Title: Corpus by K. M. Claude
Genre: Gothic fantasy/Graphic novel
Rating: 4 stars
TL;DR: Corpus is a short comic loaded with deliciously dark and sensuous imagery that explores one of the most memorable characters from Ninety Nine Righteous Men.
It’s really hard to review a short episodic comic that acts as a companion to a larger work, so this will probably be a fairly short review (also because I don’t want to spoil Ninety Nine Righteous Men)
Corpus tells the story of Caleb, the young man in Ninety Nine Righteous Men who becomes possessed by a demon in exchange for the love of a certain priest. In this companion comic, we become more acquainted with the demon who lives in Caleb’s skin and how he ended up turning to darker forces.
The art style is absolutely gorgeous. As with Claude’s previous work, every panel is rich with detail. While the Catholic imagery isn’t as strong in Corpus as it was in Ninety Nine Righteous Men, the contrast is just as apparent between the sensuous demon and his naive victim. Throughout the story, there are details that pay homage to Eastern art. The styling of the demon reminded me greatly of Japanese horror and erotic scenes from 17th and 18th century paintings. This can be seen in the repetitive organic patterns surrounding erotic moments and even with the shape of the demons features, which reminded me greatly of the facial features seen in Edo Period figures.
What took a star off for Corpus is that I wanted more. Claude teases the reader with a little background info on the demon’s previous incarnation as a boy in the sultan’s harem but goes no further, which is maddening because it feels like that boy’s life could have been like Caleb’s and I think it could have made an interesting story. Besides that, I would have maybe like to have seen a little more of Caleb’s backstory. Just a little bit because even after Corpus, it still feels like a lot has gone unsaid.
Overall, Corpus is a fantastic addition to the story of Ninety Nine Righteous Men with imagery as rich and luscious as the origin story, and I look forward to reading more by K. M. Claude in the future.
Kara Jorgensen 