If you were asked to provide two adjectives to describe the cover of this comic, they would have to be pretty and deadly. It lures you into a false sense of attraction before it guts you with a knife; a siren if you will. The colours are lovely and warming with a hint of coolness at the top of the page. The water is so layered and textured by wonderful colouring, that you fail to notice the ominous subtleties. The first thing you observe is that the water is pink, not a beautiful dusk lighting effect but the effect of blood letting. Your eyes then gaze upon the blood splattered vegetation at the lower end of the page, before coming to our central feature. The reflection is an ominous effect because it does not offer clarity for the lead figure. It is difficult to tell if this person is of righteous intent but with the posture, hidden blade and blood splattered hands caressing the water, it certainly leans towards the malicious side. There is a certain aloof facial expression coupled with a resting of her head on one hand, giving the impression of apathy and boredom amongst violence. Its an interesting combination and generates intrigue to the motivation of the character. The final aspect of the cover which implies a degree of terror is the protuberance of a pair of bloodied hands, centrally in the body of water. If you actually unfold the cover, you will notice it is a double page spread, with further floating limbs and the degrading skeleton of, what appears to be, a rabbit. If the front page does not send a shiver down your spine, the back page certainly will do. It is worth making a final note of the lettering of the book title. It is a curved and slender font highlighting the pretty, but painted pink and splattered back emphasising the deadly. What a phenomenal piece of art and if I hadn’t already been attracted to the creative team, I would have been gripped by the beauty of the cover.
House Of Flying Scalpels 