The Meat Cake Bible

Meat Cake

by Dame Darcy

Dame Darcy is one of the sui generis artistic talents of the past two decades ― musician, actress, fortune teller, dollmaker, Gen X/feminist icon, and last but not least, cartoonist to the core ― and has been bewitching readers for over 20 years with her neo-Victorian horror/humor/romance comic Meat Cake. Alternating between one-off (often cruelly tragic) fairy tales and ongoing romps starring her eclectic cast of characters, including Effluvia the Mermaid, the roguish roué Wax Wolf, Igpay the Pig-Latin pig, Stregapez (a women who speaks by dispensing Pez-like tablets through a bloody hole in her throat), the mischievous Siamese twins Hindrance and Perfidia, Scampi the Selfish Shellfish, the stalwart Friend the Girl, and the blonde bombshell Richard Dirt, all delineated in her inimitable luxurious scrawl, Meat Cake is like a peek into the most creative, deranged dollhouse you ever saw. The Meat Cake Bible is the definitive collection of the series, collecting every story from all 17 issues (1993-2008) ― including “Hungry Is the Heart,” Darcy’s legendary collaboration with Alan Moore ― as well as new stories from the unpublished 18th issue.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Fantasy, Gothic, Graphic Novels Comics, Art

466 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 21, 2016

Reviews

[Oriana · Rating 2 out of 5]

We had such high hopes for this book but it was really bad, not to mention WAY too long. She certainly has a unique kind of creativity, but I just couldn't handle the self-indulgent vanity, the bad jokes, the unrelenting gore and angst, and her general inability to sustain a story for more than a page. One of the smart sassy ladies in book club had the quote of the afternoon, calling Dame Darcy a "manic pixie broken doll girl."

Here's the delicious things we ate (kolaches, fancy cake, sliced meats) and the splendid view we had while discussing, though!

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meat Cake is one of those comics that resists easy summary. Dame Darcy herself uses the term "folk art," which describes it as well as anything. It's more than a bit goth. There are elements of fairy tales, witchcraft, Victoriana, pirate lore, carnival sideshow acts ... Artistically, it's kind of like Julie Doucet meets Tony Millionaire by way of Richard Sala. It's vaguely reminiscent of Edward Gorey at times as well. And it sometimes reminds me of the ancient children's books of my parents that I used to read, mostly vintage Baum--both Oz and non-Oz books--but also Johnny Gruelle and one or two others. Darcy has a recurring cast of characters--Friend the Girl, Richard Dirt, Effluvia, Wax Wolf, etc.--who populate her stories. The stories themselves are strange, surreal, affairs. There's a freeform inventiveness to them that's almost childlike. If you've ever listened to kids playing with a box of dolls or action figures you'll know what I mean. Personalities and story elements come and go in wonderful defiance of story logic in ways that make it all seem fresh and exciting. There are bits borrowed from the Brothers Grimm and pop culture and TV shows and books ... There's just so much fun in this book! Fantagraphics have done a gorgeous job on production. This is a hardcover that would be right at home in a Victorian nursery. The design, the colors ... this book is just an amazing object to hold and read. An eBook version or even a paperback just wouldn't be the same at all, trust me. This book collects all 17 issues of the Meat Cake comic book, plus bonus material, some of it previously unpublished. Alan Moore fans, take note: there is a story in here that he collaborated on with Dame Darcy, and which I don't think has appeared in any of his recent books. I actually don't recall ever seeing it before, but I only bought the first two or three issues of Meat Cake back in the day ... Yes, this book is something of an acquired taste, but, believe me, it's a taste worth acquiring.

[Richie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saying goodbye to Dame Darcy's vast array of whacky characters is a tough one. These comics cover so many of my interests-- witchcraft, crafts (in general), dolls, Victorian aesthetics, strong women, queerness, silent movies, mermaids, taking care of yourself and the environment. Dame Darcy is a looney toon, and I wouldn't want to live anywhere where she didn't exist. This will be a bedside staple from here on out. Simply brilliant.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I cannot make up my mind about this book...Based on the reviews and ratings, it should be a good book. However I simply don't understand any of the stories in this book. And I tried rereading many of the stories..All I could discern from them were that the author had written down her bizarre dreams as stories and forgot the ending of all of them..

