MouthLondon - London Student & Youth Magazine
Graphic Novel Review: Thomas Wogan is Dead
Pin ItAnimals, Death and Delia Smith
Graphic novels have become the new chic.
There was a time when they were anthologies of comics, which only the hardcore fans would buy on top of the comic collection they already possessed. Now a broody billionaire who dons a mask and fights crime, household pets in mecha-suits or even expanded timelines of a classic struggle fought in a galaxy far, far, away seem to dictate people’s lives.
Movie buffs angrily defend the source material of comic book adaptations and the DVD collection has been replaced by a well laid out, polythene covered library of classics such as Watchmen, The Killing Joke, From Hell, Transmetropolitan and Batman: Year One.
The graphic novel seems to have grabbed modern culture by the balls.
…waiting with him is a cuckoo, a Sea Urchin, a Natterjack Toad, a Bat, a Fish and an Egg.
Thomas Wogan is Dead is one of those graphic novels that appears out of nowhere and pleasantly surprises in every way. The story focuses around Thomas Wogan: a sad individual who enjoys watching beach volleyball (and strongly believes it should become an Olympic sport) and updating Delia Smith’s Wikipedia page.
His obsessions and beliefs of what he enjoys are comically shown throughout in step-by-step examples that add to the creativeness and quirkiness of the book.
If you want to read something that will make you laugh (if you have a dark sense of humour)…
Within the first couple of pages we discover that Thomas appears to have woken up in a waiting room, naked and holding a ticket. He isn’t alone as also waiting with him is a cuckoo, a Sea Urchin, a Natterjack Toad, a Bat, a Fish and an Egg. The storyline focuses on how each of the interesting characters has come to be in that location.
The animation is brutal, but beautiful and the author’s use of profanity adds humour alongside the fantastical stories surrounding the characters. If you want to read something that will make you laugh (if you have a dark sense of humour) and you want something rather unique in the swell of graphic novels of late, then I recommend Thomas Wogan is Dead.
Get it from Tabella Publishing.
5 stars
About the author
I'm the Editor of MouthLondon, with a specific control over our Online features and implementation. As a Film graduate with a particular interest in Scriptwriting, Production and Cinema, I enjoy talking about and making short films with a production crew of non professional enthusiasts.
Further articles by David Holloway | Editor →
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