Delphine: Richard Sala's dark tale about the search for a missing girl

Mark Frauenfelder 5:23 pm Thu Dec 20, 2012

I've long admired the gothy work of cartoonist Richard Sala. He delicately balances the line between horror and humor as few can. His latest graphic novel, Delphine, is his darkest effort to date. It's a modern-day retelling of Snow White as experienced by the prince. In Sala's version, a pair of college students fall in love. She (Delphine) tells him (we never earn his name) she must go home to take care of her sick father and gives him a phone number so they can stay in touch. But when he calls the number, he finds out that the phone service has been disconnected. He takes a train to her village to see if he can find her. Instead of finding her, he meets a cast of sinister characters who take him on an After Hours-style misadventure.

After I read Delphine, I realized that much of what happened remained enigmatic, but I didn't mind. The enjoyment in this novel comes from visiting the wicked village and meeting the creeps who inhabit it.

Read an 11-page excerpt from Delphine | Buy Delphine on Amazon

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