For almost a decade, Dark Horse Comics has published an extensive line of innovative comic books, graphic novels, and trade paperback collections, covering the gamut from traditional superheroes all the way to funny animals and fine art. Dark Horse continues to break new ground with the release of a graphic novel dealing with the frightening issue of child sexual abuse.

Bryan Talbot's The Tale of One Bad Rat tells the story of Helen Potter, a young girl who has run away from a sexually abusive father. Crossing a gulf of half a century, Helen's life becomes interwoven with that of the more famous Potter, the late children's author Beatrix Potter, originator and illustrator of such classic characters as Peter Rabbit and the Town Mouse and the Country Mouse.

Creator Bryan Talbot doesn't want the grim subject of child abuse to put off readers. This is really an upbeat, feel-good story. It's about recovery rather than the horror of the abuse itself. Helen is a visionary and an artist, and this story celebrates the creative process that helps her reclaim her life. The message of One Bad Rat is that abuse survivors need not assume that they are alone; others out there have the same kind of problems. Their situations aren't hopeless.

One Bad Rat is an entertaining, enthralling, and thoroughly enjoyable book. It is a hopeful and significant story. It will quickly become one of the year's most important books and will long be remembered as a masterpiece of comic art storytelling. In fact, when The Tale of One Bad Rat first appeared in periodical form last year, it won two important awards: the U. K. Comic Art Award for Best New Publication, and the prestigious Comic Creators Guild Award for best short series of 1994.

The Tale of One Bad Rat is a 128-page, full-color trade paperback graphic novel. It will be available in November 1995 at a cover price of $14.95.