Leroy Douresseaux on LENORE Volume 2 #2

LENORE VOLUME 2 #2

TITAN MAGAZINES

 

CARTOONIST: Roman Dirge

32pp, Colors, $3.99

On Thursday of last week, I brown, manila envelope arrived in my mailbox, and it contained the latest copy of a Lenore comic book – obviously for my review. At long last, I had to do something that I’d avoided – read a Lenore comic book.

Lenore is a long-running comic book series by cartoonist, Roman Dirge. First published by SLG (Slave Labor Graphics), a Lenore comic book apparently appeared once a year. The series focused on the title character, an irascible 10-year-old, undead girl. Lenore is back in Lenore Volume 2, now published by Titan Comics.

Lenore Volume 2 #2 finds our sweetly malicious heroine dealing with the unwanted advances of Mr. Gosh, the human-sized, sock-puppet man with button eyes. Lenore is ready to bring the pain (after getting a restraining order) to Mr. Gosh. He loves him some Lenore; she despises her some Mr. Gosh. That’s until she discovers her annoying paramour is his own kind of Willy Wonka. Can Lenore say no to a castle where the cupcake beats don’t even stop at the break of dawn?

I’d come across Lenore before I received this comic book for review, but I never had the desire to read the comic book. So I wasn’t crazy about receiving a review copy of Lenore in the mail. I must admit, however, that I enjoyed reading it. It’s creepy, gross, moldy, and even at times, grisly and gruesome. Lenore is like a mixture of Charles Addams, EC Comics, and decay, but it seems to work.

To me, Lenore has this Elaine Benes as living dead girl thing, and I like that smart and superficial attitude in the character. Mr. Gosh, with his hopeless optimism and deadpan charm, is even worthy of his own comic. Creator Roman Dirge has hit upon something because Lenore is more than just a horror comics gag or zombie product. Dirge’s willingness to skewer his characters allows his work to deliver a broad range of comedy from sarcasm to plain silliness. Although I feel like I need to wear a hazmat suit when I read this, I’m ready for more Lenore.

A-

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