Wormwood, Gentleman Corpse

Title: Wormwood, Gentleman Corpse
Written By: Ben Templesmith
Drawn and Inked By: Ben Templesmith
Genre: Horror
Publisher: IDW Publishing

Upcoming Issue Number: 5
Publication Date: January 2007


According to the IDW publishing website (http://www.idwpublishing.com/) Wormwood, Gentleman Corpse is Templesmith's first solo project since Singularity 7. I have many things to say about Wormwood, Gentleman Corpse so I'll start with this: If you aren't reading this title, you need to turn off your computer, go to your local comic shop and buy it....NOW!

Um...why are you still online?

Okay, if you insist on ignoring me…

Synopsis
Wormwood is a maggot from an alternate hell dimension. Yes, that’s right, he’s a maggot who hitches rides on animated cadavers, conducting business and catching the sights from one of the corpse’s empty eye sockets. When not enjoying a draft at the pub, this distinguished maggot with a cultivated English accent solves crimes and saves our mundane dimension with his bad-ass body guard Phoebe Phoenix and Mr. Pendulum a shot-gun toting drinking buddy he made from Guinness cans and a grandfather clock.

Art & Story
Templesmith’s art is macabre and kinetic with gorgeous coloring and brilliant movement. Each frame is an integral part of Templesmith’s story-telling. The script and the images work in perfect harmony, each strengthening the other without overshadowing. Every frame is a feast. The expertly executed backgrounds develop place with as much care as the character renderings. Wormwood, Gentleman Corpse has all the stark, sharpened impact of Templesmith’s work in the 30 Days of Night series. The difference is Wormwood, Gentleman Corpse is 100% his show and the levity he weaves into his work is what distinguishes it from other current horror titles.

The script is a clever blend of comedy and horror, witty and literary without feeling forced or unnatural. The scripting for each character is crisp with dialogue that gives us glimpses into each individual’s particular personality and abilities without giving away everything upfront. Early in the series it’s a risk, especially with the glut of new titles being released with such regularity. The time Templesmith is giving to develop his characters might leave some readers feeling that each individual player in Templesmith’s universe is a two-dimensional caricature. I suggest that readers be patient, well rounded character definition cannot be fully developed in a single story arc, especially in this medium. If Templesmith’s scripting is as well honed as his visual expression then well rounded characterization will unfold in time, as it does in any great work of fiction.


Read it, love it and let me know what you think.