Mike Mignola is a legend in the comic world. While his “Hellboy†and “B.P.R.D†series may be his most well-known works, sometimes he writes other stories. One of these is “Jenny Finn†with art by Troy Nixey (Chapters 1-3) and Farel Dalrymple (chapter 4.) Sadly, this is one of the weakest stories Mignola has ever written.
In the London slums of the 19th Century, Joe comes across Jenny Hill, a mysterious girl who people say causes people to catch a plague. Things go south when Joe causes a man to get killed by an angry mob because he thought he was the one killing all the young women.
The comic started out strong, giving off a Lovecraft vibe, but then gets weaker with each chapter. Mignola is capable of writing super scary and messed up stories. This story is just doesn’t have any meat to it. The events are boring even when we find out how Jenny Hill came about, what happens to Joe has been seen before and the ending leaves the reader feeling empty.
Not to mention nobody is even halfway bothered by all the fish yelling “doom†in the first three chapters. The characters treat this bizarre phenomenon as an everyday occurrence which softens the spooky factor. The only thing that scared any character was a cow and even that felt like a gentle caress than a punch to the face.
The artwork for the first three chapters is unsightly. The characters are some of the ugliest creatures anyone has ever seen in their lives. Yes, this is supposed to be 19th Century London’s slums, but these character designs are just impossible to look at for too long. The only redeeming factor is that London looks great. The final chapter’s artwork is much better. The characters are still ugly, but they are easier on the eye and the reader can look at them without feeling sick.
“Jenny Finn†is one of Mignola’s worst outings with a weak story that started strong and too ugly to look at art. Mignola can create great stories and he has. This is just one of his duds.
Leave a Reply