Welcome To Hoxford

Written & Drawn by Ben Templesmith

IDW Publishing

When I picked up the first issue of Welcome To Hoxford, I didn’t know what to expect. The cover depicted this psychopath covered in blood sitting in a jail cell, so I knew it probably wasn’t going to be about puppies and kittens. Well, puppies are in the story, but they have nasty big pointy teeth. I knew who Templesmith was at the time from his gorgeous art on 30 Days of Night and Fell, but I wasn’t familiar with his creator owned work such as Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse. So upon reading the first issue of his latest work, I was completely in awe of what I just read.

It was sick, deranged, funny and horrifying all at the same time.

Needless to say, I was hooked. Every issue that came out was better and more fucked-up than the last, keeping me enthralled with this spectacular series. Not only was Templesmith’s art just complete eye-candy to look at, but his story was equally as haunting and enjoyable.

The story revolves around this psychopath Ray Delgado, as he’s transferred to this new privately owned and operated maximum security prison known as Hoxford. It’s run by the Russians, and only the worst of the worst criminals, rapists, and thugs are sent to Hoxford to be forgotten by the society that they gave the finger to. The Warden and guards of this fine establishment have a deep dark secret of their own that they can’t wait to share with the new inmates, and one of the people who might potentially spoil the surprise is Ray’s psychiatrist Dr. Ainley when she comes to check-up on her patients. You see, if Ray isn’t on his medication, then he’ll revert back to being his usual aggressive and cannibalistic self.

Sure enough, Ray isn’t on his meds and thinks he’s Cronos, God of the Titans and master of all. The other inmates go along with it because none of them are crazy enough to piss Ray off and have him go apeshit on their ass.

The secret of the Warden & Co.? They’re all werewolves, and the inmates are their prey. And these aren’t you’re typical werewolves that you see on the screen, no no no. These werewolves are giant monstrosities with endless rows of teeth. If there’s one other thing that Templesmith is a master at drawing besides tentacles, it’s sharpy pointy teeth. So it’s a free-for-all at the prison with the inmates not standing a chance. It’s as if a group of big game hunters arrived at the local zoo and just went wild killing everything in site. These inmates are the scum of the universe, so no one is going to miss them if they happen to disappear down the gullet of a grizzly ancient beast.

Ray isn’t scared. He’s a God, and must do battle with the beasts to defend his heavenly kingdom. And that’s exactly what he does. Bodies of his slain enemies surround him, and he slowly comes to the realization that he isn’t a God, but a hunter like the rest of these beasts. As a matter of fact, he fancies himself as an Alpha Male, and decides he will challenge the current leader for that position.

In the end of the issue, Ray does kill the leader in a bloody battle and is the new Alpha Male of the pack. All hail Ray, and those who are still alive should flee as fast as possible.

After reading the trade again in one sitting, I realized that I had goosebumps. This story was such a great read when it first came out, and I’m overjoyed to announce it still lives-up to the hype months later. If anything, it’s more horrific since I don’t have to wait months in between like I initially did.

Templesmith has such a unique style in his art, that you can just tell how much he loves his job. Although this was just a miniseries, I’m craving (nay, demanding!) more creator owned series from him. I always have such a fun time reading anything he’s doing the art for, that I’d love to read more original stories by the guy. I’m sure he’s an untapped treasure trove of stories like Welcome To Hoxford and Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse, that all he needs to get going on more stuff is support from his fans.

Mr. Templesmith, go and do that voodoo that you do oh so well!

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