Kraken Inferno by Alessandro Manzetti and Stefano Cardoselli

Set in a diesel punk alternate history world where the sea is befouled by oil and garbage, and giant mega krakens roam the waters, this graphic novel tells the story of the captain of the Kraken hunting ship, Inferno, and his personal mission to kill the biggest Kraken of them all.

I loved the Ahab-esque revenge story that formed the heart of this graphic novel. It was so eerie, compelling and emotional. It really impressed me.

The environmental message of the story was wonderfully emphasized by the amazing illustrations, which were at once both beautiful and disgusting. I loved the ink and (what looked like) water colours that bled across the page, perfectly representing the liquids that swarm through the story – the sea, oil, blood, spit, and grog.

There are some really cool action sequences, I loved the nods to Tesla and some of the period movie posters featured. The design of the birds, fish and krakens were eccentric, stylized and wonderful. I never thought I’d enjoy looking at so many panels depicting gruesome and graphic death scenes.

Altogether a highly enjoyable volume and I will be checking out more work by these talented people.

I award Kraken Inferno…