Cold Cut Bulletin # 17
(US Distributor Catalogue) September 1996

Strangehaven

Publisher: Abiogenesis Press
Story & Art: Gary Spencer Millidge
Cover Price: $2.95
Frequency: Bi-monthly

Storyline:
While on summer break, elementary school teacher Alex Hunter is driving in the English countryside when an apparition of a woman heads his car into a tree. He wakes up injured, in a bed in the quirky town of Strangehaven. Once his car and his body are repaired he attempts to leave, but ends up lost and back where he started. Figuring it may be fate, he stays in the town and begins seeing a young girl named Janey. Meanwhile, a man who says he was a witch doctor for an Amazonian tribe is showing Janey's brother some tricks of the trade, a man who claims to be an alien on Earth is dealing with the postmistress' advances, and the local "secret society" men's club is initiating a new member in a dark and mysterious fashion. And just who is keeping a corpse floating in a fishtank?

Writing Review:
Strong dialogue and wonderful characters populate this quirky, dark mystery/romance/drama. Comparisons are often made between Strangehaven and television shows like "Twin Peaks" and "The Prisoner", and the choices are apt. The village is populated with odd people doing odd things, yet never so odd as to break the suspension of disbelief. These are odd people you can believe in - the guy who complains about everything, the woman in love with the married man, the schoolteacher worried about a budding relationship.
Meanwhile, the plotting is toying with us, seeing how far we're willing to go. Gary is spinning many situations into tension, but after four issues has only rarely wound them back down even a notch or two. There are at least five different major plotlines going on here, and none seem particularly close to resolution, even after four issues and a bit of a delay in production. Unless he begins to wind up some of the plots, or at least move them on to another stage, we'll end up with a fizzle reminiscent of Twin Peaks. As Rachel Pollack found in taking over Doom Patrol, weirdness for the sake of weirdness does not work - weirdness which ties together into a cohesive whole does. So, can Gary pull off a Grant Morrison? Only time will tell, but so far it looks promising - and more importantly, it's fun along the way.

Art Review:
Heavily rendered (that is, using a very "realistic" style), the art in Strangehaven seems to capture small town characters effectively, though it stumbles on some expressions (always a difficult feat in a rendered book) and comes off a bit static on occasion. This is not particularly surprising, since this is not an "action" book, but the sameness can be bland. On the upside, Gary has great feel for pacing, and I've rarely seen a more refined use of the non sequitur. His tossing in panels foreshadowing upcoming events or even parallel events is brilliant and works wonders.

Sales Overview:
One easy match for Strangehaven is Invisibles from Vertigo - with the British setting and the subtle quirkiness, it should be a natural sell. Also, viewers of "Twin Peaks", "The Prisoner", and "Nowhere Man" and readers of Doom Patrol, Strangers in Paradise, Jar of Fools and Bacchus should give Strangehaven a go.

©1996 Cold Cut Distribution

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

All text and images (c) copyright Gary Spencer Millidge/Abiogenesis Press All rights reserved.