Back in 2002, a little comic called 30 Days of Night, published by IDW, reared its head and showed its bloody fangs. This series became immensely popular, notably for it's unique take on vampires, and because of the equally unique, atmospheric art, courtesy of Ben Templesmith. 6 years later, Ben's becoming more and more popular a guy in the comics industry, and his latest work, Welcome to Hoxford, certainly shows why.
Written and illustrated by Mr. Templesmith, Welcome to Hoxford is a quick, dirty, 4-issue miniseries revolving around a prison full of mad serial killers and rapists of the most depraved variety. Oh, and the prison is run by Russians who also happen to be werewolves. The story mainly follows Ray Delgado, a former soldier with a fucked up childhood, delusions of being a god, and a habit of biting anyone who happens to be nearby. An unlikely protagonist for a story about werewolves and necrophiliac prisoners, but definitely one of the best comicbook characters I have ever encountered.
This is, if I am not mistaken, the third comic that Templesmith has written, but he clearly has a talent for it. The dialogue is dark and sometimes funny, my favorite scene being at the beginning of the second issue, when Ray has a conversation in his cell with a rat that wanders in, which happens to be his mother. The pacing is pretty much perfect, although the fourth and final issue has a sort of rushed feel to wrap things up. You get the feeling that if he just had another issue or two to work with, there would be a bit more breathing room for the story, but that would also kind of kill the speed of the book a little, I would imagine. This is meant to be pretty quick, and it succeeds at that.
The art is exceptional, which is expected from a guy with one of the most unique styles out there. Templesmith is one of the few people in the comic industry who does all of the artwork himself, coloring and all, and the man deserves an award or three considering his output. The violence is a bit stomach-churning, and the dark, bleak atmosphere is thick, the colors he chooses are perfect for each panel, sticking mostly with somber blues and then bringing out vicious reds and oranges for the more intense moments.
As a fan of comicbooks, this is pretty much the best thing I've read all year. Welcome to Hoxford beats out anything else to come out lately, especially now that I've all but given up on superhero comics from the big two. The final issue just came out last month, and according to Amazon the collected trade paperback edition will be out in March. I heartily recommend it, if only to support such an awesome guy, and to support a smaller publisher that isn't Marvel or DC.
[Brett]
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