Villordsutch reviews Something At The Window Is Scratching…
A collection of short poems all telling macabre and twisted tales for children of all ages. From serious sinister one page poems like, ‘Critter Pie’ and ‘Pear Head Man and Bread Boy’ to longer stories such as ‘The Sideways Man’ and the title story, ‘Something at My Window is Scratching’. This is Roman at his most macabre best, short stories with creepy stings in their tales.
It’s not often you get to read a book of poetry for Flickering Myth. I’ll be brutally honest here, I’ve never read a book of poetry for Flickering Myth. Don’t get me wrong, I know poetry, I was brought up on Spike Milligan and Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes so I’m fairly sophisticated as you can possibly guess. However, as yet I’ve never been asked to review a book of poetry for Flickering Myth. As a diehard comic book reader too, I possibly would have shied away from most Poetry Books but it was the fact that Roman Dirge was attached to this that attracted me to it.
Brought to us via Titan Comics this little book – just over 120 pages –has so far been read by everybody in my household, even by my wife who doesn’t do comics, though she did when she was 18 (DC’s Catwoman). This being said you musn’t take this to be a belief that this little book of poetry is a family friendly book of bunnies and cats…though there are bunnies and cats in it at certain points. You really need to be in a certain frame of mindset to appreciate what Roman Dirge has delivered to you here. If you can put at least three ticks next to these five options of: Spike Milligan, Roald Dahl, Tim Burton, Dr. Seuss, and Grimm’s Fairy Tales, then you can happily read this book.
Not only will you happily read this book but you will want others to read it too. You will want others to read poems entitled, “Mr. Seephis”, “Little Lisa Loverbumps”, “The Bunny Came Back”. Each poem can be as macabre as the next and you will laugh, smile, smirk or feel slightly saddened by their outcome. Roman mischievously plays with your emotions with his perfect mix of extremely dark humour. Fused with the poetry, we have beautiful illustrations and each one deserves to be given the time to be admired, if not framed. Roman does give you the opportunity to return to each piece of his artwork at one point though I shan’t spoil why or where.
Something At The Window Is Scratching is a book of poetry that you all need to buy today. Whether you don’t understand Yeats or Wordsworth or you hold both dear to your heart, this book of poetry needs to be on your shelf.
Villordsutch likes his sci-fi and looks like a tubby Viking according to his children. Visit his website and follow him on Twitter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=IWWtOQOZSTI
Originally published July 22, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