I feel bad for not liking the book..SO let me be diplomatic and say it just didn't work for me, may be you guys will appreciate it more..

[Monica Lee Floyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so beautifully illustrated and the stories are unique. Dame Darcy is enchanting and creates a world of her own that you want to live in with her. She is a creative genius. There is nothing like this book. It is a genre all of its own. Tea parties, magic potions, color photos, and stories about horses and unfathomable characters. I adore this book.

[Ashur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this massive thing from the library and did not finish it. However, that's okay, because I'm going to buy it. This is magic and I wish I'd known about it and had access to it in my early teen years.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know a book is good when I dream about it and I have had the wildest dreams while reading this: a 30 foot ladder for legs, talking paintings, cloud jumping...the creativity here is silly fun, but also seriously sinister; Gothic-Victorian in its sensibility, the monsters and men at play are truly unique (and Strega Pez is certainly a favorite, visually intriguing character). One of the great things is this balance of seemingly random detail within the world DD has created with characters who are just hanging out.

The only reason I’m taking a star off is that I didn’t necessarily like the way the other horror/ gothic comics disrupted the narrative of Richard Dirt and company.

But be assured, Dame Darcy delivers a wildly vivid world here with funny, humane characters. If Gorey or Addams are of interest, then be sure to check this out.

[Ruz El · Rating 5 out of 5]

MEAT CAKE, the comic book, has been on my radar for as long as I can remember yet I never picked it up. I completely fell in love with this book. The best way to describe it is Victorian Gothic, but then you miss out on the mermaids, the instructionals and advice for women... lets simply call it Dame Darcy and declare it amazing. Especially in the extra pretty hardcover.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goddamn that was spectacular. I honestly thought I wouldn’t be able to finish it but now that it’s done I’m wishing there was another 400 pages worth waiting for me.

[Maren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the art, some of the stories, and the characters, especially Effluvia. However, some of it made absolutely no sense and I feel like a majority of the comics should have had an ACTUAL ENDING. I know people were less woke in the 90s or whatever, but I did find it weird that all the main characters were white and every time a side character was another race she had to use that as their identifier instead of just... giving the character a name? (like "the old Black man" or "the Sikh kid.") She did the same thing with transgender people. Dame Darcy: how hard is it to just not be an asshole? Not hard at all. It's very easy actually.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a massive and incredibly detailed tome. In fact, if I have a quibble it’s that the text is SO detailed that the writing is crammed in every which way to squeeeeze into the area allowed in each panel. It made many sections rather hard to read. There were a few stories that I skipped because I just couldn’t deal with trying to read the text. BUT the stories that I did read were quite extraordinary. Very unique and definitely groundbreaking in terms of style and content. This “bible” is one to own and savour when you have some time and your eyes are feeling strong.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really love the scratchy awkward ink art. But had trouble appreciating the nonsense stories which comprise most of this collection. On the other hand, Darcy does some really great re-imagings of classic fairy tales. Those are really amazing.

[Averil *rat emoji* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took me months!! But I did it! A page a day over my breakfast bowl. How better way to start the day than with magic, murder, mermaids, circus freaks (her words), passion, lust, sex, scandal, dolls, witches, horses, castles, pirates, orphans, Victorian frills and spills ✨

[Sonnydee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, Dame Darcy is the best. Tim Burton and Neil Gaiman can go to hell - why is DD not an absolute darling of the gothic whimsy crowd? Why can't I buy Strega Pez t-shirts at Hot Topic? DD really should be unbelievably huge and I hope she gets her due one of these days.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give 5 stars, but some of the reproductions in this book make the writing far too small to read without a magnifying glass.

[Karrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need to buy

[Laurian · Rating 1 out of 5]

This wasn't my sense of humor. It was weird and kind of poetic in that weird space, but it never settled into my kind of weirdness.