Writer, Artist, Colorist & Letterer: Roman Dirge
Publisher: Titan Comics
Price: $17.95 US/£12.99 UK/$21.50 CAN
Included In:
Boxed Set: 336 pages, FC, $59.99
ISBN: 9781787748507
Release Date: November 11, 2025
Traumatic events alter how we interact with others. Then
there are significant life changes that transform us as we grow older. Even
greater changes happen when a person dies. All the systems that rely on each
other abruptly cease to function. If you could revivify a friend or loved one,
how might they approach life differently? And would you want to be with them
anymore? Let’s leap into Lenore: Noogies HC and see!
Story
Once, Lenore enjoyed life and got along with her family. But
after she got sick and died, things changed. She may have awakened in the
morgue, but her family didn’t welcome her back. Eventually, the little girl
found new friends. But this took time, and Lenore never forgot how society
rejected her.
In Lenore: Noogies HC, the dead girl keeps her distance from
others. She also interacts with the world in a new way. She loses interest in
attending to the needs and concerns of the living. Without a parent to guide
her, Lenore struggles to bridge the gap between children and adults. Still, the
girl learns about the world and indulges in her creativity. Lenore embarks on
fantasy adventures. While she tries, at times, to act responsibly, Lenore
doesn't understand why mortal injuries are a big deal. But, as Roman Dirge
points out in "Dance of the Butterfly," people often share Lenore's
penchant for treating living creatures like inanimate objects.
Roman Dirge uses Lenore as our viewpoint character for
seeing the oddities in our world. Yet he does this in a fun, macabre manner, by
harnessing the power of the short story. By making us laugh in these
thirty-eight brief tales, Roman Dirge pokes fun at comforts Human society
clings to, such as fairy tales, classic poetry, commercials, and toys that
become popular fads. At times, he breaks the fourth wall. And occasionally, Roman
Dirge interjects himself into Lenore: Noogies HC. The author has made different
life choices from most of us. These stories help readers feel the sting of
being regarded as an oddity.
Art
Lenore adorns her hair with skull-shaped barrettes and wears
a black dress with long white lapels. The Humans she interacts with may have
distorted features, suggesting how they seem weird to her or invade her
personal space. Characters starring in their own stories may boast stranger
appearances, such as the Crooked Man, and Soylent Green, a cannibal lacking
arms and legs. A tank of water evokes Harry Houdini’s Chinese Water Torture
Cell trick and Roman Dirge's love of magic. The proportions inside Lenore's
home may seem skewed, as if viewed by a child left alone in a big house.
After creating these stories in black and white, Roman Dirge
colors all four issues collected in Lenore: Noogies HC. Red forms a theme as
Lenore engages in mischief, visits graveyards, and gives up on trying to let an
admirer down gently. Roman Dirge paints the city in dark colors when Lenore
walks the streets alone. Yet the air crackles with magical energy in
Ragamuffin's origin story.
Roman Dirge places black letters in dialogue balloons and
narrative boxes. He also writes letters into panel backgrounds and utilizes
sound effects in Lenore’s injurious and deadly play. An essay reveals the
difficulties of producing a creator-owned comic while working a full-time job.
A guest artist gallery lets other creators share their love of Lenore. The one-page
Lenore Paper Dolly: Xerox and Play contains everything needed for creating and
dressing your own Lenore paper doll. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a
physical copy for review.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes, authors create elaborate backstories for their
characters and chart out future plotlines in a series before writing their
first story. But these first four issues of his Lenore comic series burst with
the energy of creating on the fly. While not every story in the collection
includes the title character, they flesh out Lenore's world and show how much
of an outsider she becomes. Like Wednesday Addams, Lenore may not work and play
well with others. Yet her charm and the appeal of Roman Dirge's storytelling
universe soon become apparent in Lenore: Noogies HC.
Rating 9.5/10
For more:
See my preview of the Lenore Slipcase Set.
Watch an animated version of The New Toy, included in this volume.
