Witch Doctor

Demonic possession isn’t just a spiritual matter, it’s a medical condition—and Dr. Vincent Morrow is an expert at curing patients of parasitic demons. A dizzyingly imaginative romp, this graphic novel reads a bit like a mashup of Doctor Who with Lovecraft, as Morrow trains his new assistant, paramedic Eric Gast, on such cases as a boy infected with multiple demons—Gerasene syndrome—and a rash of babies who seem to be possessed but are only the offspring of a demonic mother. While much of the fun comes from the pseudoscientific jargon that Morrow slings around, the real draw is Ketner’s art, which bursts with revolting-looking monsters, married with an ornate style torn from ’70s horror comics. As the story evolves we learn more about a bigger picture—the Archaeons are returning someday to end the world—and Dr. Morrow’s other assistant, a taciturn young woman named Penny Dreadful, who is a patient and a “cryptophage,” or monster eater. Ketner’s art does more than justice to all of this with energy and elegance. While the basic story line refers to similar comics and movies, Siefert and Ketner make it all their own with the exuberant execution. (Dec.)