The Comics Journal

There is perhaps an equally mysterious tale hidden in the truncated dialogue between the man and Delphine which is littered throughout the series. When a bystander at the funeral in issue one of Delphine suggests that a two-headed baby is being buried, we hardly pause to reflect on his morbid sense of humor, discounting his suggestion.  But soon other facts slip in which hint that the man’s separation from Delphine was not entirely amicable.

There is the dream sequence in issue 3 which suggests that Delphine’s depature was as much his abandonment of her. This dream represents a curious resorting and re-analysis of facts. The protagonist is seen returning home after Delphine’s departure holding a piece of wood in his hand (perhaps to represent the forest he is trapped within). When the dream ends, it is Delphine who offers him the poisoned apple and with this comes the impression that she is the source of his afflictions. The scene is clearly meant to recall Eve’s presentation of fruit to Adam with a worm substituting for the serpent — a premonition of the sexual nature of their “sin”.

Delphine’s departure in the final issue is hurried, secretive and seemingly tormented. On page 5 of the final issue, she tears away the skin from her face to reveal festering flesh …

…. and later on page 13 declines to have sex with our protagonist.

These flashes of memory suggest a gradual piecing together of the protagonist’s torment. Has Delphine truly returned to tend to her father as she states — her unmasking merely reflecting the hero’s new appraisal of her beauty and his memories? Or does the child being buried represent something much more? As Curt Purcell notes in his review:

“All we know of her comes from the hero’s memories, unreliably filtered through his turbulent feelings, fantasies, and dubious efforts to force the pieces he knows of her into a picture he can understand.”

Sala confirms this in his interview at Comics Book Resources where he states:

“The rough idea was to do a present-day take on “Snow White” or “Sleeping Beauty” from the point-of-view of the male character — the “hero” or the “prince” —who has set out to find the endangered heroine…And since everything we know about their relationship comes from this guy who is sort of insecure, the information we get is often contradictory.”

As Sala’s hero laments early in issue 3, “if you can’t read between the lines – then you’ve failed.”

In his review, Frank Santoro advises readers of Delphine to examine the covers of the series for a layer of subtext. The cover to issue one is a mirror image of the backcover to issue four with a poisoned apple being offered to the man and Delphine respectively.

The back cover to issue 1 shows Delphine as Red Riding Hood walking through a treacherous wood — suggesting that we have started on our journey. The third issue cover has the protagonist ascending the steps of a tower while the backcover portrays Delphine as Rapunzel with her hair about to be cut.

Delphine is a morbid interpretation of the symbology of fairy tales resounding with echoes of unrequited love and abandonment. This is perhaps Sala’s darkest and most intricate story ever – impressive in its nuance and ever shifting emotions. One can only hope that it is not ignored.

[A discussion of Delphine can be found at The Comics Journal message board.]