Cochlea & Eustachia

Following up his debut graphic novel, The Squirrel Machine, Rickheit has created a slimmer book originally published as a webcomic. Cochlea and Eustachia are two young women who look exactly alike, living in the walls of the home of a mole-like creature and wearing alarmingly short dresses. The two girls explore the home, investigating the objects and the characters they find, making mischief wherever they can. Eventually they run into a third, equally identical girl. All three fall into a world of trouble where they are hideously wounded and have to face a huge, even more sinister beast. The world of the graphic novel is vividly rendered, filled with strange, fleshy creatures, intricate inventions and devices, and hostile animal-like people (or people-like animals). Rickheit%E2%80%99s signature characteristic is creepiness, and in this he succeeds%E2%80%94every line of his invented world suggests decay and sexuality. This adds up to continuous horrific violence visited upon the three young girls, accompanied by their persistent sexual objectification. Even when fully mutilated they appear ready and willing for anything. It%E2%80%99s deeply disturbing, and that%E2%80%99s just what was intended. (Dec.)