Would you recommend Cradlegrave?

[Rately]

Lovely stuff. Brilliantly written and beautifully drawn. Really captures horrendous dry heat, hazy tension.

I'd always taken the evil to be the spawn of neglect, neglect of the elderly, failing care systems, neglect of the poor in society and the true evil of those who target those too vulnerable to defend themselves.

[Frank]

I know the horror was quite ambiguous, but what do you think the evil was growing inside of the old woman?

The state. Or paternalistic government.*

It's interesting, because the author's genuine and heartfelt social media posting suggests his ideology maps broadly onto that of what's labeled The Left, but also indicates his instincts are libertarian.

John Smith's the kind of socialist who loves the NHS but despises his local council.**

A Freudian might suggest the story and its themes are a case of the author's personal psychology bubbling up between the cracks in the ideology imposed by the super ego.


* The strip's title is a reference to the Beveridge report and the post-WWII Labour government's vision of a welfare state that cared for citizens from the cradle to the grave.  It might also be read as a metaphor for the perversion of that dream by subsequent generations.

** Which is a perfectly valid position. See also: Alan Moore.

[AlexF]

Just read this film review:
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/aug/17/the-untamed-review-amat-escalante-tentacular-sex-monster?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Close+up+new+-+2+edittable+regions&utm_term=240909&subid=47842&CMP=ema_1046

which makes it sound as if 'The Untamed' is the closest we'll get to a film adaptation of Cradlegrave! Anyone seen it?