This column normally takes a look at obscure comics. For every every sixth month, instead of taking a look at a comic that nobody talks about, this special edition will take a look at a comic I feel not enough people talk about.
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Strangehaven Books 1 - 3 by Gary Spencer Millidge 1995 - 2005
Note. This article covers volumes 1 - 3 of Strangehaven, but will not cover the more recent, in-progress volume 4 being serialised in Meanwhile...
Contains Spoilers
I first heard about Strangehaven during my early days of exploring beyond the world of superhero comics. Strangehaven was one of many well regarded but little known titles I decided to seek out, but not being particularly internet savvy back then I never managed to find a copy and my thoughts on it drifted away.
Fast forwards to 2018 and I notice a few volumes on sale at a table at the Leeds Thought Bubble convention. The guy behind the table gives me the pitch of 'Twin Peaks but in Somerset,' (Strangehaven actually takes place in Devon) but the comic already needed no introduction and I bought the books on the spot.
Comparisons to Twin Peaks are rife when it comes to Strangehaven, and while it does work as a decent elevator pitch, I always thought it was reductive to compare the two. Strangehaven is very much it's own thing, but what I will say is that if Strangehaven does share one aspect with Twin Peaks it's the understanding of a culture's attitude towards it's sense of place.
David Lynch understands that small town America has an uncanny sense to it. America is still a young country in a lot of ways. It's populace at times still feel as though they are intruding somewhere they don't belong. No matter how old an American town is, they can sometimes look as though they simply popped into existence overnight.
Gary Spencer Millidge understands that the oppose applies to British towns. They feel old, like they belong exactly where they are. Even the newest of British towns can feel as though they were never really built, but grew out of the rock and soil in the earth itself. There's an uncanniness to both Twin Peaks and Strangehaven, but they are very different types of uncanny.
Strangehaven begins with the entrance of Alex Hunter, a traveller who after a ghost-sighting related car accident finds himself in the care of the small town. Soon enough Alex gets embroiled in the town's affairs, and it quickly becomes apparent that he is unable to leave Strangehaven. However, it remains ambiguous as to what degree he is supernaturally trapped or keeping himself in Strangehaven willingly out of a fondness for the place.
Millidge uses an, at times, almost photorealistic art style that lends itself well to this type of story, adding an extra layer of unsettling unreality that is, at it's core, just normal reality. The coastal vistas look grand and remote, the corner cottages look faded and aged beyond their years. Every British person unconsciously knows these sights. Places where you never know if you will be scowled at or welcomed a little too eagerly.
The way Alex is designed is just one of many examples of Millidge's skill at tapping in to this uncanny mood. Alex is a bit of an everyman, sure, but there's something kind of off about the guy. I sort of feel like everyone knows a person like Alex. Face a little too long, smile a little too wide. Normal at first blush, but nobody seems to really know much about them. You see them at the pub or maybe pass them at work, but there's something about them you can't quite put your finger on.
Through Alex's eyes we explore Strangehaven and it's weird idiosyncrasies. At points we are led to assume that strange, otherworldly powers might be present in Strangehaven, only to find out that there are actually banal, normal explanations instead. At one point, Alex wakes in the morning to find the inhabitants of the town celebrating Christmas. Does time work differently in Strangehaven? Has he been in a mysterious coma? No, it's simply an old town tradition. Weird, but hardly supernatural.
Alex, of course, is only one of an ensemble cast, and the inner lives and secrets of the village's inhabitants are equally enthralling. As the story continues, we soon begin to discover more about the machinations of a cultish, Mason-esque secret society that seems to be manipulating affairs from behind the scenes.
As mentioned, Strangehaven is a masterwork at pulling the rug out from under you, and it saves one of it's greatest twists towards the end of volume three. Alex, having now gotten himself embroiled into many of the town's affairs, is approached by a coven of witches, characters we had previously met, but did not know shared a connection until now. The coven explains to Alex that Strangehaven is indeed a supernatural place, sitting upon an intersection of mystical power that runs across the planet.
They explain to Alex that the secret society seeks to exploit this power for their own ends. Both Alex and the reader then expects the story to escalate towards some apocalyptic threat that needs to be stopped, but the coven reveals this is far from the case. For years they have carefully manipulated the most self-centred and short-sighted individuals into reaching the highest echelons of the cult. Their rationale being that the power will not be used for anything other than petty personal gain. Safer that way, than in the hands of a charismatic politician or corporate billionaire.
After so many stories of mysterious goings on and enigmatic ritual, Strangehaven reveals that it's greatest villains are little more than pathetic middle-aged men. No ancient evil or grand conspiracy. Just a bunch of folks who want the nicest seat in the pub or the flashiest car in town.
In the end, this is what Strangehaven is really all about. That sometimes the most mystical or surreal parts of our lives happen for the blandest of reasons. A liminal space is, at the end of the day, just a perfectly normal place. Strangehaven, in a lot of ways, feels like the Wizard of Oz having his curtain thrown back, except the wizard is the whole town.
That being said, at the end of volume three the town's conflicts and betrayals are only just beginning to reach their boiling point, and greater mysteries have yet to be revealed. The story continues into colour strips serialised in Meanwhile... magazine, and I suspect Millidge will play coy right down to the wire on what exactly is mystical and what is mere artifice. The uncanny has yet to be fully reckoned with.
Strangehaven is easily one of the greatest comics I have ever read and heartily recommend it to anyone who loves comics. The story behind it's creation and publication history is also equally fascinating, as explored in a recent video by You-tuber In Praise of Shadows that you can watch here. Millidge has said that he plans to conclude the story at the end of volume four, but also that his original plan for the comic was for it to run for years and years.
Whichever becomes the case, it's always safe to say that when it comes to Strangehaven, it's best to expect the unexpected.
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Jack Harvey 2022. Strangehaven (c) Gary Spencer Millidge. Images used under Fair Use.
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