Boneyard

I had not heard of this graphic novel series until reading The Book Zombie's review last month. Her description of the story's combination of humor, horror and the fantastical hooked me immediately, and when I got my own copy, I was not disappointed.

The book opens as Michael Paris, a young man who's just inherited some property from his grandfather, is driving out to the country to finalize the details of its sale. It isn't until he arrives that he discovers that the property is actually a graveyard, and the townspeople are up in arms because they claim that it is an evil place and must be destroyed. The mayor is the most passionate advocate of its destruction and urges Paris to sign the papers immediately.

But Paris is not the sort of guy to jump to conclusions - luckily for the odd denizens of the graveyard. Paris discovers a whole host of creepy but evidently harmless creatures living there, residents who will be displaced should the graveyard be razed as the mayor insists. Paris maintains that each side should have its say, and then he'll decide what to do. The situation becomes a kind of political campaign, with each side overtly courting his favor. Poor Paris doesn't know if he should be more frightened of the (admittedly sexy) vampire, the werewolf, the swamp monster - or the matronly ladies, each bearing a freshly baked pie, he discovers in his hotel room when he comes out of the shower wearing only a towel.

It quickly becomes apparent that there is more to the situation than meets the eye, and that not everything is as it seems in the town of Raven's Hollow. I enjoyed the quirky characters and original premise of this first book in the series, which is a compilation of the first four issues of the comic. The dialogue is fabulous, and there is something on every page to make readers smile or laugh out loud. The images included in the Book Zombie's review were in color; my library's copy, alas, is entirely in black and white. Even so, the images are a perfect complement to the tone of the story. The book has a satisfying conclusion, yet leaves an impression that there is much more in store for our young hero and the boneyard characters. I'm very much looking forward to the next book in this very funny series.

Boneyard, Volume 1 by Richard Moore (NBM Publishing, 2002)