tweaks that made me smile. There is an honest to Godzilla fresh zombie story in here, for instance. Bravo!

The OCD zone- This is a “graphic novel” size book, being slightly smaller and narrower than a standard trade paperback, which many independent publishers seem to be gravitating towards these days. It's fine and doesn't phase me at all. The paper is a decent weight coated stock.