By d. emerson eddy — I think it's safe to say that DC Comics dropped the ball on their Vertigo imprint. This is in no means an indication of the quality of the comics being published, but rather a muddied and inconsistent approach to the imprint from higher management. There was a divide between publishing mature, creator-owned titles and comics that showed Batman's dick. The latter kind of won out. The former started up some new publishing ventures and imprints at other publishers to carry on the legacy, like Berger Books, Ahoy, AfterShock, Vault, AWA Studios, and Black Crown. It's this latter one that was easily one of my favorites, curated by longtime Vertigo stalwart and former Executive Editor, Shelly Bond, that I'm intent on spotlighting for the rest of this month.

Sadly, the imprint didn't last very long, only about two years. In those two years, however, they manage to faithfully carry on the Vertigo legacy with some captivating and intriguing stories that at minimum were really damn good and at best were transcendental experiences. There was not a bad book in the line, which makes choosing favorites a mite difficult. Rising to the top of my list, though, is Black Crown's first release, Kid Lobotomy – Volume 1: A Lad Insane by Peter Milligan, Tess Fowler, Lee Loughridge, Dee Cunniffe, and Aditya Bidikar.

Kid Lobotomy takes a trip through many a Vertigo book's themes, blending the supernatural, weird science, magic, horror, family drama, and bad romance into an absurdist haunted house setting. It features the titular Kid as he tries to run his family's hotel, The Suites, beset by his sister trying to take over, the love of a shape-shifting chambermaid and a sarcastic receptionist, and the loss of memories of the horror that his father enacted on him. All wrapped up in some literary allusions from King Lear to Metamorphosis. And some meta rumblings of Milligan as the writer/torturer of Kid's reality.

It's beautifully brought to life through the art of Tess Fowler and Lee Loughridge. Fowler uses a style here that's a bit of a mix of Jill Thompson and Richard Case, evoking some of that visual verve of many of the greatest Vertigo artists. The character and creature designs are phenomenal, blending some realism when it comes to character likenesses (drawing from a familiar cast to anyone who's watched Geek & Sundry and Critical Role among others) with outright weirdness and horror when it comes to the insects and ghosts. Loughridge's colors match some of the whimsy and absurdity of the characters and situations, making you wonder a bit as if the entire story is some kind of fever dream.

Aditya Bidikar's letters are solid, changing a bit for differing narrators, and giving us a really nice literary throughline for Kid's journals. It's interesting to see the different intertwining narratives through art and text, again helping that overall feel that many things might not be quite what they seem.

Overall, Kid Lobotomy – Volume 1: A Lad Insane from Milligan, Fowler, Loughridge, Cunniffe, and Bidikar was an incredible first shot from the fledgling imprint. On its own, the story is a wonderful delve into literature and madness, plumbing the depths of the family skeletons that we try to hide in our closets. It may be a long shot, but I'd still like to see more of this one day, some how.

Kid Lobotomy Volume 1

Kid Lobotomy – Volume 1: A Lad Insane
Writer: Peter Milligan
Artist: Tess Fowler
Colorist: Lee Loughridge with Dee Cunniffe (flats)
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: IDW - Black Crown
Release Date: May 23, 2018
Meet Kid, the youngest descendant of a rich, demented hotelier named Big Daddy. Kid is the newly appointed manager of "The Suites," but his good looks and swagger can't hide a rough childhood of strange therapies and brain operations that have awakened inner demons and psychodramas. This of course makes him eminently quali ed to perform lobotomies. A failed rockstar/ successful madman gets one last chance to prove his worth — and regain his sanity— by turning the hotel that was once his childhood sanctuary into a lucrative business despite a host of obstacles including seductive shapeshifters, dead literary heroes and Kid's own sister, who would love nothing more than to see him fail miserably.
Price: $4.49
Buy It In Trade: Kid Lobotomy Volume 1
Buy It Digitally: Kid Lobotomy Volume 1

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d. emerson eddy is a student and writer of things. He fell in love with comics during Moore, Bissette, & Totleben's run on Swamp Thing and it has been a torrid affair ever since. His madness typically manifests itself on Twitter @93418.