The dynamic duo of drinks and delicious comedic delicacies get served delightfully with decadence diligently dismantled and distributed to deter degenerate destructive societal attitudes without dismissive balderdash.
The latest issue of Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Death (previously reviewed HERE) from AHOY Comics consists of another five short stories about life, death, and all the drinking in between. Shall caw in anger or did it leave me Raven about it?
Putting the D in DC:
Brian Schirmer wrote the rather ingenious story. It starts as a joke when people vote for Death for President due to recent current events in a cautionary tale with strong social commentary.
Death is the narrator telling a darkly humourous eloquent soliloquy about how it happened. Unfortunately for President Death, the novelty quickly wore off so he’s seeking a way out. The strong social commentary adds substance to a simple premise. It’s a reflective inward look at what problems Americans deal with regularly with a cautionary tale of being careful what you wish for at its core.
The artwork is beautifully illustrated by Ryan Kelly. Character designs are simple yet incredibly detailed. Simply adding a few contrasting thin and thick black lines with hash marks make Death’s bones, scythe, and cloak look weathered effectively. It’s got a bleak muted colour palette to fit the attitude of the hopeless citizens involved.
Silence, A Fable
Written by Paul Constant, it’s Edgar Allen Poe in a time travel adventure escorted by a demon taking him to the future where they visit cyberspace. It shows how timeless his stories are with a touch of topical, meta-humour. Poe is surprised that people read his work to this day, for example. It touches on everything from politics to social media with witty social commentary.
The art style is fun as illustrated by John Lucas, people look like caricatures of themselves with exaggerated facial features and elongated limbs. The Demon has the elegant look of the Victorian Age with subtle, clever, funny artistic choices like wearing upside-down crosses as earrings. This is more colourful than the first story. Each page focuses on a different colour. Meanwhile, the scenes showing reality implement warmer brown tones. It’s the most visually striking of the bunch.
Hate to Meet You
Written by Austin Wilson, it’s about two high school sports coaches and their scathing loathing for each other resulting in a humorous drunken confrontation in a restaurant parking lot. Characters develop quickly to show how this happened, ultimately making it feel jumbled and rushed. I think it’s the weakest of the bunch.
25 Cents
Written and illustrated by Tim Hamilton, it’s about a little girl trying to win an unconventional prize from a Claw Machine in an arcade. It uses minimal dialogue delivering a single punch line with a hilarious outcome.
The art style is cartoonish like newspaper comic strips, utilizing a black and white colour scheme effectively to make it stand out from the others.
The Picture of Amontillado
Written by Carl Cafarelli, is about a painter seeking inspiration for his latest art project on his birthday. He receives a package from an old friend. It’s a bottle of Amontillado. He uses it for his next piece of art in a comical take on the artistic process while under the influence of the titular beverage succinctly characterizing an artist’s mindset with a sharp satirical wit.
Overall, I highly recommend Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Death to Poe fans and horror enthusiasts alike. Many references are made to the titular author’s body of work plus it has a comedic tone making for a fun read. And remember, I can’t stop Raven about this Poe-fect new issue!
