Dr. Zomb’s House of Freaks

    (Starhead, 1993)
©1993 Art Penn and Starhead Comix

Art Penn and Starhead Comix take a look at the human oddities of the circus sideshow in this one-shot special. The people featured are all real performers from the past or present.

Some of the freaks featured here were self-made such as Mortado, who actually had his hands and feet pierced so that he could perform a bizarre “crucifixion” trick, complete with fake blood. Another was Tim Leppard, the Catman of Wales, who spent more than 400 hours under the tattoo needle in order to get the “spots” which made him famous.

More commonly, the freaks were accidents of nature. Frank Lentini was born with three legs—one of which he could use as a stool to sit on. Another sadder freak was Count Orloff, a victim of ossification—rapid aging, almost mummification—which had afflicted him by age 14.
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