Dame Darcy's Meatcake Compilation by Dame Darcy
Fantagraphics: 2003
My personal favourite at Cherry Bomb Comics, and the latest comic that I have fallen deeply in love with is Dame Darcy's Meatcake Compilation.
Meatcake has a fabulous array of freak-show characters and a delightful Edward Gorey-esque pseudo-Victorian-woodcut drawing style. If you happen to be in a gloomy mood, this book will make you feel infinitely better, albeit in a macabre sort of way. It is often creepy and sometimes a bit sick, “...everyone has endless reasons to be dripping or drinking delicious black blood...” but it is also deeply satisfying and very funny. Bear witness to the antics and fetishes of blonde Richard Dirt and her posse: siamese twins Hindrance and Perfidia; Strega Pez who was born through the neck of her witch mother; Wax Wolf the zombie made from real wolf hair and wax; and Effluvia the impulsive mermaid with a deviantly cruel streak.
In her introduction Darcy alludes to where the title came from – she imagines Richard Dirt and friends picnicking on “the most decadent food of all, a combination of Meat and Cake.” This may sound a bit wrong to the average vegan but don't be put off – a bit of decadence just adds to the thick, sexy, gothic charm.
The compilation is made up of a selection of stories, rhymes and vignettes which originate from issues 1-7 of the comic Meatcake . The stories tend to have a very raw narrative structure with wholly unexpected plot twists, and often end in tragedy or wicked retribution. There are also some extremely happy and very cute moments, and the book includes the definitive selection of paper dolls in the back, which is always a bonus.
TG 25/8/04