When he's not busy creating the latest adventures of Lenore, the Cute Little Dead Girl, Roman Dirge draws other stuff. Some of it based on dreams he's had, some of it is inspired by things he's found in the street, and some of it is exchanged for alcohol at his favourite bar. All of it is wonderful and strange. Taxidermied is the first collection of this work, with an introduction and commentary from the artist...

Roman Dirge is best known for being the creator of Lenore, the comic strip series about everyone's favourite cute little dead girl. However, there is a much greater scope to Dirge's artwork than ever meets the eye in his humorous and off-key comics. This lavish hardcover showcases Dirge's work in all its morbid glory, with over 100 full colour illustrations and accompanying commentary by Dirge himself.

Taxidermied exhibits, for the first time, the full range of Dirge's unique style. Including never-before-seen material, this is a collection of Roman's work outside his graphic novels. Packed with material straight from Roman's desk, this is a must for any fan of his work.

While flicking through this collection of illustrations there's the obvious Lenore-esque image, as well as some comic strips that would fit in neatly in Lenore's world. Then there are twisted images that at first appear to be quite cute - like the double page spread of two white kittens that on closer inspection have entrails of a dead creature, possible a mouse, hanging from their mouths. There's also some beautifully twisted zombie images, and Dirge's own take on fairytales (or scarytales as Dirge calls his own slant on the subject).

It's beautiful, it's funny and it's straight out of the mind of genius/madman. What more could Lenore fans wish for?

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Nick Smithson