Here’s how you know MELVIN MONSTER, VOLUME 2: THE JOHN STANLEY LIBRARY isn’t your ordinary kids’ comic: When lil’ Melvin’s mother wrongly assumes he’s just been eaten by their pet alligator, her reaction is simply, “Poor Melvin … guess his luck finally ran out.”
You’re in luck if that macabre statement syncs with your sensibilities, because Stanley’s mid-1960s Dell comic — three issues are included here — is a delight that’s both subversive and silly. It’s a scaled-down ADDAMS FAMILY, and one of the rare kids’ comics that can be appreciated more the older you get.
The gist of the series is that Melvin is a green-skinned grade-schooler who lives in a spooky house with his Frankensteinian father and mummy mother. Despite his unusual looks and way of life, he acts like a human instead of a monster, much to the dismay of his folks. His efforts, however, are hampered by Miss McGargoyle, the hag who runs the empty school in Monsterville, and refuses to enroll him.
Involved in Melvin’s misadventures — rife with that playful brand of Stanley slapstick — are Little Horror, a mischievous brat of a girl witch; Mr. Rosenose, a ogre of a boarder who keeps trying to eat Melvin; the Gnog, a giant sea creature that lives in his backyard pool; Crazy Klutch, a supposedly mythical Bigfoot-esque beast in the woods; Damon the Demon, Melvin’s guardian demon.
A massive flood, a fright-filled picnic and an out-of-control broom all come into play, but the amiable antics hit their heights when animals escape from the zoo. In one panel, a officer on the phone not realizing a gorilla is behind him says, “Hold the wire a second, cap — some wise guy just snatched my hat.” In the next panel, the cop is back on the phone, his eye blackened, his skin scratched and his clothes torn, and he says, “Okay, cap — got my hat back.” The visual juxtaposition obviously sells the joke, but the officer’s laissez-faire attitude hammers it flush to the wall. Your mind fills in the ruckus that happened between the two.
Once again sporting exquisite covers and endpapers designed by Seth, this hardcover is another worthy addition to Drawn & Quarterly’s ongoing line of Stanley collections. Strangely, nowhere on the cover or spine does it say VOLUME 2, which may cause readers who own VOLUME 1 to bypass this one, thinking they already own it. That would be a crime. —Rod Lott
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS AUTHOR:
• MELVIN MONSTER, VOLUME 1: THE JOHN STANLEY LIBRARY by John Stanley
• NANCY, VOLUME 1: THE JOHN STANLEY LIBRARY by John Stanley
• THIRTEEN GOING ON EIGHTEEN, VOLUME 1: THE JOHN STANLEY LIBRARY by John Stanley
Related posts:
- Melvin Monster, Volume 1: The John Stanley Library
- Nancy, Volume 1: The John Stanley Library
- Thirteen Going on Eighteen, Volume 1: The John Stanley Library
- Horror Library: Volume 3
- Cat Eyed Boy: Volume Two
