THOUGHT BUBBLE MONTH 2025! The ever versatile Shane Melisse, aka Shanefaced, has proven himself at home in multiple genres but one of the things he does the very best is action sequences. Flowing, kinetic, high-energy stuff that sweeps you away in its sense of mayhem and fury. If that’s an aspect of his work that you enjoy then his latest comic Dougborne is very much for you.
I have to admit that the two inspirations for Dougborne – the ‘90s cartoon sitcom Doug and the 2015 video game Bloodborne – are not things that I am familiar with. So, courtesy of streaming/YouTube and some online gameplay videos, I had to do a little research to discover for myself how cleverly Melisse integrates the two in this most unlikely mash-up. Here we have a lovable and endearing protagonist recast in a world where characters have been transformed into terrifying beasts by a communicable infection. It’s an unlikely combo but there’s such a clear creative love for both that it somehow works.
The story centres around Doug breaking his neighbour’s grill (the reimagined Mr. Dink from the show) the night before the big (Bloodborne) hunt. He and his friend Skeeter must try and replace it before anyone notices. What ensues is sitcom-style farce embedded into the rhythm and language of a video game, complete with all of those familiar trappings. It’s a clever mesh that will lead the reader to a desire to learn more about both. Particularly impressive are the use of sound effects to really make those action scenes pop. The ending – with its sly nod and a wink to the reader – is especially satisfying.
Those invested in either source material will no doubt be able to enjoy it on a more intimate level but it’s perfectly accessible for anyone who isn’t. And for the uninitiated it isn’t difficult to see how the elements of these two unlikely influences have been brought together to fuse light-hearted comedy and supernatural grimness, and also how characters from Doug have been reshaped and refashioned to a darker world. Dougborne is a fun horror-style fantasy story that also serves as a testament to the intensity of Shanefaced’s action choreography.
Shane Melisse (W/A) • Self-published, £10.00
Review by Andy Oliver
Shanefaced will be at Table D4 in the Redshirt Hall at Thought Bubble.
Thought Bubble 2025 runs from November 1oth-16th with the convention weekend taking place on the 15th-16th. More details on the Thought Bubble site here.
Read all our Thought Bubble 2025 coverage so far in one place here.
Poster by Ng Yin Shian
