A dark corner of a rail car, on the underside of a motel mattress, find the spot where the depraved and the absurd bump lyrical uglies. In this collection of short stories, portraits, and graphic biography and commentary, Fred Noland embarks on a tour through the unreal, hilarious, and often very real dimensions of the seedier side of human nature. In the lead story “Midnight Creep,” a supernatural southern gothic steeped in blues folklore, the devil is hot on a killer’s heels. Angel dust is in the air in the cyclical and comedic “Dusted.” Other attractions include an ode to the iconoclastic expressionist George Grosz, cholos playing putt putt, and more. Written with authenticity and dark humor, Noland’s comics ooze with a manic energy and an irreverence that are deceptively disturbing, revelatory, and unexpectedly funny. Includes a career spanning interview with the author by editor Gary Groth.
