Profondo Mondo's Three Mothers Comic

The wonderfully talented David Read and Ash Loydon aka Profondo Mondo teamed up last year to create a mesmerising love letter to Dario Argento's seminal Three Mothers trilogy with their Three Mothers comic - a project devised to expand on the lore of Argento's epoch-making films in comic book form. With the comic now officially shipping from Cultzilla, I thought I'd do a small review to let Italian genre cinema fans know what to expect from this mysterious new project...

Partly influenced by Argento's Three Mothers trilogy and partly influenced by the trilogy's original source material, Thomas De Quincy's Confessions of an Opium Eater as well as Fritz Leiber’s Our Lady of Darkness, Profondo Mondo's comic captures the lore of Argento's films whilst expanding on ideas present in Suspiria and Inferno to create a new tale set in the Three Mothers universe. Set in New York in 2007, it follows a mysterious woman who is seemingly connected to the events that occurred during Suspiria and Inferno as well as those prior to Suspiria as established in the Mother of Tears. Without wishing to spoil the comic, it nicely establishes its own unique story whilst referencing the rich lore of Argento's Three Mothers trilogy creating an engaging premise that sets the new Three Mothers story up nicely for follow up issues. Read and Loydon manage to create a real sense of suspense and mystery throughout the comic perfectly capturing the feel of the original films. On finishing the comic, I wanted to read more and my mind started racing with questions about the characters in the comic and how they tie in with the pre-existing Three Mothers universe. More importantly, it left me wanting to know more about where this new story would lead on its own terms out with the established Argento cannon. As an Argento fan that was left wanting with The Mother of Tears, it was nice to explore the possibilities of the Three Mothers universe and the untapped potential that lies within it. 

The new story devised by Loydon and Read is set across 23 pages of a softcover booklet and includes a 4 page scrapbook section filled with clever references to the Three Mothers trilogy. The comic's cover art is evocative of Suspiria and Inferno's art style as well as Varelli's The Three Mothers tome and beautifully fits the bill of what an Argento fan would expect to see in such a comic. An amalgamation of styles inside the comic perfectly captures the Three Mothers universe and there's a nice mix between Loydon's art style and Read's graphic design. Ash Loydon's art style really shines throughout the comic and I loved how he captured pre-existing characters as well as new protagonists. The look of the new characters in particular was a real joy as Loydon really managed to capture distinct memorable looks that felt fitting to the story.

The project is a testament to Loydon and Read's love for and knowledge of the Three Mothers trilogy. The comic is packed full of references to Argento's films which are sure to capture the imagination of fans of the Italian horror director. Eagle eyed Argento fans will be able to spot many references to the director's work outside of his Three Mothers trilogy throughout the various panels. After my initial read through, I went back through the comic scouting for more sly references so it certainly makes for a fun second read through after you've digested the initial story. I won't spoil the references for those without a copy but I will say I particularly enjoyed a visual reference to one of my favourite enigmatic Italian beauties as well as a text reference to certain actors. 

One of my favourite elements of the comic outside of the comic itself is the scrapbook section. This section of the comic really elevates the whole project and is sure to make this a special read for Argentophiles. The scrapbook section of the comic really captures the vivid world of Suspiria and Inferno with its many references to characters, items and locations. The inclusion of items like Suzy Banyon's airline ticket really demonstrate Profondo Mondo's love for and understanding of the Three Mothers trilogy and the amount of detail they wanted to pour into this project.

Priced at only 4.95 this is an absolute steal for cult horror and Italian genre cinema fans. You can purchase your copy now at Cultzilla alongside other cult film themed goodies. Please support this wonderful project and please let David and Ash know your thoughts, I'm sure they'd be delighted to hear your feedback! It would be wonderful to see this promising story continue through follow up comics so please support this worthwhile project and send your love to Profondo Mondo! You can find David and Ash on Twitter at the links below.

@Cultzilla_UK
@AshtonLamont