Black River
Josh SimmonsJosh Simmons returns with his first full-length graphic novel since 2007’s acclaimed House. A group of women, one man, and two dogs are making their way through a post-apocalyptic world in search of a city that supposedly still has electricity and some sort of civilization. Along the way, they go to a comedy club, take a drug called Gumdrop, and encounter gangs of men who are fools, lunatics, or murderous sadists. In other words, all manner of terrors. Josh Simmons is one of the field’s most distinctive voices in the genre of horror (The Furry Trap, House), and this full-length graphic novel is his best work yet, echoing director John Carpenter’s perfect tick-tock pacing, as well as Shirley Jackson’s ability to transcend genre and turn it into literature.
| status | Copy #1 (1213): in |
|---|---|
| genre | Horror |
| publisher | Fantagraphics |
| publish date | May 6, 2015 |
| popularity | checked out 7 time(s) |
If I had to describe Black River in one word, I would choose BLEAK. What a huge bummer. I felt it like a big flat river rock in my belly, I felt so weird. And I’ve read some comics. It takes an incredible amount of creative control to elicit such a strong response out of me (and everyone else I know who’s read it). Through the panels, Simmons takes you for a somber wander across wastelands with a pack of hardened badass scavenging ladies, searching for hope in a hopeless place. There’s not much to look for, or to find. This book’s not for the faint of heart. It’s the kind of book where you’ll find a dude getting his head bashed in with a rock and it drags on for like, eight panels.