Review by Ian Keogh
Minky Woodcock continues to be a smart connection service for the celebrities of the mid-20th century, as the opening pages have H.P. Lovecraft visiting Harry Houdini, and it’s not long before Aleister Crowley shows up.
Why does Nigel Farage come to mind when reading Cynthia von Buhler’s Crowley? She treats him as an eminently untrustworthy dangerous buffoon, but not without charm, revelling in his notorious reputation as an evil sorcerer and amusingly greeting everyone with his “do what thou will shall be the whole of the law” quote. He hires Minky to investigate a woman blaming him for dark deeds. He’ll happily accept the principle, but claims she’s mad and doesn’t like the idea of the accusations raising police investigations, so involves Minky. Using her usual ploy of libertine decadence, she just escapes with her life.
Von Buhler writes her Minky Woodcock stories as sly comedies with an artful wink at the audience, exemplified by funny short sequences, such as the one involving Minky’s father. She contrasts the joy of possibilities exhibited by Crowley with Lovecraft’s socially reticent personality, and makes a viable connection between them. Unusually for a graphic novel, there’s a considerable timespan covered in The Girl Called Cthulhu, the supplied incidents occurring over almost twenty years with the connecting threads being Minky’s desire to learn about her mother and the problematical brother of her best friend.
Over three books von Buhler’s artwork has developed. A considerable number of posed people remained in The Girl Who Electrified Tesla, but there are far fewer here, and when taking the bright colouring into account the art isn’t that far removed from early Michael Allred, allowing for a fine art sense of composition.
The Girl Called Cthulhu is von Buhler’s best Minky Woodcock outing yet. It combines real historical events, Crowley’s claims to them and weaves in others from Jack the Ripper to Ian Fleming for a hugely enjoyable period romp. The historical references are explained in an extensive back section, which also includes an impressive array of alternative cover reproductions.
