Roman Dirge is the master of finding the cute in the terrifying, and vice-versa. Taxidermied: The Art of Roman Dirge, has an abundance of both, and while fans of Lenore will recognize his trademark style, Dirge also flexes his artistic muscles and branches out a bit, trying new things and hitting new heights in this excellent new collection from Titan Books.

Dirge's trademark mixture of sweet and creepy are on display in sections like 'Scarytales', dark interpretations of stories like Alice in Wonderland that serve as a reminder that before America and Disney got their hands on them, many fairytales were actually quite gritty. 'Monsters' isn't quite as self-descriptive as you'd think - it's more about the horror of the every day, and will trouble me later today when I'm at the doctor's office.

Taxidermied is Roman Dirge doing what he does best, in ways old and new. Fans of his work have come to expect a certain style from hi, and they won't be disappointed. But, like Dirge himself - an artist not content to rest on his laurels - they won't be bored, either. Taxidermied appears to mark the start of a new phase in Dirge's artistic evolution,and it's lots of fun to look at besides.