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Summary: "This stuff just comes to you, huh?" - quoting Roman's Dad
Review: Roman Dirge's take on the childhood aspects are wonderful, especially when you filter into that account the entirety of his body of work. From Lenore, Monsters in My Tummy, and The Cat with a Really Big Head, and One Other Story that Isn't that Good, there is a scope that hits on what many of the imaginative creators in the past had sculpted while adding in his own thoughts and perspectives. Some range in the realms of the silly, some are smothered in darker aspects, and some are just plain twisted. In a sense that pleases this reader, it makes them all worthwhile reading.Within Something at the Window is Scratching, forwarded by Jhonen Vasquez, we find twenty pieces of poetry forming "Children's tales fro disturbed children," as the front of the book calls them. Some are just that, too, dealing with everything from the silliest of notions in "Devil bunny" to more darkened aspects of demise in "the coo coo lady." While the continuity isn't always there and some of the pieces didn't interest me, the ones that did with their slightly disturbed Shel Silversteinesque rhyming methodology made me laugh and made the buy worthwhile. Also included in the book is a little game that Dirge wants you to play called find the piggies, where Dirge has drawn, you guessed it, little piggies into the backgrounds of some of his illustrations. Why would he do this? As he say, "I don't know." Still, it was fun for some reason that I cannot put my finger on. If you've yet to check out Roman's work, perhaps you should start with Lenore and then work you way in. You can begin here if you wish because it is good stuff, but there are a few pieces that might make a lasting impression in one of Lenore's two Trade Paperbacks. Still, for even the casual fan of childhood madness, this is a nice piece to take home to your mother.
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Summary: Piggies! I meant piggies....
Review: That's the entertaining part of this book, searching for the hidden piggies. Not bunnies, as I mistakenly mentioned earlier. Carry on.
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Summary: Peter the Pirate Squid
Review: The book is worth every nickle simply because it is delightfully absurd!
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Summary: Not Lenore
Review: This book is filled with cute little horror-edged original poems and illustrations by the creator of the Lenore comic book. To give you an idea, the poems are along the line of the old song about the Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly most people got to sing in Kindergarten. I definitely had fun reading it, but unlike Lenore there were no laugh-out-loud moments. I would have prefered it if the poems were more profusely illustrated in comic-book style instead of just containing one or two accompanying drawings encompassing the whole narrative of each poem. For example, imagine only getting a picture of the Old Woman swallowing the fly, but not the pay-off of her exploding after swallowing a horse. Dirge's ability to draw illustrations that are equally gross, cute and funny is not used to full effect here. Dirge is far more funny when he is writing his character Lenore instead of trying to produce third-rate Edward Gorey. Buy Lenore instead or stick to artists like Gorey.
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Summary: Trying too hard to be funny
Review: This book is my first experience with Roman Dirge, and it will probably be my last. I collect children's books, mainly off-beat ones, so this book caught my attention. But after reading through it, the only feeling I get from it is something similar to a stand-up comdedian trying his hardest to make people laugh. Do you know what I mean? For some people it just comes naturally to be funny or creepy, but Mr. Dirge is simply trying too hard. The illustrations are ok...just ok. But honestly, I wish I could trade this book in for something by Gris Grimly. The highlight of this book is searching for the hidden bunnies.
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Summary: Trying too hard to be funny
Review: This book is my first experience with Roman Dirge, and it will probably be my last. I collect children's books, mainly off-beat ones, so this book caught my attention. But after reading through it, the only feeling I get from it is something similar to a stand-up comdedian trying his hardest to make people laugh. Do you know what I mean? For some people it just comes naturally to be funny or creepy, but Mr. Dirge is simply trying too hard. The illustrations are ok...just ok. But honestly, I wish I could trade this book in for something by Gris Grimly. The highlight of this book is searching for the hidden bunnies.
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Summary: Add to cart now!
Review: This is an amazing book. First, who can say anything bad about a book with a forward from Jhonen Vasquez? This is light reading and perfect before-bed reading. "The Bunny Came Back" is very "Pet Semetary"-ish, and all the other poems are wonderful as well. I can't even begin to pick a favorite. This is my first purchase by this author, but not my last. Bravo, Roman!
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Summary: Add to cart now!
Review: This is an amazing book. First, who can say anything bad about a book with a forward from Jhonen Vasquez? This is light reading and perfect before-bed reading. "The Bunny Came Back" is very "Pet Semetary"-ish, and all the other poems are wonderful as well. I can't even begin to pick a favorite. This is my first purchase by this author, but not my last. Bravo, Roman!
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Summary: VERY touched by this book
Review: Well, it sounds really dumb, but I love this book more than anything else. There's one picture in the book that is just so adorable, and I loved the one story so much that I got it tattooed on me. Yes, you read that right. The little sandman's son is tattooed about 6 inches big on my back right shoulder blade. Now, if that isn't explaining how good something is, I don't know what could.
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Summary: Disturbed childrens stories
Review: Well...my boyfriend bought me this book a while back, Its full of short,sinister,and rather amusing "nursery rhymes".Slightly amusing, something I would read to my kids if I ever have any...and there are hidden pics of little pigs on almost every page...so its like a 2 in 1 deal....you get to read Roman Dirge's work and look at his illustrations while searching for piggies.....of course he doesn't tell you there are piggies until the end.....
I just told you now.
Though I am a bigger fan of Jhonen, I still give this book 3 stars for its short stories,"cute" rhymes, sinister art, and hidden piggies.Hey, 3 stars is a half more than a half of 5 stars......or something
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