The Chuckling Whatsit

by Richard Sala

Book Overview

Sala weaves the gothic cartooning traditions of Edward Gorey and Charles Addams with an ingeniously constructed, melodramatic murder mystery involving astrology, ghouls, academia, and outsider art. Part noir, part horror, and part comedy, this labyrinthian tale of intrigue follows an unemployed writer named Broom who becomes ensnared unwittingly in a complex plot involving mysterious outsider artist Emile Jarnac, the shadowy machinations of the Ghoul...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 168396697X
• ISBN13: 9781683966975
• Release Date: January 2023
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 7.5" x 9.7"
• Age Range: 16 years and up

Customer Reviews

Here is why Sala is such a master of the medium:

Story: No need to overthink or question why he tailors the story the way he does- the insanity makes perfect sense and the sanity is prescient! Art: Wonderfully weird is such a signature way that oozes quality and preparation. The details are as to-die-for as are the characters who are killed by or in the presence of them. His colors are even his own which is hard to find in this photo-shop palette parade of digital do-it-with-a-mouse in a single day dryness. Look at the mask/cape of Enigmatix (IAGGrotesquely) for his mastery of TEXTURE on a flat page!

A labyrinthian tale of murder and mystery

The Chuckling Whatsit is one of Richard Sala's best works. His amazing ability to create a world filled with danger and mystery, filled with colorful characters. Where else will you have a strange person who's carried around in a sack, ordering his Frankenstein-like servant to complete a mysterious quest? Or the powerful Mr. Ixnay who may or may not have returned from the grave? Or even a sadistic group of killers and saboteurs that call themselves G.A.S.H. These are just some of the many players in this graphic novel. Sala is able to take this complex mystery plot and keep it from becoming too convoluted, His art is superb, he has created a spine-tingling world that is uniquely his own, one that I always enjoy visiting.

Hollywood: Why haven't you discovered Richard Sala?

Richard Sala is Hollywood's next hot property--or he should be--he just hasn't been discovered yet! With the narrative scope and the visual sophistication of an Alfred Hitchcock movie, "The Chuckling Whatsit", is practically camera ready. With its eerie mystery, unexpected plot twists, wry humor and bizarre and arcane psychological landscapes "The Chuckling Whatsit" is a tour de force. What Tim Burton is to the feature length cartoon, and David Lynch is to the feature length film, so is Richard Sala to the graphic novel.I wouldn't mind keeping Richard Sala a secret. After all, don't we feel all the more special when our heroes belong to us fans alone? Nonetheless, it's time for the world to discover the STRANGE and GRIPPING world of Richard Sala!

Absolutely amazing

This graphic novel is fantastic, Richard Sala is one of our greatest storytellers and artists. Both talents combine in this noir mystery. I would highly recommend this book to any comic fan, especially those interested in "underground" comics, like the ones published by fantagraphics.