I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: SISTERS OF MERCY-Floodland (1987).

Since I’m reviewing a goth book, why not talk about a goth record?  Back in the day, I really liked Floodland (and still think it’s pretty cool).  The album is over the top, but it’s quite apparent that I’m really drawn to theatrical music.

It’s opens with a wonderfully driving medley of “Dominion/Mother Russia” (I can recall singing “Doh-Min-E-Un!” at the top of my lungs on many a car ride.)  The second epic track, “Lucretia, My Reflection” is another great over the top ode to darkness.  I get that melody in my head and it doesn’t leave for days.

“1959” is the odd track on the disc: a straightforeward piano ballad.  It shows Andrew Eldritch’s voice works well solo as well as when he’s emoting with the “band.”  This is followed by the great spooky chorus of voices that open “This Corrosion.”  This song, which starts out so theatrically, morphs into a keyboard based bouncy dance track.  The chorus keeps coming back, giving this a delightfully operatic quality.  (I was going to make a comment in the first paragraph about liking theatrical artists like Meat Loaf, and when I looked this disc up I learned that this track was produced by Jim Steinman, Meat Loaf’s major producer guy.  Huh).

The end of the disc can’t reach the extreme heights of the earlier portion (although the guitar lines of “Flood” are quite nice).  But after the trio of  “Dominion,” “Lucretia,” and “Corrosion,” you’ve easily satisfied anyone’s criteria for great goth disc.

[READ: May 9, 2010] Wet Moon Book 3

I can’t believe it took me this long to read the continuing saga of Cleo and friends.  When I finally had a window, I devoured almost the whole book in a sitting.

The biggest change in the book is in Cleo’s eyes.  They are suddenly HUGE!  They’re very cartoon-like (specifically like Bugs Bunny’s nephew Clyde).  It’s very disconcerting since everything else is so meticulously true to life.  Contextually, it can be argued that at the end of book two, when Myrtle kissed Cleo for the first time, her eyes popped out of her head, but that’s stretching it, I think.

Aside from that incongruity, the rest of the cast remains the same.  I was delighted to have a flashback to high school, where we could see a young (evil) Cleo, and a young Trilby (with hair!).

But most of the story follows the fracturing of the various relationships that have been built since high school.  Trilby is now with her (awfully straight-laced) boyfriend.  Cleo is dating Myrtle (nice to see her dad was cool with that).  And their older friends (Mara in particular) are feeling a bit left out–and is she really considering befriending Cleo’s evil roommate?

We’re also seeing a shockingly violent side of Myrtle (mostly in dreams, but there’s one sequence that appears to be real), which doesn’t really bode well for Cleo, frankly.  And what of Meiko?  What’s up with that fluffy kitty leading poor Meiko down the proverbial rabbit hole?  Since Campbell’s biography says he loves cats, one has to assume that darling Meiko will be fine.

I had almost forgotten the major plot point from books past: the “Cleo Eats It” fliers that were posted around town.  It is mentioned briefly, but there are no further development there.

The final cliffhanger (with Cleo’s sister…who already may have a secret! and the mysterious Vincent), certainly ends the book on a big question mark.  And I know I won’t wait long to read Book 4!

Campbell is always an amazing artist.  He doesn’t shy away from sex scenes, although I was a bit surprised at how non-explicit the blow job scene was (even if the end result was hilariously graphic).  I’ll just assume that he’s better at drawing women than men (nothing wrong with that).  And, it’s the diversity of his characters that is his major strength.  Again, just looking at the cast of characters (near the back page), you can see how unique and identifiable each character is.

Revealing my total un-gothness, I didn’t realize that Bella Morte was a real band.  I have to assume that their depiction in this book is accurate (how flattering to be made into a cartoon!).  The band must have gotten a kick out of their scene, when Cleo punched out a fan.  Even if I’m not hip to goth-world, I still really enjoy this comic, and can’t wait to see what happens next.  Ross Campbell has created a fully realized world and we are privileged to get to see it up close.