World Within the World: Collected Minicomix & Short Works 2010-2022

This insidiously gorgeous collection showcases the wicked intelligence and dark sensibilities of indie comics mainstay Gfrörer (Vision), whose stories range from witty to horrific, sacred to profane. Many pieces offer glimpses of mundane lives in historical or mythic settings, where things go sharply awry: a woman working behind the scenes in the Roman Coliseum develops a bond with a Christian doomed for sacrifice, prehistoric people comparing their cave paintings (“Don’t say anything about it! It’s so bad compared to yours!”) get wedged into a tight spot, a werewolf and her girlfriend go on the lam. Others illuminate arcane bits of lore, like alchemy or the Voynich manuscript. Longer arcs follow Jadwiga, a hard-headed medieval witch, in her gruesome work. Gfrörer ably demonstrates her horror chops but proves equally adept at offbeat pieces like a humorous guide to tea leaf readings (heavy dregs predict “caffeine addiction”; a small ax shape is “grad school”) and a pair of pornographic retellings of Edgar Allan Poe stories. The meticulous, densely textured linework creates depth and shadow, and the faintly old-fashioned elegance of her art belies the provocative content. She fills panels with small historical details—and ample eroticism. Lovers of the macabre will savor this cabinet of curiosities. (Nov.)