I recently had the honor of writing a review of Strange Cases, the debut graphic novel of the popular illustrator Riotbones. Strange Cases is a historical drama about a law student who investigates supernatural mysteries in a colonial city that’s sinking under the weight of its own Gothic architecture. When I shared a link to the review on social media, I described the story as a cross between Ace Attorney and Bloodborne, but it’s much more than a simple comparison can convey. The writing is just as gorgeous as the art, and Riotbones addresses the uneasy legacy of colonial rule with a subtlety that sharpens the edge of the story’s brilliance.
I didn’t mention this in my review, but Strange Cases is also queer in a way appropriate to the late Victorian period. The queerness is largely subtextual, but this is an expression of one of the primary themes of the story; namely, that some things benefit from not being openly perceived, and many people remain outside of neatly defined categories by choice.
Here’s an excerpt from my review:
As a genre, the gothic lures the reader with the promise of hidden secrets coming to light. In the context of Western Europe, these secrets often lurked in the shadows cast by the industrial revolution. For a person who doesn’t belong to the imperial core, however, shadows have a different meaning. Perhaps, Riotbones suggests, not everything benefits from exposure to an “enlightened” Western gaze. For people who don’t fit neatly into rational, scientific categories, the shadows provide a more comfortable place to exist. Now that Jude finds himself in a position between “colonial” and “native,” he must learn how to navigate the liminal spaces that exist beyond the boundaries of the law.
You can read the full review on Comics Beat here:
https://www.comicsbeat.com/graphic-novel-review-strange-cases/
