Violenzia and Other Deadly Amusements

Four creepy stories come together to show off the amazing artistry of veteran horror cartoonist artist Sala (In a Glass Grotesquely). The title character opens and closes the book, a young woman who has the gun skills of an 1980s movie protagonist and a grudge with criminal cults. Her mysterious mission plays out in full, vibrant color that bursts from the page, while Sala’s linework serves up a variety of human monsters, including a Gollum-like banker and inbred drug-dealers. “Malevolent Reveries” finds Sala playfully punning, à la Gorey, usually with a femme fatale facing off against a menacing horror. “Forgotten” is a Lovecraftian tale, moodily colored in duotone, with a narrator reacting in horror to creatures that evoke familiar monsters. The entire book is a delightful love letter to B movie horror. (Dec.)