Happy Goat Horror

Can you disappear so completely that only one person remembers you existed?

That’s what comics creator Linda Corrigan asks, when her editor, disappears without a trace. Drawn into an FBI investigation by Agent McPherson, Linda and comics historian Richard Ford unearth a chilling link to the forgotten comic artist R. L. Carver, whose work might just hold the key to a series of mysterious disappearances.

As they explore Carver’s life, they uncover the secret history of horror comics, the misfits, madcaps and macabre masters who forged an industry, frightened a generation and felt the heat of the Federal Government. They also stumble on the shadow history of the United States on a road trip that veers into the nation’s dark underbelly, where forbidden knowledge and forgotten lore await them.

Described as “Kavalier and Clay meets Clive Barker,” Draw You In Vol.1 – Collector’s Item is the first in a mind-bending trilogy of novels. It contains stories within stories that explore horror in all its subgenres, from quiet to psychological horror, from hardcore to cosmic horror.

Experience the epic conspiracy thriller that redefines the genre for a new generation.

Dark bleatings, my artistic tribe! How do I even begin to explain this mind-bender of a trilogy? I was initially going to break up the three books into their independent stories but since the three of them make up such a well-rounded, complete whole, I changed my mind. I’m laughing a little as I type this because this story in its entirety is insane, and insanely entertaining.

We’re with Linda, a comic book artist who was once doing great but with industry and company changes, the work isn’t the same, and neither is her income, or the hoops she’s expected to jump through to earn it. We begin with her at a convention, doodling away as she talks to a highly regarded editor. He invites her to an exclusive event. However, when she turns up at said event, she finds that not only is she not on the guest list, but neither is the editor, and even worse, no one is acknowledging the editor at all. They’re all acting as if they’ve never heard of him. It’s almost like…he doesn’t exist! Linda, apparently, is the only one who remembers him.

This initial hook was so effective because how could I not want to read on to find out wtf is happening here? Since we’re following Linda, I had no doubt that she hadn’t just imagined him and that he was a real person, so where did he go and why does no one else remember? She ends up reporting this to the police, where she finds a couple of unlikely partners to help her unravel the mystery. However deep you think this rabbit hole might go, you’re wrong. We’re talking right to the centre of the Earth and out through a wormhole level deep.

The next book expands things even further with conspiracy theories that not only appear to involve some sort of supernatural element (is it supernatural? Is it psychological? Biological? Historical? You have to read to find out!), but indicate things about the entire history of the USA. Not only that but it follows straight on from the first book and amps up the horror by returning us to the comic book aspect. A little more Linda, a little more mystery, a little/a lot more of a fright. And just who is RL Carver, I ask you? And why is their influence so…influency?

We find ourselves on at a prestigious campus and I have two words for you: larvae and memories. And no, I shan’t be elaborating on that. That’s a delight of the book and you should read it. And then, if you can believe it, things only get stranger.

And now we’re on to the third book and the grand finale of this epic, bizarre, layered adventure. What is the Midswegan…and where is the damn thing? And is it a world-ender? How many memories has our dear Linda repressed, and will she recover them all?

Honestly, how could this overall story get bigger? Well, I can’t tell you without dropping spoilers for all three books, but it does. It’s gets large.

I think my favourite thing about Jasper’s work here is his story construction because oh my gosh, layers upon layers upon layers. A lesser writer (like me, for example) would NEVER be able to keep all this straight. Every time I had an “AH-HA!” moment, it was swiftly followed by a kick in the proverbial crotch. You close the door on one mystery only to discover that the closed door has now opened up a wormhole. The sheer amount of thought and work that went into this trilogy is astounding, and what’s even more unbelievable to me is that Bark pulled it off.

Spectacular.

I don’t know who specifically to recommend this to, but I’m recommending it. If you’d like to check out the books or the author, I’ve popped some links below for you:

DRAW YOU IN: PART ONE – COLLECTOR’S ITEM

DRAW YOU IN: PART TWO – SECRET ORIGINS

DRAW YOU IN: PART THREE – BEHIND THE MASK

JASPER BARK

Bleeeeat!