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An eerie and darkly beautiful graphic novelization of five classic murder ballads by the award-winning graphic artist Erik Kriek
In the pines, in the pines, where the sun never shines and we shiver when the cold wind blows…
For over a century, the murder ballad has held a prominent place in American roots music, although its origins lie in Britain and Scandinavia. These songs tell raw stories of unrequited love, betrayal, violence, life, and death. Inspired by classics of the genre such as “Pretty Polly” and “Long Black Veil,” as well as contemporary songs by Steve Earle, Nick Cave, and Gillian Welch, Erik Kriek has crafted five graphic narratives that embody the spirit of the murder ballad tradition and prove that the deepest darkness harbors tales that daylight would never tolerate.
Eerie, bloody, wistful, and strange, In the Pines will lead you down to the very heart of the forest - where the wild roses grow and where the ghosts wander, their long-buried secrets unfurling in song.
“Gripping … A wonderful collection of tales”
comic Review
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“Pounding feet, terrified glances, a noose around someone’s neck: with dramatic close-ups and a cinematic approach, there is much to savour in Erik Kriek’s comic book”
de Volkskrant
“Bloody and twisted, In The Pines takes you repeatedly into these ordinary worlds and lures you to their deepest shadows. In doing so you’re masterfully shown the darkest sides of human nature in cinematic style. This isn’t a read to feel warm and fuzzy over; it will unsettle, but step away from the daylight, wrap up warm, and dive in”
the Skinny
“A brilliant idea … set, with apt affection for the Gothic mood, in the nineteenth-century American landscape”
trouw
“The thing [Kriek] does so well is to allow landscape and setting to create the mood. Even when the sun is shining, it’s dark in the woods.”
de Standaard
Erik Kriek
Erik Kriek is an award-winning graphic artist. His work has featured in a wide variety of international magazines and newspapers, and he has written and drawn the comic book Gutsman since 1994. In the Pines was awarded the 2016 Rudolph Dirks Award and ‘Album of the Year’ by the 2017 Dutch Comics Days, and has been translated into seven languages. He lives in Amsterdam.
