(Untitled) by Bob Turner

(Untitled) by Bob Turner.

An unconventional preview for an unconventional comic.

I’ve been following the artistic antics of Bob for a few years now and been lucky enough to chat to him at conventions and the like. He creates comics that are often wordless and whilst not what could be described as totally abstract they do deal with the strange and wonderful and often creepy worlds of his imagination.

This slice of gold dropped into my emails over the weekend. I put aside what I was reading to have a look. Bob described it to me in a brief message as ‘The creation myth that comes from the DTHRTL and FLD Universe’. This references his previous two releases that I had really enjoyed.

So, remembering that this is still a preview and not a post release review, how am I going to go about describing this comic?

Yes. It does in deed deal with a mythical creature that seems by interpretation to be from back in the mists of time. The time before the eye ball geezer and the figure of the Grim Reaper that pursue him in the marvellous DTHRTL. This is an all together different prospect of a story. It deals with what to my eye looks like a pre history demon, a head of a creature that looks like some archaeologist would find it’s design scratched into a gold coin or on the handle of a warriors axe. The archaeologist would hold it aloft to show his colleagues and suddenly be cursed.

But this head is conscious and weirdly active. It constructs itself and deconstructs itself as you turn the pages. It creates magic and beauty and violence through a number of transformative visual tricks. In a way I feel it exists and dances and has a sinister and at the same time quirkily funny being. I find it hypnotic to watch as I push my illuminated tablet screen back and forth.

It is also strangely haunting....

Bob has changed up his style slightly for this new book. He makes use of space and texture more than I have seen from him before. He uses colour as a narrative guide at moments and moves about on a white stark page to great effect.

Bob exists in this comics world in a space all on his own. A strange and often psychedelic space and one that I wholeheartedly recommend.

Find out more about this over at www.castlerockcomic.bigcartel.com or follow him on Twitter @castlerockcomic

Many thanks for reading.