This is the romance comic you never thought you needed. One of my first and favorite comics of all time, filled with heart and horror. This is Oscar Wilde’s tragedy in one act that debuted in Paris's 1896 opera scene, adapted in 1986 for the comic page by the brilliant P. Craig Russell.
I kid you not, this was in my hands at a very young age. It was one of the few comics my dad owned and, though graphic, it was a Bible story and literature at the same time, so it passed the filter! Lucky for me because this subconsciously telegraphed to me what comics could be, how different they could be from the constant stream of superhero material.
This is a 32-page story and packed with wonderful character dialogue and acting and really spoiled me for most comics because its literary foundation, the Bible and Oscar Wilde, very hard to beat as sources material. Search eBay for an original copy, I just checked and they were going for around the $10.00 mark, a great price for an artifact like this. Russell also has an artist edition selling now for $50.
Russell’s graphic and iconic design, lettering, and color lead the audience through what could be a very confusing plot, time period, and lack of narration. If you’re a fan of Cartoonist Kayfabe you may remember Jim Rugg’s consistent calling out of the full moon being used for non-narrative reasons, used most often to silhouette a character at night. I’d like to put forth that this is the only comic with a good reason for a full moon, and it actually functions as a character, interacting differently with each of the other characters in turn.
There are so many things I could say about this comic…and I have! Just not here, check out the video below for a page-to-page commentary from my wife Karen and me. We’re planning on releasing a weekly video reviewing our favorite comics and kids’ books so subscribe, and share it around if you think what we’re doing is valuable! No one does this kind of thing better than Ed Piskor and Jim Rugg via their Cartoonist Kayfabe channel on Youtube. I certainly can’t beat them, so I’m joining ‘em in spirit to bring you the best from the printed past in the hopes that more people invest in print. See you THERE!
