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Hellville
A chilling collection of wordless horror shorts from the master of scratchboard. Greetings from Hellville consists of four short stories, all told without words, crafted with Ott's trademark black-and-white scratchboard style. Ott creates modern horror comics that have been described as the postmodern successor to EC's infamous line from the 1950s. The final story, "Goodbye!" relates a man's multiple suicide attempts. After each new method the man finds himself miraculously alive, until he pulls his curtains aside and is finally killed by the looming mushroom cloud hovering over the city. "Goodbye!" is a perfect example of Greetings from Hellville's bleak and suspenseful mood.
Despite a large European following for years, especially in France and Germany, and acclaimed short stories published in American anthologies, this book is Ott's first American book. His meticulous scratchboard style is masterful, provoking awe and admiration in the face of the repeated horrors portrayed, and is sure to establish him as one of the preeminent horror cartoonists being published today.
112 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1995
4 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Ott
39 books181 followers"Thomas Ott was born in Zürich in 1966. He received training as a graphic artist at the School of Design in Zürich and has been a free-lance comics artist and illustrator since 1987. From 1998-2001 Ott attended film studies at the University of Art and Design (HGK), Zürich. He currently lives and works in Zürich and Paris. Ott is also the lead singer of The Playboys." -Fantagraphics Books
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
June 24, 2019
Another chilling collection of silent horror stories. This author is slowly becoming one of my favourite comic artists!
In the first story, The job, a man gets to do very peculiar work for a very peculiar reward.
In the second story, 10, a racist man gets punished for his evil doings.
In the third story, G.O.D., being visited by the Almighty is not always a blessing.
In the final story, Goodbye, a man finds out that ending one's own life is not as easy as it seems.
I loved this little volume and its creepy, eerie atmosphere. The grotesque, the nonsense, the unexpected fill this stories with a peculiar kind of horror that just meets my taste. I love the artwork and the black and white: the inking technique gives that dramatic aspect to the frame; the characters are so extreme and yet sometimes indistinguishable; and their facial features, especially the eyes, guide the reader's attention to the right focal points. Captivating!
In the first story, The job, a man gets to do very peculiar work for a very peculiar reward.
In the second story, 10, a racist man gets punished for his evil doings.
In the third story, G.O.D., being visited by the Almighty is not always a blessing.
In the final story, Goodbye, a man finds out that ending one's own life is not as easy as it seems.
I loved this little volume and its creepy, eerie atmosphere. The grotesque, the nonsense, the unexpected fill this stories with a peculiar kind of horror that just meets my taste. I love the artwork and the black and white: the inking technique gives that dramatic aspect to the frame; the characters are so extreme and yet sometimes indistinguishable; and their facial features, especially the eyes, guide the reader's attention to the right focal points. Captivating!
May 29, 2025
3,5*
Em “Greetings from Hellville”, Thomas Ott esboça quatro histórias de horror em que o silêncio é, de facto, muito eloquente. A minha preferida foi “10” sobre um membro do Ku Klux Klan: que reviravolta!
The Job – 3*
10 – 5*
G.O.D. – 3*
Goodbye – 4*
Em “Greetings from Hellville”, Thomas Ott esboça quatro histórias de horror em que o silêncio é, de facto, muito eloquente. A minha preferida foi “10” sobre um membro do Ku Klux Klan: que reviravolta!
The Job – 3*
10 – 5*
G.O.D. – 3*
Goodbye – 4*
May 2, 2022
Four creepy wordless tales told through chilling scratchboard imagery.
An eye for an eye takes on a new meaning. A violent racist messes with the wrong victim. A message from God turns out to be anything but holy. A depressed man just can't seem to die no matter how many times he takes his own life...
The stories aren't especially deep or emotionally complex, but the highly unsettling style they're drawn in definitely has a lot of sinister charm.
An eye for an eye takes on a new meaning. A violent racist messes with the wrong victim. A message from God turns out to be anything but holy. A depressed man just can't seem to die no matter how many times he takes his own life...
The stories aren't especially deep or emotionally complex, but the highly unsettling style they're drawn in definitely has a lot of sinister charm.
September 6, 2014
Thomas Ott is a comics artist who draws dark, wordless horror stories in scratchboard style, the black and white cross-hatching adding to a moodier and more unnerving atmosphere. Though Greetings from Hellville is a very quick "read" and short, the stories themselves are haunting and memorable.
The stories feature a hitman on a mission whose terrible features are revealed on the last page; a white supremacist who faces his fateful end at the hands of southern voodoo; a surreal re-imagining of the Judeo-Christian creation story; and the tale of a man who cannot die.
All of the stories are brilliant and while Greetings from Hellville is not Ott's best book (see Cinema Panopticum for that), it gives you a taste of his style and his enormous talent. Thomas Ott is a must read for those who enjoy darker, highly stylised comics.
The stories feature a hitman on a mission whose terrible features are revealed on the last page; a white supremacist who faces his fateful end at the hands of southern voodoo; a surreal re-imagining of the Judeo-Christian creation story; and the tale of a man who cannot die.
All of the stories are brilliant and while Greetings from Hellville is not Ott's best book (see Cinema Panopticum for that), it gives you a taste of his style and his enormous talent. Thomas Ott is a must read for those who enjoy darker, highly stylised comics.
May 24, 2015
Well that was a dark and creepy read. I am fascinated with OTT's artwork, the scratchy line sketching just seems to add to the drama. Its quite amazing how much story he packs into 8 or 10 pages.
The two stand out stories for me was the KKK guy and the creepy suicide story at the end. The first one was just weird and I was wondering what I was getting into.
On to the next. These are great to read on the Surface Pro.
