EXCLAMATION: “What?? A piece of shi…ahem, poo?!”
EXPLANATION: Writer Edgar Allen Poe loses his dreams, literally. It was something that the widowed writer wanted, (if only to get some respite from the longing he feels towards his recently departed wife). However, instead of just going into the great oblivion Poe’s ‘dreamer’ part is manifested physically in the form of, whom else but Edgar Allen Poo. Starting off by trying to get back to his ‘father’, Poo is taken off into the realm of the fantastical, one where he meets and befriends characters like Irving Rat, Terence Crab, King Nevermore (of the Ravens). It is a good thing that Poo makes all these allies when he does for if it were not for their help he wouldn’t be able to get past all the obstructions and dangers that keep popping up in his path. From the monsters of the deep to those of the air and everyplace in between it seems every bad guy is out to get Poo. The worst of them is the King of the Nightmares who is after not only Poo but also his ‘father’. Mixed in all this is the ghost of the Poe’s wife Virginia. Oh, and just incase anyone is wondering why Poo is named the way he is, well, (as seen on the opening page) Poe ‘gets rid’ of his dreamer/dreams while making a crap run, i.e. Poo is literally poo, (or at least he ‘comes out’ during the aforementioned bowel movement).
EXAMINATION (Story): The Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allen Poo. The name itself is a long one and rightly so for this is a lengthy read. It took me quite a while to get through its entirety and that too in about four sittings. There are so many things, both major and minor packed into each scene that one can’t help but get drawn into it. Right off the mark it had me scratching my head about what exactly is E.A. Poo is. Even now as I write this review I am still not 100% sure whether he is a piece of shit (literally) or whether something else entirely, and I am not taking about his being the ‘dream child’. Similarly I am not quite clear about why is Poe’s wife still hanging around and why couldn’t she get out the predicament she is in when we last see her. Then again in stories like this the reader’s individual perception plays an almost equal part as the written words and drawn visuals.
A point about Virginia, her presence adds real depth to the character of (real life) writer Edgar Allen Poe. One can’t help but feel for Poe and how he misses her for it is this sorrow of his (and his efforts to do something about it) that gets the wheel rolling in the first place.
EXAMINATION (Art): Done with subdued, mostly sepia tones the artwork suits the story both its fantastical and ‘real life’ elements. It is a bit hazy in places making for longer study times (to understand it). However, instead of being putting off it works in the favour of the overall story and the ambience that asks, or better yet, needs. That said, I wouldn’t mind seeing a fully colored version, even more so if it is done in the style of the cover.
PROCLAMATION: The Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allen Poo reminds of Alice in Wonderland but with elements of the Lords of the Rings and (to a lesser extent) Wizard of Oz, mixed with helpings of Poe-esque haunting pathos. Although maybe not to everyone’s tastes a recommended read nevertheless. Just don’t expect it to be a fast and/or easy read.
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