Weekend Coverage: Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse #10

It’s Friday, so you know what that means, Weekend Coverage! The cover for today is from one of my favorite creator/writer/artist, Ben Templesmith. Some of his most notable works are Image comic series Fell with writer Warren Ellis, IDW’s 30 Days of Night with writer Steve Niles, and his creator-owned series such as Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse and Welcome to Hoxford. The cover I chose is actually from Wormwood: Gentlemen Corpses third volume titled ‘Calamari Rising’. The stories of Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse revolve around the adventures of Wormwood, a transdimensional demigod worm, who frequently saves the world from supernatural threats. Wormwood can control a dead body by burrowing in his host’s head; his preferred vessel is a well-dressed man, hence the subtitle. It’s actually that little white thing in the right eyehole.

In this issue of the story, Wormwood has been captured by the Brotherhood of the Calamari and is being presented to Mother, to be slowly digested. Just by looking at the cover, you can tell this comic has a mixture of horror, humor, and weirdness to it. The cover itself pays homage to the Star Wars film “Empire Strikes Back” with Wormwood in the slave Leia position. Even the big squid creature in the back is reminiscent of Jabba The Hut, if he had more eyes, tentacles, and teeth. It’s kind of funny how this cover foreshadows what’s going to happen in the issue.

Ben Templesmith, has a unique style, by which you can be simultaneously creeped out and amazed. He utilizes the space here and creates some dark atmosphere in the scene. I love the way he makes each one of the squid creatures look different and curves the creatures tentacles to a point. The way he draws Wormwoods corpse looks morbid and scary. It’s highly detailed and really shows off the emaciated look. The teeth themselves also give off a creepy vibe. Toss in the little worm, and it fits with the scene. The smaller squids seem to create an illuminating glow and cut away the darkness, which I didn’t notice until I looked back at the cover. Also, the use of shadows and lighting looked great. The color scheme makes the scene look dirty with the mix of greens, browns, and reds. The squids have a distinct color combination, and the red eyes have a metallic look to them.

This is an interesting cover that caught my eye. I definitely have to go back and reread this series, as it’s very good. If you want to check out more of Ben Templesmith you can visit his site here http://www.templesmith.com/.