Forbidden Surgeries of the Hideous Dr. Divinus

Once again I find myself in a Zahler created universe. This time the format is a comic book If that is the corrcect label. If you like Zahler’s other works I think you will enjoy this one also. I was worried because I found the cover rather odd but the story is classic Zahler. Having said that he always brings something new to the table, so you will be surprised. I had a really good time with it but I wanted a few pages more. Hopefully the next one will be a little longer.

It was a fun read!

It's interesting to see a successful filmmaker try his hand at comics considering how often would-be filmmakers (usually ones who don't particularly care for the medium) use them as an affordable alternative to cinema. In many cases (e.g., Jhonen Vasquez and Rob Schrab), these creators abandon comics when the opportunity to work in film and/or television arrives. It's clear in their work that such creators would rather be making movies given the creative choices they make. (Suggesting music that one should put on as the soundtrack is a common trope).It's just as apparent in this work that Zahler is eager to work in comics purely out of a love of the medium. This is no illustrated novel or storyboard for an unmade film; Zahler delivers a strong work strictly for the comics medium. While on a technical level, his drawings are crude, the storytelling is clear and I appreciate the use of layouts conceived with the medium in mind. As a seasoned novelist, one might expect Zahler to overdo caption boxes, while most filmmakers working in comics would do away with them entirely. Neither temptation is indulged. Instead, Zahler's understanding of the medium is on full display with an excellent balance of text and images. Both work in harmony to tell the story with neither attempting to upstage the other.In terms of the purely narrative aspects of the piece, the storyline itself shows a strong comic influence. Everything from the title to the ending feeling like it came out of a pre-code horror comic. One could easily picture the final page as the shocking splash panel introduction to an issue of Witch's Tales or This Magazine Is Haunted. The flashbacks (which form the meat of the horror portions of the novel) tell a short story that would also be right at home in the aforementioned periodicals.Zahler's background as a crime author informs the piece to excellent effect. The story mainly taking place from the point-of-view of a police officer and his crooked brother. The two characters make the work feel like the cops from Dragged Across Concrete are investigating the aftermath of a story from an issue of Tales from the Crypt. This gives it a neat alternative perspective that, while fitting in with pre-code terror titles, makes this more than a simple imitation. This is a strength of Zahler's in general; he works within genre, but rarely is he derivative of that genre.

In der Metropole New Bastion verschwinden Obachlose spurlos. Kurze Zeit später wird die Stadt von sonderbaren dreiarmigen Mutanten heimgesucht, die noch mehr Personen verschwinden lassen. Die Polizei, aber auch die Unterwelt von New Bastion ist ratlos.100 Jahre zuvor in England, auf dem Anwesen des steinreichen Lord Tisby: die Tochter des Lords wird auf einem nächtlichen Spaziergang von einer seltsamen Kreatur überfallen und vergewaltigt. Neun Monate später bringt sie ein gräßlich mutiertes Kind zur Welt, das auf Anordnung von Lord Tisby schnellstens in ein Waisenhaus verfrachtet wird, wo es später als "Froschling" für viel Unruhe sorgt.Wie diese beiden Erzählstränge zusammenhängen, erklärt der nicht ganz so jugendfreie Comic. Starke Nerven sind gefragt-.wie auch bei den üblichen Produktionen des Meisters Zahler...aber fünf froschgrüne Sterne sind schon mal garantiert!

Consistently producing work of the highest caliber, filmmaker S.Craig Zahler dives head-first into the graphic novel medium and succeeds magnificently. Zahler's eerie atmosphere immediately pulls you in, skillfully weaving an original genre-blending story that catches you completely by surprise. Just when you think you know where the book is heading, he pulls the rug out from under you, forcing you to finish the book in a single sitting. The striking images and sharp dialogue compliment each other beautifully, making the final result seem effortless. Fans of Zahler's films will not be disappointed along with anyone else having the desire to experience a wholly original dark and twisted journey.

Wonderfully macabre.