Found Metal Friday!

My new heavy metal horror novel An Augmented Fourth comes out this June.

To mark the occasion I'm going to bring you '"Found Metal" on Fridays.

Found Metal is pop culture stuff I’ve dredged up from the corners of my mind and mother internet that aren’t explicitly heavy metal in and of themselves but nevertheless they still possess that unnamable thing that makes something metal. Some things just have that connotation with them and it’s hard to say exactly why. Metal is one of those things that’s impossible to define exactly but you know it when you see it.

Today's found metal is the work of Danish artist and writer Don Kenn. He also goes by John Kenn Mortensen for some reason. Here's me holding his first book Sticky Monsters.

It's no exaggeration to say that he's one of my favorite artists I've personally discovered over the last few years. His work is often compared to Edward Gorey which makes sense seeing as they share some Edwardian sensibilities and often depict children in peril but Kenn's work is a lot more overtly sinister than Gorey's. He will full on show melted face monsters being fed charred human bodies, Whereas Gorey hints at horror more than anything.

Kenn is rather explicit which is what makes his work so metal. It's still charming, even whimsical at times but there is a pervading occultish flavor that seeps into the bones of what he's doing.

Oh, and most of his early work is drawn entirely on sticky notes!

He has a few more books but so far they're hard to purchase here in the states. I hope that changes soon. Check out more of his work at his site.

If you got something you think is unintentionally brutal or accidentally scary send that found metal to me via an email and if I use it I'll send you some sort of prize. Hit me up at: tonymcmllen@gmail.com