While Corben had a sense of humor in the first issue–the lead, Allan, is always bumping into things–he really plays it up this issue. There are a bunch of fight scenes and about a third of each one is for comedy, maybe because Corben knows his goofy English guys look funny engaging in fisticuffs.

The big reveal isn’t much of a surprise–even though I haven’t read the Poe story, lots of other people have through the years, including media creators–but Corben plays it out well. The one problem with the comic, which is clear from the first page, is the narration.

It’s not poorly written or anything (Corben has an amusing narrator, Mag the Hag), it’s just getting in the way of the artwork. For the non-action scenes, it’s okay, but the grand finale is beautiful and the text boxes obscure the art.

Marvelous stuff.

CREDITS

Writer, artist and colorist, Richard Corben; letterer, Nate Piekos; editors, Daniel Chabon, Shantel LaRocque and Scott Allie; publisher, Dark Horse Comics.

With the exception of the decaying corpses, Richard Corben actually goes for bright and well-lighted for Fall of the House of Usher.

I’m unfamiliar with Poe’s source story, but Corben has a protagonist called to visit an old university friend. They’re both artists and the friend–the titular Usher–has taken to doing incredibly like life portraits of his sister.

Corben’s art is just fantastic; he’s constantly surpassing himself this issue. He’ll have one unbelievably great page and then do another even better one.

The tone is particularly interesting too. He goes for uncanny, with only the occasional flash of something visually disturbing. There’s something going on behind the scenes–something the protagonist doesn’t know–and the reader’s acknowledgement of its presence is what makes the comic so uncomfortable.

The cliffhanger seems a little forced, but it’s otherwise excellent work. If only Corben could do twice as many pages.

CREDITS

Writer, artist and colorist, Richard Corben; letterer, Nate Piekos; editors, Daniel Chabon, Shantel LaRocque and Scott Allie; publisher, Dark Horse Comics.