Books of Lore

By David Napoliello

These are all b&w, the first story, Apprentice telling of Brindel, who was rushing through a positive-vibing marketplace in Kaynin with a bundle in his arms. He had a rep for being a magic wielding weirdo, walking through shoppers and muttering to himself of once he was trained enough, he'd get what he wanted without anyone being able to hinder him. He's shouted at by a hoochie-bikini-clad Debbie Mazar-face, Magda, she up in his face due to some rank stank coming from her basement where she'd been letting him live, and this could upset her customers, then threatening to hurt him good, but he assuring he'd fix it, then calling her an "old slut" when she was out of range, and how dumb people were, he too busy to handle it right then, he currently excited by his bundle-cinch bag, and telling Pooky the cat how it contained candle wax from an important sorcerer, this getting him everything he could ever want. He starts to angrily q it until realizing he must sacrifice someone he loved, Pooky's blood going to the flame, Brindel sobbing, but a skeleton, bearded and scary comes poofing in, and poo-poos the quality of blood (the dick), but it sufficing for present.

Brindel then states his wish up Ishma's q'ing him, then detailing to the barbie doll looking Ken, Brindel of there being a bigger requirement he must fulfill, it being a female, which is used to keep Ishma tethered to erf, and as Brindel considers how he'd get what was necessary, Magda yells at him through the door about the smoke, Ishma asking for her to be the female sacrifice. Brindel so intent, he goes for it when she enters, stabbing her, and feeling Ishma's power surge as he came into erf, he then requesting for Ishma to hold up their bargain, the creature denying he knew the name as his own, and declaring he'd get revenge from his enemies, and Brindel is lucky he's letting him continue breathing. Brindel threatens to keep him there, and the creature sets the place on fire, the people of Kaynin knowing not to stick their noses into this sort of evening danger, sensing the build-up of bad tidings. Next day though, it doesn't matter, since it seems Brindel has become like the creature, this city always having to pay some sacrifice, which dealt them a shit hand.

Dreamscape is where a woman is getting married, and like most people, got caught up in the finer things in life, but she also having forgotten about her "physical transcendence", which some people achieve as quickly as a footstep, whilst others take centuries, the lady standing next to a corpse-looking man (b&w helps this notion). Back in the bedroom as the lady gets comfy, old man hubby looks like he's planning on touching her hair (E.T.-style), brushing her face later, with his finger, the "darkness" always wanting to obliterate what it can't be. The lady then begins undressing as the old man sits and smiles, then it seems either the old man is a vamp or a camp pops up, heaven and hell being described as not being able to exist without its counterpart, which is when the lady changes into a vamp and apparently not digging it, pulls the curtain back, the old man coming into the room to find her ashes and ring, and returning it to a keyring with at least 20 more.

Closure (is the 1 I'm most intrigued due to the bull-looking Hellboy guy, and this 1 being with blessedly the least amount of dialogue) begins with Bull-guy running across a field with a huge, towering skull. He climbs down cliffs and mtn terrain, eventually getting to ruins with large statues of creatures unknown, reaching a forest, laying down next to a tree in the evening, holding his axe as he looks at the moon. Skeleton hands then come out of the ground above his hand, getting temporarily trapped by them, since they were still attached to bodies of soldiers, and he fighting them off, a few giving him some trubbs, since they had swords and armor, too. Bull-guy knew when to retreat, and biffs off, but the skeletons follow him to a temple, he again fighting them off, and lighting a flint in a darkened room showing a body in chains against the wall, and words in maybe blood or shits on the wall behind him.

Bull-guy burns the soldier's cape, but it looks like he has a dragon-like hat on his head, pretty small, the next few panels confusing to me in the way of context, the bull-guy seeing scratch marks, then the soldier outside. A closeup shot of hands groping, through a door most likely, the 2 skeletons then storming in as he's about to touch the body's circle in the man's dragon hat, which looks like a huge, round eye, then a shot of bull-guy looking like he's stretching painfully, because he's revving up to swing his axe, throwing it angrily toward the reader. A shot of the skeleton soldiers fades as the body hangs there still, and bull-guy impassively watching. Then, he's outside placing the last palm-filling rock on his grave, the dragon on a spike, in lieu of a tombstone, and bull-guy's only word being, RIP, then walking off.

Dramatic and confusing on all 3 for me, the first 2 so heavy with dialogue and small print, as well as poetic, and mysterious format of storyline, PLUS being b&w left me not even remembering most of it, and the last was pleasantly drawn, for the most part, but could've used some 'splainin' for me, obv. T'was alright, though.