Ichabod Jones, Monster Hunter

Written and created by Russell Nohelty
Art and letters by Renzo Podesta

Buy it HERE.

That 'Fear and Loathing' feeling.

This was a long time coming, with Russell and Renzo working on this from 2011 to 2020. Nine years, and about 87 pages later they've achieved their goal of finishing the story.

I feel as if I'm in that psychotic, weird 'Ralph Steadman' style of art -for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about Google Hunter Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and you'll see what I mean. Eyeballs are enlarged and circled, arms stretching rubbery and with great anxiety. There's a liberal amount of gore strewn here and there for good measure. Basically, the whole book exudes an air of crazy that doesn't let up.

Following ones 'voice'

One literary device employed early on is our protagonist Ichabod Jones' conversation with his inner voice; a disembodied black box narration with white letters that neatly plays off of his fears and cowardliness. One doesn't know if the voice truly is disembodied or Ichabod's own thoughts. Ichabod Jones is locked up, a certifiable insane person who has to undergo therapy sessions with his psychiatrist. He's in prison, but has visions of a monster stalking him, ready to kill him. From there he is delivered by his dream world into a basement to the prison populated by a few lucky escapees.

Seeing it to the end.

Ichabod Jones took a long time to finish, and I'm glad Russell and Renzo saw this through. Its look and tone stays consistent and the visuals really do hover for its many pages in the realm of whacko-nutsy. A few reservations I might put in as a reader though. One is that the story seems a bit pedestrian. There is no inversion of reality here, no 'flip side' where you're suddenly on tenuous ground. Secondly there's little change in the main character. I would have liked to see a bit of Ichabod's 'origin' if you will where he once was normal. What turned him into the raving homicidal maniac?

Next Tuesday:

Back to 'The Wudsman' with another installment of 'Happy Hill!' --in keeping with the Halloween theme of October!

Happy Hill #4

by Joe Mulvey and Rich Douek