Review: Clockwork Creature

When the word went out from Ambrosia Publishing that they would give out a free PDF of their new graphic novel series CLOCKWORK CREATURE to any serious blogger (oh wait...hmmm) who wanted to read and write about it, I thought I would jump into the fray. I like the idea of getting free stuff to review, and learning about what other folks are doing in comics, literature, movies and television. In case it wasn't readily apparent - that was a hint. Send your comics, graphic novels, magazines, books, DVDs and toys to me for my honest opinion.
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CREATURE is a 52 page graphic novel that is a creepy blender of SIN CITY and NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. Written and drawn in high-contrast black & white by Kyle Strahm, this book is the first chapter in what promises to be a very twisted little fairy tale. The story is a simple tale of a town that is plagued by the titular creature, which seemingly attacks and eats the populace at random. We enter the story several disappearances into it as two of the gentle townsfolk are ambushed.

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When the town is in a panic, along comes the genuinely frightening Baron von Salt who has a past (and an agenda) with the creature.

Overall Strahm does a good job introducing his fairy tale, but I sort of wish we had a little more story to sink our teeth into here. Strahm has eliminated text boxes from his compositions, but I am of the opinion that he could have added a whole other level of story to the proceedings, making a good little fairy tale into a great one.

That's not to say I'm disappointed with CREATURE - I'm not; nor should you shy away from picking this one up. This especially true for anyone who's picked up the COURTNEY CRUMRIN books or is a Tim Burton fan.

This is your cup of tea. Don't just sip - drink deep.