4 out of 5

Though narratively rough around the edges, the first four issues of Merrick, collected here in handy TPB, more than earn their worth-your-time stripes by dint of inspired application of the Mignola blocky, arty art style, and a bravely brutal – in that it very much avoids our sympathies – ‘origin’ story for writer Tom Ward’s fantastical reinterpretation of Mr. Joseph Merrick, aka the elphantman, as a superhero of sorts.

Bouncing back and forth in the years around Mr. Merrick first working under the study of – and then under the tasking of – scientist / physician Treves, Ward intelligently weaves in historical details (skillfully NOT bludgeoning the reader with winky you-know-this-guy, eh? nods) that ground his fictionalized accounting of the tuff-skinned, super-strong Elephantman rising to power whilst tied to the bidding of Treves masons’… thus setting us up for spooky battles to come.

Merrick, fueled by a need for revenge against an abusive former circus / freak troupe leader who took advantage of the elephantman and associates, and Treeves, secretly and selfishly plotting out experiments on his “friend” Joseph, are neither one easy characters to endear to us, and yet Ward balances his tale with a dry, observational tone and peppers it with pulp antics, keeping us flipping pages, slowly winding in an internal mythology, and keeping us danged interested.  Although the transitions between time periods aren’t effected all that smoothly, this fresh, non-hand holding approach to adventure hero fare is damned slick for a newer writerly voice.

And artist Luke Parker, clearly taking his shading and cutaway paneling from (as mentioned) Mignola, never delivers a page like someone simply aping a style: he makes the homage fully into his own thing, using the cutaways in a more transitional style than Mike, and taking advantage of background / set dressing details in a way that fleshes out the world of Merrick especially, and uniquely, well.

In other, less blabby words: A well written, well drawn debut that announces a fascinating take on a character we should be tired of, yet is reinvigorated by the work of those involved.