FANTA WEEK, PT. 1

Through the end of the year… some new efforts from Fantagraphics!

CINEMA PANOPTICUM
Written and Drawn by Thomas Ott

This lush hardcover graphic novel presents an unusual type of horror story: a young, impoverished girl finds her way into a carnival, and the only attraction she can afford is the panoptic cinema. There are five films for her to watch, and each gets progressively more disturbing, until the child succumbs to her own curiosity and places her final coin in the one titled “The Girl.”

There is an element of “The Twilight Zone” and of classic 50s horror comics at play here, but Ott’s subtlety of storytelling and his brilliantly detailed art lend an air of sophistication to the frights he presents. His work has a photo-realistic quality, adding a layer to the story; as a reader, you are placed into the position of watching the cinema yourself and awaiting her fate. When you lock onto this feeling, it provides a serious jolt, and enhances your enjoyment of the book.

Of the films she watches, none grabs you quite like “The Prophet,” which tells the tale of a man who has seen the signs of the coming apocalypse, but is thought to be mad. But madness is never more aptly described as an altered perception of reality by the time his tale plays itself out.

CINEMA PANOPTICUM is an arresting piece of entertainment that engages the mind and artistic interest in multiple ways. It is recommended for the more sophisticated and mature reader.

/Mason