Old Ground

by Noel Freibert

Sam Beckett and Sam Raimi intersect in an outsider art graveyard.

A cemetery so old that the names on the graves have eroded into nothing and no one remembers the dead is razed to make room for a retirement home for folks who've also been forgotten. Ambience and slapstick combine as an absurd cast of characters inhabits and haunts the home.

Genres: Comics, Horror, Comix, Graphic Novels Comics

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 12, 2017

Reviews

[Bill Hsu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the most bizarre graphic novels I've come across, with forms that stretch like taffy, and spin into abstraction like a horrific acid trip. There's a frog named Otto, a dog, and two characters that are buried for most of the book. And a strange bloody climactic conclusion. Maybe a little long for its material, but memorable. (3.5 stars)

[Gabriel Infierno · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like it, it's very strange and fun and twisted and funny in a dark way

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A leisurely-paced, wild and wacky romp through an old, forgotten, decaying cemetery, with a cast that includes an energetic dog, a large creepy amphibian, two young children that were laid to rest next to each other many years ago, and two workers who arrive to raze the tombs in order to put up a new nursing home on the grounds. I've only seen a few of Noel Freibert's comics before, in the recent Mirror Mirror II anthology from 2dcloud, but even in those brief appearances he marked himself as a distinctive talent, displaying a funky offbeat blend of the horrific with the absurd, and a healthy dose of existentialism to boot. His line is wild and energetic, in a way that puts me very much in mind of Diane DiMassa's work on Hothead Paisan back in the 90's: full of wildly distorted and distended/extended perspectives, with lots of surrounding negative space to amplify the energy. Certain sections of the story felt over-extended and at 224 pages the book feels a bit longer than it should, but there are striking sequences throughout; I particularly liked a scary, bloody encounter between the humans and the denizens of the cemetery about midway through. Eager to see more from Freibert, this gets a solid 4 out of 5 stars from me.

[Rick Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilariously absurd and poignant at times. The narrative of Old Ground takes place in a cemetery where two graves begin speaking to each other. The story takes some really bizarre turns and delves fairly deep into existentialism. Friebert's art style is really loose, bordering on the abstract. It's not necessarily the most appealing style to me, but it works really well for the style of story being told. I do think the book overstays its welcome with the lengthy page count, but this was still a really great read overall.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This comic novella is a great experiment in horror storytelling that lets the physical material of the tale's world do the heavy lifting in disturbing the reader-- while Freibert's subject matter is eerie and full of troubling images, his line work is what ends up being the most unsettling thing there. Characters warp to new sizes and dimensions and their movements are often otherworldly. This is an artist that makes me excited (yet again) about what the medium has to offer.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to really dislike Noel's work. But I would read it anyway when it came up in anthologies and I'd buy issues of Weird magazine, and eventually I started to understand him a little more. Now, with this gross, sad little book, I've fully settled into being a fan.

[CBW Librarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trippy.

[Jose Osoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

hooked for life

[Mateen Mahboubi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freibert sets this story in a long forgotten cemetery where the dead, animal inhabitants and brutish contractors meet for an eventful evening. Lots of creative illustrations make for a great read.

[Seven Pesos · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. Gruesome and disgusting. Quality of artwork is wildly inconsistent, seemingly done for effect, but I didn't jive with it. Reminded me of "Waiting for Godot". Body horror?

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A uniquely sinewy and rotten yarn with some pacing issues that kept me from fully engaging, but maybe next time. I’ve been doing some field studies at cemeteries this month and this fit right in.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

comics as transformation, dis/continuation, & repetition w modification.