Ichabod Jones: Monster Hunter from Viper Comics is a quirky, bloody tale of a boy and the voice in his head. The complex, labyrinthine script written by Russell Nohelty works well with the dark, yet cartoony, art of Renzo Podestá and is sure to be a worthwhile read for any self-admitted comic book sniffer!
SPOILERS BELOW
Ichabod Jones is the tale of Ichabod, a young man with a voice in his head. He’s been dealing with the voice for some time now, and he’s developed a friendly, working relationship with the voice. Unfortunately, Ichabod’s work is “monster slaying” according to the voice, and there’s a chance that the dystopian environment where he cuts up critters into bits and plays the hero to a group of survivors is nothing more than a fevered, mental fantasy in Ichabod’s head; those slain beasties may actually be brutally murdered, innocent human victims!
The first thought I had when I read Ichabod Jones was that Podestá’s depiction of Ichabod, with his huge, emotion-filled, blue eyes, pensive brow, and messy brown mop of hair, immediately brought Frodo himself, Elijah Wood, to mind. Given Wood’s acting chops and penchant for playing comic book serial killers (like Kevin from Sin City), I think he’d be perfect for the character, and I couldn’t help but hear his voice as I followed Ichabod through his first four issues.
Ichabod Jones has a lot for a geek to love. There’s the hero/anti-hero who might be a violently insane serial killer. There’s the creepy, quirky, and almost Dexter-ish charm of the plot, and the ways it plays with perception in order to keep you guessing. There are intestines being used as ropes, giant sand worms, and more! Nohelty and Podestá’s combined talents give us a story that can easily bounce between being funny and light to intensely creepy and disturbing, and in some ways, thrives on it. Nohelty’s script keeps the reader guessing, while Podestá’s vivid colors and strong imagery never give the book a chance to appear boring or lackluster.
There are very few negative elements to Ichabod Jones, and the ones I felt were present were all issues that can’t be confirmed ’till we know more of Ichabod’s tale. While I really love the concept that some of what we’re seeing through Ichabod’s eyes is merely his disturbed hallucinations, it felt like this concept was not paced out well in the first four issues. The concept of Ichabod’s hallucinations pops up first in Issue #2 and forces you to consider that the first issue may have been entirely inside Ichabod’s head. Later in Issue #2, Ichabod enters the dystopian, and potentially delusional, setting again and stays there until the end of Issue #4. I’m not sure where Nohelty is taking us, but I like the concept of playing with the reader’s and Ichabod’s perception. I wished that it had popped up more in the other issues, so that it became a standard part of each issue to question what is real and what is not. This is also something that could be corrected in a trade paperback version, but issue to issue, it feels a little like a concept that is brought up in Issue #2 and then is forgotten.
If you’ve got a taste for unconventional and offbeat horror, then don’t miss Ichabod Jones: Monster Hunter! You can find out more about Ichabod Jones and the creative team at the official website or the Ichabod Jones Facebook page.
That’s all for now, comic book sniffers! Now, time to ponder whether these reviews are real or all just a figment of your delusional mind. Maybe I’m just the comic book reviewer you secretly wish to be. Maybe . . we’re the same person!!!
‘Till we reach stage #4 of Project Mayhem,
-Bryant the Comic Book Slayer
