A Dark Tale of Family Dysfunction and Madness

Pig Wife, the first graphic novel by illustrator and animator Abbey Luck (with artwork by Luck and Ruka Bravo), is a multigenerational tale of a family dysfunction, abuse, and madness.

The reader is introduced to four generations of the Harlow family, owners of a once profitable mine. When elderly recluse Pearl Harlow suddenly dies on her pig farm, her nephew Roger, his wife Vee, and his step-daughter Mary arrive to settle her affairs and search for Pearl’s will.

The story largely follows Mary, a sensitive and troubled teenager who deplores her dysfunctional parents and yearns for her absent birth father. Mary quarrels with her parents and is haunted by troubling dreams. When she runs out of the house on a rainy night, she takes shelter in one of the farm’s outbuildings and uncovers a hidden hatch that leads to a network of abandoned mine tunnels. Unfortunately, Mary gets trapped in the tunnels, where she spends most of the remainder of the story. Much to her horror, she isn’t alone.

Through flashbacks, the reader discovers the history of Mary’s extended family, and secrets emerge. Her father is being sought for embezzlement. Her physically absent birth father was long absent emotionally, drowned in alcohol. Her grandmother Pearl’s childhood was one of ostracization, loneliness, and, eventually, madness. The impact of Pearl’s mental problems ripple through the generations to drive much of the story.

The narrative wafts back and forth between perception and imagination, as the graphics morph to show the characters’ mental states—whether dreams, remembrances, imaginings, or hallucinations. The inner life of all the characters—from the wildly deranged to the merely anxious—abound in demons and unspeakable horrors, drawn in a style reminiscent of the grotesqueries of Basil Wolverton.

While the book is a hefty tome at over 500 pages, it’s a quick, page-turning read driven by a cinematic visual style (perhaps gleaned from Luck’s background as animator and storyboard artist).

Pig Wife is a dark and twisted tale of parental mistreatment and the profound impact of upbringing on personality. Available from IDW’s Top Shelf Productions.

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