The two stand out stories for me was the KKK guy and the creepy suicide story at the end. The first one was just weird and I was wondering what I was getting into.
On to the next. These are great to read on the Surface Pro.
December 20, 2016
Sleep...perchance to dream...the nightmares offered here. So much fear, loathing, anxiety and irony portrayed with no voices! G.O.D was my favorite of the four vignettes...next stop up ahead the Twilight Zone. All in all, simply fabulous in a darkly delicious way.
May 29, 2016
I didn't get most of the stories. Overall just confusing.
September 8, 2022
3.5 stars
April 5, 2018
This was such a weird, dark, creepy little book and I loved, loved, loved every page of it! This black-and-white comic book consists of a handful short stories all told without any dialogue. From murder to suicide to loneliness, this book deals with some pretty dark and heavy themes, and it STILL manages to be fun and thought-provoking all the same time.
It took me less than 10 minutes to read the whole book but I know I will come back to this book AGAIN and AGAIN!
A bit of Kafka mixed with a bit of Orwell, all mixed with David Lynch’s sensibilities; this book is a winner!
It took me less than 10 minutes to read the whole book but I know I will come back to this book AGAIN and AGAIN!
A bit of Kafka mixed with a bit of Orwell, all mixed with David Lynch’s sensibilities; this book is a winner!
September 24, 2014
Horror shorts from Thomas Ott. And wordless. Successfully creepy. Awesomely and succinctly conceived and executed (pun intended). And humor is relevant to Ott's horror, at least sometime, as in the story of a guy who wants to commute suicide in various ways and fails… with a surprise ending. Great stuff.
January 10, 2023
Oscuro, muy oscuro. Consigue lo que pretende, que es impactar... Pero las historias quedan demasiado inconclusas para mi gusto.
October 27, 2022
Dibujos muy expresivos que cuentan, con dialogo mudo, varias historias que consiguen generar al espectador sensaciones de miedo, asco, sorpresa. Interesante pero breve.
August 25, 2015
Hard to say what to think of this. Are these stories complex and meaningful or trite? Ott is a great artist- very clearly working in the tradition of the pre-war wordless novelists like Frans Masereel and Lyn Ward. His stories, though, are tighter and range from the genuinely offbeat and unnerving to those with a lame "Twilight Zone" spooky twist. The books in Hellville seem to do both- or sometimes not make much sense at all. Ott has a distinctive style and world (even if his film noir seediness is rather familiar from 1980s sci-fi films) and nice to read- but I do wonder if I really wanted to spend $14 on a book that takes less time to get through than a corner shop comic.
June 7, 2018
Underwhelming compared to Cinema Panopticum. The stories are told in the same wordless manner, and the artwork is great as always, but they’re somehow more obscure, less charming than in Cinema Panopticum. Some stories are too vague and/or dull, and even the better ones only just okay. There’s no real standouts to be found here. This will not stop me from wanting to read (view) more of his work, but I am definitely disappointed.
July 30, 2015
As obras de Thomas Ott não têm palavras mas gritam violência e humor negro em quase todas as páginas. Para quem tem estômago para o sombrio e o fantástico é um autor a verificar. É uma espécie de amostra de Edgar Allan Poe ou Kakfa em comics, com algumas obras e histórias mais conseguidas que outras.
August 23, 2010
4 stories in this book:
[1:] the job
[2:] 10
[3:] G.O.D
[4:] Goodbye
My fave is no.2, a klu klux klan member who killed 10 african american people was finally killed by an african american bellboy in a hotel using voodoo *super creepy*
[1:] the job
[2:] 10
[3:] G.O.D
[4:] Goodbye
My fave is no.2, a klu klux klan member who killed 10 african american people was finally killed by an african american bellboy in a hotel using voodoo *super creepy*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2014
Ide Thomas Ott menurut saya tidak ada habisnya. Selalu ada kejutan dalam buku-buku kumpulan cerita Ott.
Yang mengherankan mengapa ide Ott yang potensial dijadikan film horor tampaknya jarang diangkat 3:)
Ada 4 cerita dalam buku ini : The Job, 10, G.O.D dan Goodbye!
Favorit saya : The Job.
Yang mengherankan mengapa ide Ott yang potensial dijadikan film horor tampaknya jarang diangkat 3:)
Ada 4 cerita dalam buku ini : The Job, 10, G.O.D dan Goodbye!
Favorit saya : The Job.
October 12, 2010
Another great collection of short silent comics that are creepy as hell. Love Thomas Ott's style.
August 7, 2013
Of course....
November 25, 2018
Out of all the stories, God and Goodbye were by far my favorites. Very reminiscent of The Twilight Zone.
September 1, 2021
Ott always leaves you with a queazy feeling throughout the book. never disappointed.
September 25, 2021
No se si ponerle un 4'5 o un 5 pero sin duda una obra muda magnífica y que transmite a la perfección con sus ilustraciones
January 14, 2025
Creo que es un 2.75 para mí.
Disfrute de lo grotesco en la segunda historia (y quien no disfruta que se castigue a un miembro de la kkk).
Las otras historias pasaron sin más para mi. No tenían esa vuelta o juego mental que vi en otras de sus obras.
Disfrute de lo grotesco en la segunda historia (y quien no disfruta que se castigue a un miembro de la kkk).
Las otras historias pasaron sin más para mi. No tenían esa vuelta o juego mental que vi en otras de sus obras.
May 7, 2022
Interesting concept but there was room for more
July 23, 2022
his mind is amazing..
March 20, 2023
I don't know if I really got the stories that Thomas Ott was trying to tell but his artstyle and illustrations are so good and creepy to look at.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews