Gahan Wilson is known mostly for his drawing style and macabre sense of humor, but he also loves to explore the written word. The Cleft and Other Odd Tales is a fine example of what happens when Wilson lets his humor wander past the visual and deeper into the cerebral. He is no stranger to writing, so those who love his cartooning should have no reason to be disappointed with this collection.

From gahanwilson.com: Sometimes amusing, sometimes frightening, Wilson's short fiction is as eclectic as his cartooning. These twenty four tales are entertaining and unnerving. Many stories have a twist in the tail that will leave readers gasping in wonder and delight. The Cleft and Other Odd Tales contains more than two dozen original Gahan Wilson illustrations.

Gahan Wilson from Wikipedia Wilson was born in Evanston, Illinois in 1930. His cartoons and prose-fiction work has appeared regularly in Playboy, Collier's Weekly, The New Yorker and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Wilson's cartoons and illustrations are drawn in a playfully grotesque style and have a dark humor that is often compared to the work of The New Yorker cartoonist and Addams Family creator Charles Addams. But while both men sometimes feature vampires, graveyards and other traditional horror elements in their work, Addams' cartoons tended to be more gothic, reserved and old-fashioned, while Wilson's work is more contemporary, gross and confrontational, featuring atomic mutants, subway monsters and serial killers. It could be argued that Addams' work was probably meant to be funny without a lot of satirical intent, while Wilson often has a very specific point to make.


For more Gahan Wilson, check out Gravediggers’ Party [link to book page]

Price:  $15.00