Stray Toasters by Bill Sienkiewicz

I usually go to Midtown Comics every Wednesday and rummage through old graphics novels while everyone else pour over the new comics of the week. From my frequent visits I have come across and forgotten this title repeatedly. The images enticed me, but what was going on here? At first glance it seemed so cluttered and dense. I finally hunkered down and shelled out the 25 bucks, fearing I'd forget it again. Glad I got this gem.

Stray Toasters is a fever dream. A bizarre story about a washed up detective named Egon Rustemagick recently released from a mental institution in order to capture a serial killer that targets young boys and mutilates house-wives. The boys are completely drained of fluid and are left with strange ritualistic markings all over their body. Egon must plunge through the muck and dirt of the city, find answers, meet an old flame and all the while keep his sanity.

Set in grimy quasi futuristic New York City, this is a sadistic mystery that leads you down the rabbit hole. When you finish, you're not exactly sure you "get it" but you sure liked getting lost in it.

If I had to point this to anything else I'd say Blade Runner, in that, at its heart its a noir , femme fatales and all. However, layered on top is a beaten down futuristic back drop and some seriously deranged antagonists. As a bonus, intermittently throughout are post cards from "The Devil" himself. Messages sent to hell to his lover, describing a trip in our mortal world. Reading these made me feel like I was raving mad.

The images in this are absolutely jaw dropping. Colors pour off the page as your eyes fall into a dizzying maze of shadows and lines. The hues of blue with thin gold lines are what first caught my eye. Seinkiewicz does an excellent job of mixing mediums. Within the paint, chalk, and ink pieces, you'll see real circuitry, bubble wrap, and perhaps a plastic fly or two.

Get this. It's worth your time, trust me. One of the best graphic novels my eyes have ever gazed upon. Just don't come crying back to me when you want your sanity back.