Edgar Allan Poe: Tales of the Macabre
Writer: Edgar Allan Poe
Artist: Benjamin Lacombe
Editor: Rebecca Taylor
Edgar Allan Poe is one of my favorite authors. His horror stories are some of the most interesting to read, because they venture into the madness of their characters. So when Archaia offered us a look at their collection of his works with some illustrations by Benjamin Lacombe, I jumped at the chance to check it out.
I’m going to start this off with how gorgeous this book is, the opening and closing pages especially with what looks to be like the best wallpaper for a baby’s room. The book is at its best when it has black pages with white text; it truly gives the dark feeling of the stories you’re reading. The book alternates between stories being told in traditional white pages with black text, and black pages with white text.
The stories chosen are pretty much a best of Poe collection. “The Black Cat” is one of my favorites, so I enjoyed seeing Lacombe’s rendition of the titular character. If you notice any favorites missing, then maybe you should buy this book so they can make a second collection with more of those stories. I’d love to see some art based on “Cask of Amontillado.”
This is a lovely collection of Poe. If you’re a fan and don’t have a collection of some of his stuff, grab this and take a peek at this art. The art is a wonderful blend of creepy and cute, the characters are in that middle state of alive and dead that fits the stories perfectly. I’d love to see Lacombe do an entire story of Poe’s in a comic translation; his visuals capture the feel of the stories very well. I’d suggest this book for classroom settings that want to get teens into Poe.
Alexander Bustos
drbustos@comicattack.net
