Her latest series, Nightmares & Faery Tales, is something of a departure from her previous work. To try and describe it would do the work a great injustice. However, for the sake of this review, I wish to share this work in a way that I think won’t detract from or affect the view in any way. Quite simply, imagine Tim Burton in the director’s chair for a revamp of Rod Serling’s classic 70’s horror/suspense anthology tv series, Night Gallery.

The first issue introduces us to Morgan, a normal enough girl in her late teens with red hair, pale complexion, and moody, mopey friends. If not for the incident that concludes the first issue, her life could easily mesh with that of the characters in Gloomcookie. But, fate has different ideas about Morgan’s future, as she learns after finding an odd little doll in her best friend Dominique’s attic. Dominique’s mom, Jillian, insists Morgan takes this doll.

The remainder of the story allows us to accompany Morgan on her travels in a day, presented from the perspective of the doll. It is a normal enough life (and we all know how subjective a word “normal” is). She spends the afternoon and most of the evening with her friend (girlfriend?) Dominique, yet she has doubts about her relationship with her. Dominique has an ingrained belief that she is a vampire.

We are also briefly introduced to Morgan’s roommate, Lylith, who covers for Morgan as she tries to avoid Dominique’s persistent phone calls. If only persistent phone calls were all she would have to worry about before the night was over...

I found everything about the first issue to be appealing; both long enough to introduce the characters and set the stage, while short enough to instill a sense of suspense and longing. Like that really great kiss or that delightful hot fudge sundae – you feel the need to return for more, as if Morgan were real and the outcome of the events would affect not only her life, but yours as well.

While the story is engaging and nail-bitingly good, we must also highlight the art. Grabbing Foo Swee Chin was a remarkable coup for Valentino. Foo Swee Chin, or FSc as she is known, is Singapore’s best kept secret. The art at first glance seems similar in design to that of Yoshitaka Amano, but upon ahfurther inspection shows a more surreal effect. To look into FSc’s world, one must be prepared for a ride through swirls and slants. Her landscapes rewrite all sense of logic and perception; color has no meaning and black and white are all you need.

Equally noteworthy in this series is the lettering, handled suitably by Joshua Archer. A simple font is used for the dialogue. While there is nothing really remarkable about that, what truly works here is the use of the word balloons – swirly ones that defy our concepts of what a comic should look like. Each bubble accents the mood for each panel, even so far as actually establishing the mood in some instances. Yes, everyone raves about the work of Richard Starkings and the boys at ComicCraft, but here is a talent that everyone should be talking about.

And, finally, I’d like to focus briefly on the characters. I’ve already mentioned Morgan, so no need to ramble there. However, there were several other characters each giving a share of the first issue’s limelight: Dominique, Dominique’s mother, Jillian, Lylith, Morgan’s roommate, and Ian, Morgan’s other friendÉ Quite a cast of characters, each with their own little idiosyncrases and bits of “mental baggage”. If any of their survive this little tale, their future is ensured on the talk show circuit.

I encourage all of you to check this series at, but by all means, don’t read it alone!