I’d like to take a moment to draw your attention to a miniseries that has perhaps been overlooked. John Arcudi takes a break from “B.P.R.D.” to revive his character “The Creep” from the early nineties, and the result is truly something to behold.
Written by John Arcudi
Illustrated by Jonathan CaseA young boy puts a gun in his mouth and pulls the trigger. The police don’t care—not about his death or the death of his best friend two months earlier. The dead boy’s mom seeks help from an old flame that’s employed as a detective. Will the detective’s freakish appearance get in the way of uncovering the terrible secrets of these two teenagers?
The first chapter of “The Creep” made its debut in the pages of “Dark Horse Presents,” which is where I was stumbled across it. I read the first eight-page installment, and then stopped. Even at that early stage, I realized it was something I would enjoy so much more as complete book. So I set it aside and waited for the trade.
I’m glad that I did. The wait between installments, from the first in April 2012 to the last in December, probably would’ve killed me otherwise. This is a spectacular book, one of the finest I’ve had the pleasure to read.
The story follows Oxel Karnhus, a private detective. Oxel has a rare condition known as acromegaly, a disease that causes excess growth hormone, disfiguring the face and extremities. The most famous case of acromegaly was 1930s and 40s Hollywood monster man, Rondo Hatton, known for playing a character called the Creeper, which is where this book gets its title from. Acromegaly does not play a major role in the plot though. This isn’t a story about acromegaly, but rather a story about a character that just happens to have acromegaly. That’s not to say the disease could easily be stripped away from this book altogether either. It is in fact tied deeply to the core theme of perception versus reality in this book, a constant physical reminder that things are not always as they seem.
Most of the best comics find a way to tell the story that is unique to the medium. “The Creep” has artist Jonathan Case employ two distinct art styles, one for literal reality, the other for a constructed reality, whether it be a memory, a dream, the visions of the mentally ill, or an imagined reconstruction of past events. The mechanics of these dual styles are explained very early on when Oxel receives a letter from his high school sweetheart, Stephanie. He applies what he already knows about Stephanie, then adds and subtracts elements as he learns more from the letter, such as when he learns she’s divorced, she takes her wedding ring off her finger. Right away the reader learns that this stuff is subjective, that it’s about what the mind’s eye sees.
I found this was a great way to visualize Oxel putting the puzzle together as he replays different versions of the same scenes. It really got me engaged in his process, but also showed him repeatedly hitting walls. There was a great moment when he was looking through the sketchbook of a dead boy, and Oxel is thinking, “What was he really thinking about? Is that here? Can I see that?” And of course he can’t. This book is full of characters trying to put themself in someone else’s shoes, but for all their trying, they come up short. This disconnect is beautifully handled.
I should mention Jonathan Case. His work on this book is beautiful. He redesigned Oxel for this story, as the previous version from the early nineties was very much a caricature of Rondo Hatton. Oxel’s design in Case’s hands is appropriately monstrous without crossing the line and becoming a monster. Case has a sensitive approach to the character, with a focus on making him relatable, and great care has been taken with Oxel’s eyes. I read this book much slower than I normally would. Something about the combination of Case’s art with John Arcudi’s script demanded that I linger a little on each page. I enjoy an artist that understands body language, and Case really gets this. The way a person stands says so much about the scene, or in the case of the constructed reality sequences, it says so much about the person who is doing the imagining.
Continued belowJohn Arcudi blew me away with this book. He took on the difficult topic of suicide, and he handled in such an honest way. He isn’t interested in judgment, or solving the issue at all. This isn’t an after school special. Each of the characters Oxel interviews in the course of his investigations has been touched by suicide and is coping (or not coping) in their own way. Each of the major characters in this book are all motivated by the same thing, a need for catharsis, especially Oxel. He resists it, but that need is what propels the book forward. It is a melancholy book, but I wouldn’t call it bleak. I found the reading experience to be meditative and itself cathartic.
As for the trade itself, it’s a digest-sized, hardcover. I hadn’t noticed the smaller pages until after I finished it, and I don’t think it in any way harms the presentation of the work. The volume features a nine-page sketchbook in the back with notes by John Arcudi and Jonathan Case with a focus on the various covers for the single issues. The last two pages present various takes to a single chilling panel from the final chapter, which I found to be incredibly cool. I wish a few more pages had been spared for material like this, but that’s a very minor quibble.
This book isn’t going to be for everyone, I know that. It’s moody and somber, and firmly rooted in the real world. However, I absolutely loved it. I think this is one of the best things John Arcudi’s ever written, and in Jonathan Case he found the perfect artist to compliment the story he wanted to tell. I cannot recommend this enough. “The Creep” is a beautiful book, one that has found a place of particular pride on my bookshelf.
Final Verdict: 9.5 – Buy
