By HERMANN (Catalan Communications; 1990)
A rare English translation of the comics of Belgium’s renowned Hermann, a.k.a. Hermann Huppen, a Heavy Metal regular who’s best known for the post-apocalyptic sci-fi saga JEREMIAH. With ABOMINATIONS (originally titled ABOMINABLE) Hermann offers four standalone horror tales that span the early 1970s to 1988. Hermann isn’t known for horror, but demonstrates a real flair for it here, in a strong volume that’s marred only by the fact that, at a scant 48 pages, it’s too short. Later non-English editions contain extra content, but (as of 2020) this 1990 publication is the sole English language version of ABOMINATIONS.
The first and best story is “The Cage,” a varied and complex early 1980s drafted account that shows Hermann in full command of his powers. The setting is a dystopic hellhole dominated by a fortress and cage-like watchtower that everyone in the vicinity is obliged to sit inside at some point. The area is under siege by a band of heavily armed scumbags, but of course the true danger, as we’ll see, originates from within. The use of close-ups of faces and objects, set at various points amid full page wide shots, is masterfully pulled off, and quite appropriate in a tale that pivots on dissociation and entrapment.
“Flight” was created in Hermann’s early days. It’s a stunningly bleak, and largely wordless, depiction of pursuit, capture and dismemberment in an apparently prehistoric milieu, topped with a perverse twist. The tale isn’t particularly varied or complex, but as the no-frills gut punch that appears to have been Hermann’s intent it more than succeeds.
“Vengeance” takes place in a superbly visualized Victorian gothic setting, complete with mist, carriages, eerie monasteries and much candlelit illumination. The story, alas, isn’t too inspiring, being a clichéd depiction of a gruesome curse placed on a cranky old man. Gorgeous artwork, though!
The final story is “Massacre,” which was ironically the first of these tales to be written. It’s a Manson Family inspired narrative about a young man who becomes determined to track down a thrill kill cult, leading to an unfettered slaughter-fest. The tale is notable for its unflinching depictions of flayed corpses, impalements, faces blown apart by bullets, etc., and for its traditional sequential layout, demonstrating that it was drafted quite early in Hermann’s career. His later work, as is evident in the preceding chapters, was far more innovative in its storytelling, and varied in its conceptions.