Wrapped In Plastic
(US Twin Peaks Magazine) late 1995Strangehaven creates a Twin Peaks/Prisoner feel
Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise) alerted us to an interesting new comic that we've "got to write about": Strangehaven by Gary Spencer Millidge (Abiogenesis Press). If you've finished off Mark Frost's two books and are looking for more interesting reading material, this new series might be it.
Alexander Hunter has a car accident just outside a small English Town, Strangehaven, and is brought there to recuperate. The reader is introduced to a number of the residents - some of whom are quite odd. (One old woman carried around a shoebox; and when a tooth filling comes loose, she superglues it back into place). Later, when Hunter is apparently fully recovered and tries to leave the town - uh, we'll just say that problems arise.
Reviews have already described the story as "reminiscent of Twin Peaks on its best days" in which "another prisoner finds himself trapped in a village that seems to be twinned with Twin Peaks". They are on target. What makes the first issue fascinating is that it has captured some of the atmosphere of TP and The Prisoner without simply swiping characters or scenes. Millidge appears to have put some work into developing his own backstory to breathe life into the work. We're eager to see if the promise of the first issue is fulfilled in later issues. (The second issued is scheduled for September).
The art is a little uneven (our guess is that he's using a lot of photo reference for the figures and gets in trouble when deviating from it), but generally quite nice and reminiscent of Paul Kirchner's "The Bus" strips that used to appear in Heavy Metal.
Strangehaven is distributed in the U.S. by both Diamond and Capital City distributors and so is available to virtually all comic book shops who choose to carry it. If that doesn't prove successful, and if the shops are unwilling to special order the book for you, trying writing directly to the publisher. The comic is "suggested for mature readers".
For a sneak preview of the story, check out Cerebus 198, where part of the story appears as a back-up feature, along with subscription information.
©1995 Wrapped in Plastic
If you've read any notable pieces concerning Strangehaven that may have escaped our attention and does not appear here, we'd like to hear about them! E-mail us at webmonkey@millidge.com