Poison Flowers & Pandemonium

Just a couple of months before his tragic passing in March 2020, cartooning master of the macabre Richard Sala completed his final book ― or, actually, his final four books. Poison Flowers and Pandemonium collects all four of these original graphic novellas in one beautiful hardcover worthy of Sala’s legacy. First up in Poison Flowers is “House of the Blue Dwarf,” a 125-page thriller featuring master criminal the Bloody Cardinal, who leaves a wake of mayhem and madness everywhere he goes. “Monsters Illustrated” is a fun, 64-page monster movie riff that showcases Sala’s visual imagination. A young woman in a dusty bookstore reads a strange bestiary ― the “book within a book” showcases a series of Sala’s gorgeous watercolor and ink drawings. But when she gets to the end, she finds the bookseller drives a hard bargain. “Cave Girls Of The Lost World” is a campy, 60-page romp about a team of young women whose plane crashes in a land forgotten by time and rife with dinosaurs, carnivorous plants, and apemen ― but these intelligent, brave, and resourceful women are ready to rumble! Rounding out the book is “The Amazing Adventures of Fantomina Fantomella,” a 45-page graphic novella of violence and non-stop action. Priest and his mob thought Fantomina was dead. So how is it that she's come back with a vengeance? Poison Flowers & Pandemonium is a perfect showcase of Sala's gorgeous watercolor artwork and his love of B-movie horror, silent film-era archetypes, and femmes fatale. Full-color illustrations throughout.

Syfy Wire

"More than 300 pages of absolute visual splendor, as the legendary writer/artist takes us through tales of rogue criminals and cavewomen battling dinosaurs, monsters and mayhem, blood and beauty. ... Poison Flowers and Pandemonium will stand as a self-made tribute to one of the great comics minds of the past half-century, and a testament to the power of pure, unfiltered imagination."

Library Journal

"Garishly clad villains, B-movie monsters, and femme fatales abound in this genuinely fun, energetic collection, a lasting testament to Sala’s distinct talent."

Booklist

"Brilliantly atmospheric art, full of shadows and spikes."

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A fitting capstone to the prolific, idiosyncratic artist’s career. Readers won’t want to miss this last visit to Sala’s peculiar world."

IGN

"Featuring the blend of horror and camp humor that defines so much of Salas' work."

Berkeleyside

"Words alone don’t capture the virtuosity and craftsmanship displayed in Sala’s ink and water-color panels… The four richly illustrated novellas showcase Sala’s unmistakable style that mixed humor, horror and mystery."

Comics Bookcase

"A beautiful final testament to the joy, weirdness, and humor found in Sala's work... This collection is something to be cherished."

Mike Mignola

"Richard Sala was wonderfully unique. It was all there in everything he did, his love of old monster movies, the pulps, mystery and horror in general ― the good stuff and the terrible ― wore it all like a badge of honor and did wonderful things with it. I miss him."

Fangirl Nation

""311 pages of weird and beautiful art and insanity. The best kind."

About the Author

Richard Sala (1954–2020) grew up in Chicago. He had an MFA from Mills College, created over a dozen graphic novels, collaborated with Lemony Snicket, and illustrated a Jack Kerouac script. He spent most of his adult life in Berkeley, CA.

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