Back in the in the early 1990s, and riding the coat-tails of the success of the UK adult humour comic Viz, a slew of largely forgettable imitators suddenly burst onto British newsagent shelves. While much of their content was poor in comparison to their source of inspiration there were occasional exceptions to the rule. Douglas Noble and Tom Oldham’s Dark & Golden Books recently underlined that with the publication of their third title It May Never Happen…, collecting the cartoons of the late Kevin Woodcock.
It May Never Happen… was originally situated in the pages of the unfortunately named Brain Damage; a title that even 30-plus years ago felt inappropriate to say the least. Latterly amended to The Damage the comic ran in a number of volumes between 1989 and 1992 and, unlike the rest of the Viz wannabes, at least aimed to carve out its own anarchic identity, with contributions from such indie names as Hunt Emerson, David Leach and Kev F. Sutherland.
Dark & Golden have compiled Woodcock’s It May Never Happen… cartoons from a handful of early issues of Brain Damage into a landscape-style minicomic, the physicality of which ensures our entire focus on the dark leanings of each individual scenario. This is a world where nightmare logic reigns supreme, where surreal hidden truths reveal themselves to the audience if not always to the inhabitants of each scenario, and where nihilistic life lessons are learnt too late to avoid cynical oblivion.
Ranging from single images encapsulating the pronounced unease of each situation to two-panel entries building into an inevitably grim and immediate punchline, we observe as skull-headed wasps attack graveside mourners, giant snails terrorise gardeners, and the sinister provenance of busts in shop windows is uncovered. Woodcock’s cartoons range from the extreme violent slapstick of collapsing tree branch swings to morbid visual subversion like the fate of a sleeping armchair smoker. His deep shading and casual, almost throwaway, line in the caustic ensuring the sinister atmosphere of each piece is all the more affecting as a result.
Respect to Dark & Golden for the clear love that goes into each of the publications in their range, particularly the tactile design decisions. Make sure to give them a follow on Twitter to keep up to date with their future publishing plans.
Kevin Woodcock (W/A) • Dark & Golden Books, £4.00
Review by Andy Oliver
