The Furry Trap

Josh Simmons

Jul 2012 · Fantagraphics Books

About this ebook

  The Furry Trap contains 11 short stories, varying in length from one to 30 pages, as well as a number of “extras” that will flesh out the reader’s experience. From the title creatures in “Night of the Jibblers,” to the witches and ogres of “Cockbone,” to the Godzilla-sized, centaur-bodied depiction of the title character in “Jesus Christ,” to the disarmingly cute yet terrifying demons of “Demonwood,” to the depraved, caped crusading antihero in “Mark of the Bat,” Simmons is a master of creating terrifying beasties that inspire and inflict nightmarish horrors, usually taken to unforgettable extremes. The individual stories in The Furry Trap stand on their own as mini-masterpieces of skin-crawling terror, but collectively complement each other in a way that only heightens the anxiety and dread pouring from page to page. Just remember: You've been warned.

Ratings and reviews

The horror wasn't to my taste, and I imagine it won't be to most people's tastes. It really is "horror" more in the sense that, to me, at least, it inspired more shock and disgust than any sense of fear. The first story features a really unpleasant depiction of extremely sadistic and brutal sexual violence. Mercifully, the art itself is cartoony and so the reader is spared the most visceral aspect of the violence. While that story did leave a bad taste in my mouth - pun not intended - it does set the tone for the stories to follow, though none are quite as intensely unpleasant as the first, in my opinion. There are some really cool ideas in the stories, and the individual art pieces are really good. I honestly probably would not have purchased it if I'd read reviews, but I can't say I regret buying it.

About the author

Josh Simmons was born in Connecticut in 1977. He is the creator or co-creator of the graphic novels House, Jessica Farm, Black River, The Furry Trap, Flayed Corpse, All Time Comics Zerosis Deathscape, and Dream of the Bat. In addition, he has contributed to many comics and anthologies including Kramers Ergot, Creepy, Mome, Razorblades and NOW. He has also self-published piles of minicomics, including his most recent series, Ghouls. He currently lives in Portland, OR.