The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe, art by Steven Archer

Raw Dog Screaming Press, 2020

ISBN-13: 9781946335319

Available: Paperback  ( Bookshop.org )

Prince Prospero, trying to avoid a deadly plague, the Red Death, ravaging the land, walls himself up inside his abbey along with a number of other wealthy nobles. To combat the boredom, the prince hosts a masquerade ball within seven rooms of the abbey, each one representing a different color. Near the end of the evening, a mysterious guest dressed as the Red Death reveals herself to the revelers and Prince Prospero.

The story is not a rewrite of the Edgar Allan Poe story of the same name, but the artwork provides a new context to the tale. Written in 1842, this story has a resonance with the current global situation with the COVID-19 pandemic. Steven Archer, a multi-media visual artist, has moved the story from the plague-ridden countryside to the decadent American modern-day city. Archer also transformed the nebulous Red Death from the male incarnation in Poe’s original tale to a woman in his artwork. The images are visceral, energetic, and haunting. There are several pages that I would love to frame and hang on my walls.

At first, the price tag raised my eyebrows, but seeing the quality of Archer’s artwork and how much went into the pieces, it is definitely worth it. There are 71 pages in the book, most of which include a full page of color art. Highly recommended.

Contains: nudity, viscera

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Editor’s note: The Masque of the Red Death: Fine Art Edition is a nominee on the final ballot for this year’s Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel.