SPA HC

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Erik Svetloft is my favourite discovery of the year. When I heard that Fantagraphics were releasing a bizarre and grotesque Swedish horror comic on Valentines Day, I knew this was going to be something I had to check out, and I wasn't disappointed. Spa takes place in a 5-star hotel and wellness centre, the kind that David Croenenberg might run, in northern Europe. At every turn, nothing's okay or right: guests are confronted with inconceivable monstrosities; there's a horrifying apparition in the pool; and the employees accept their cruel and sad fate. Svetloft's artwork is beautiful and extreme (that double page spread of the pig 'parade'. Phwoar!) and carries you through this ambiguous, haunting and alarming book, even when you're not quite sure what it is you're exactly reading. If you've read any Junji Ito and you're a fan of David Lynch, and you just wished that someone could successfully meld the two...pick up Spa.