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| Lullabies from Hell, Dark Horse Manga, 2006 |
It begins with the author himself, endowed with the ability to cause the death of anyone he wants by writing it (reminding me of Death Note). The story is horrifying in so many ways, from the abusive, deranged mother, to the seriously screwed narrator, to the cringe-inducing methods he comes up with to dispatch those who wronged him. And how many have wronged him.
A twist on Rosemary's Baby follows, again with layers upon layer of horror. What would you do in her shoes? What about the father? Is a monster less horrifying when everyone has one, or more?
The third and longest story is where it fell apart for me, but it still pulses like a recurring nightmare. Fortunately it's followed up by my favorite of the lot, "Zoroku's Strange Disease." Check out this intro!
Once upon a time, in a far off land, there was a mysterious swamp where animals that were about to die always gathered.
People called it the swamp of slumber, and no one went near.
The stories might be a wee bit predictable - they reminded me a lot of the old Creepy archives - but they still hit with a visceral punch, thanks in no small part to Hino's startling artwork. I've heard of them described as "cartoonish" but I find that makes the horror all the more effective. It's like seeing Mickey Mouse tear Minnie's head off. Not to mention there are pieces I don't want to see true-to-life. I don't need to see a perfect imitation of Zoroku's pustules erupting, no thank you indeed.
For horror and gore fans, this manga is well worth picking up.
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