Broodhollow Book 1: Curious Little Thing

I started reading Broodhollow last year when it made the list of top 10 webcomics of 2012. I love the idea of webcomics, but honestly I have a hard time keeping up with true serial stories. I guess I just don't have the working memory to keep a story arc going through such tiny bursts. That's why I'm always so very excited when a webcomic has a nice big graphic novel edition. I jumped on that Broodhollow kickstarter fast.

Broodhollow was billed as Lovecraftian, and I see it but only in the “something rather sinister is obviously at the heart of this quiet town and no one will believe me!” element. The characters are very unique and manage to convey a lot of emotion and story given the relatively simple style in which they are drawn. Dr. Angstrom and Maurice are my favorite characters who subvert expectations at every turn.

That simple style also serves as a great highlight to the richly detailed madness that is Straub's illustration when hell breaks loose. The drawings are so dark as to feel claustrophobic. You know there's more to see but you can't make it out and your eyes don't want to keep looking. The contrast between these happy, round, colorless citizens and this brooding, over-saturated nightmare world is why I love this series. Luckily, there's enough humor and cute little bats to make a wuss like me able to handle the story.

I highly recommend Broodhollow to any and all fans of visual storytelling and also anyone who ever wanted a pet bat.