March 2010 — The Marionette

The story starts with the sound of running. Both the story and the story within the story start in this fashion in the graphic novel “The Field at the Edge of the Woods,” created by Frick Weber, Loran Skinkis and Gary Morgan under the moniker of “Films and Comics.” We start with (what appears to be) the death of a man and his arrival in the books namesake, where he immediately becomes the target of numerous parties, all apparently pursuing their own agendas- some suspect and others more suspect. The appearance of the grim reaper as he dispatches the others leads to him pitching his script.

The setup and symbolism largely revolve around Judeo-Christian religious themes, but what really sets this work apart from other similar works is the irreverant humour that undercuts many of the dramatic graphic novel personalities. The grim reaper turns out to be diminutive in stature. Evil creatures of the forest wear “No Fat Chicks” T-shirts. Dramatic, portentous speeches are rephrased into the most babal summaries.

“A robbery under the eyes of the watchman… and now only fleeting seconds to prevent the reverant tragedy… The bundle must not reach the woods.”

“Huh?”

“The guy on the horse is trying to catch the little nasty who stole the bundle and if he doesn’t a whole lot of very bad stuff is going to happen.”

The images are all well executed in black and white with enough detail to keep you engrossed during multiple readings. The book also finishes with some work-up images showing the development of the story and art – a nice addition that reveals the author’s and artist’s love for the material and the art.

The story is entertaining enough and the characters captivating enough that the next three books are anticipated additions. Besides finding out eventually what is in the bundle, there is the additional promise of “Karaoke Bars, Slave Pirates, Dark Nasty Meter Maidens, Hair Bands, endless buckets of guilt, and Egyptian Warriors.” How could that be bad?

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