Thursday 18 August 2016

From A Whisper To A ...

There was a British comic in the mid eighties, around nineteen eighty four I believe, and although it only ran for around fifteen weeks it is still very fondly remembered by those of us who remember buying great comics on a weekly basis in corner news agents. Sounds almost Edwardian,eh? Imagine that; a choice of British comics. Not as many as during the medium's heyday but a whole lot better than the choices one is presented with(or not presented with as the case may be.) these days.
              "What is the terrible secret of the locked room?"
             I mention it because 2000AD have brought out a collection of a serial from that title; Monster. One that was never completed in its day but is here and now. Monster is the story of a boy and his hideously deformed uncle who has spent too many years secreted away in a locked room. It was not uncommon in the seventies and eighties to have an uncle who the family rolled the eyes at the very mention off. I was surprised to discover that the story had been co-created by Alan Moore and then carried on with the combined talent of Alan Grant and John Wagner.
              "One turn of a key would take Kenny Corman into the room of terror.."
               Remote spooky old houses, haunted looking wind ravaged fields and moors, Policemen who do not look like anti-terror shock troops. A story where the monstrous figure off is off course revealed to be the truly heroic figure next to his equally heroic nephew. This wee collection ticks all the enjoyable boxes and holds up remarkably well after literally decades.
               Unlike my knees.