The Squirrel Machine #[nn]

Hans Rickheit's densely detailed cover sets an unsettling, Victorian-tinged mood — a figure sits slumped on a cluttered floor, face pressed against a strange telephone-like device connected by hoses to an ornate fish tank filled with some bubbling, otherworldly mass. Scattered debris, a bottle, and odd mechanical contraptions crowd the room, hinting at obsession and experimentation gone to peculiar places. This Fantagraphics release feels like a labor of deeply personal, intricate craft that rewards slow, careful looking.