I picked this up after iFanboy Episode #91, which was entirely about
Ben Templesmith. My friend had already read 30 Days of Night and
praised it, so Templesmith was already on my radar. However, my only
experience with his work prior to this was the 30 Days of Night movie
(if you can even consider that related), and that I thought was pretty
much shit.

Ben Templesmith is known for his art. He didn’t write 30 Days of
Night, but I would say the reason for its buzz was almost entirely to
his credit. The art in Welcome to Hoxford is glorious. I love it. It’s
all his own, he is the comics equivalent of an auteur in the best
possible way.

The story centers around Ray (that’s him on the right with all the
blood), a man who has run the gamut of horrible experiences leaving him
with as many mental health problems as possible. After killing his
latest roommate, Ray is sent to a new prison run by a Russian
conglomerate (Hoxford). It’s the worst of the worst headed there on the
bus with him: murderers, rapists, a necrophiliac, a “kiddie fiddler,”
and a cannibal. Once they arrive, it’s clear something sinister is
going on.

The story I found very intriguing and interesting, and I definitely
continued with the series (I already bought and read the rest of the
issues, reviews soon to come). Definitely worth checking out, I think
Templesmith has a lot of potential as a writer as well as an artist.

Patrick Stedem

http://p4tr1ck.tumblr.com/post/63308253/review-welcome-to-hoxford-1-of-4