The Reaper of Love and Other Stories

The Reaper of Love
The Reaper of Love

By Berni Wrightson (Fantagraphics Books)
ISBN: 0-930193-68-7

This review is continued from Back for More (ISBN: 0-93158-22-30-X) and The Mutants (ISBN: 0-937848-00-X) both of which I recently covered, and serves to show that you should always check your facts and the most unassailable area of your bookshelves before sounding off.

In 1988 Fantagraphics Books gathered the superb contents of those two rare tomes into one splendid compendium (although a few portfolio drawings seem absent to my tired eyes) and even included a rather pedestrian movie-parody from a contemporary humour magazine to boot.

Although Beneath the Dignity of the Apes (scripted by Marv Wolfman) is less than stellar, the merits of Mother Toad, The Task, Limstrel, The Game That Plays You, A Case of Conscience, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (co-illustrated by Jeff Jones and Alan Weiss), Stake Out, The Reaper of Love, Out on a Limb, Conjure Woman, Maudlin Love Comix, Nosferatu, Ghastly Horror Comix, the Last Hunters, Feed It!, Wrightson’s Revolting Rhymes, Breathless, King of the Mountain, Man, Ain’t she Sweet? and Uncle Bill’s Barrel, not to mention the aforementioned selection of drawings, taken from Web of Horror and other sources are exceptional efforts from a major talent, having lost little of their punch or ghastly appeal.

Also I know that both eBay and Amazon have copies for sale if you’re tempted…

A new edition wouldn’t be a waste of time either…

Art © 1988 Berni Wrightson. All stories © 1988 Berni Wrightson except The Game That Plays You © Dick Kenson, Mother Toad © Terry Bisson, Breathless © Marv Wolfman, Feed it © Virgil North and Nosferatu © David Izzo. All Rights Reserved.