Review: The Lovecraft Anthology, Volume 1
The Lovecraft Anthology, Volume 1 by H.P. Lovecraft
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Rating 4 out of 5 | Grade A; Scary things which go bump in the night
Warning: Graphical Violence, Blood, Gore, Body Horror & much more; Reader Discretion advised
I chanced upon a series of Graphical novels, adaptations of well known Lovecraftian tales, and I thought, Great. Now I get a chance to revisit those tales of eldritch horrors, without having to wade through the doom and nihilistic gloom of the written form, which would give Edar Allan Poe the chills.
And I’ve to say, Lovecraft’s short stories lend themselves quite well to illustrated mediums. There is so much to explore, and present, and the artists can go wild coming up with all manner of horrifying illustrations & landscapes, the types of which only a troubled mind such as Lovecraft was capable of conjuring up.
For those whose first foray this is unto the writer’s body of work, bewarned. This is one of those, ‘you have to take in account the time when it was written’ sort of stories. Lovecraft did not have a healthy childhood upbringing; and even less healthy adult life. Writing was his sole escape from the actual nightmares and crippling feeling of nihilistic doom which plagued him. This, combined with misguided morals, lead him to be immensely offensive & outspoken in regards to the ‘colored folk’, as well as any sort of romantic relationship between them and those who he saw as civilized people.
You could say, the whole of ‘The Shadow over Innsmouth’ is Lovecraft’s screwed up opinions & fears in regards to intercultural marriages, and what he thought would be the ‘abominations’ which they would spawn. So, read them with the understanding that, if you belong to any cultural groups other than ‘white’, these stories carry a lot of things which would anger you.
And you know, the obligatory warning for the Graphical violence, body horror and frankly nightmare inducing premises which are the staple of any good Lovecraftian story. (Be particularly wary of the body horror on display in ‘The Color out of Space’.
Yet, despite his shortcomings, Lovecraft was nonetheless able to scare and move his audiences, renewing their fear in the unknown. In his own words,
Scientists of all ages looked to the stars with optimism, believing in the notion that there is life out in the universe; and we are not alone in this dark, dark existence. Lovecraft went over the other side of that railing, driven insane by the notion of what the vast, cold darkness of the universe might hold. He feared that, whatever was out there, didn’t mean well for civilization as he knew it. And he is able to convey that, frighteningly vividly, in his stories.
Suffice to say, any connoisseurs of cosmic terror, would be remiss to not take a gander at the vast worlds which was penned from his mind. One which, through friends, peers and acquaintances, grew into a collective universe, filled with old gods, new gods and countless unknown horrors. Lovecraft is to Horror, what Philip K Dick was to science fiction; Prolific, thought inducing, imaginative, but ultimately underappreciated. So join us in indulgences into his nightmare fueled, slightly racist, fear of non-Euclidean geometry filled immortal tales.
Review
This Anthology of stories is composed of 7 of the most well known short stories penned by H.P. Lovecraft. Including:
✤The Call of Cthulhu
No-one needs any introduction to what could without doubt be considered as the most recognizable & lasting piece of the Lovecraftian Mythos. One which has slithered it many armed tentacled presence into much of modern media, art & literature. From games such as Elden Ring, to movies such as Hellboy & Evil Dead, comics such as Hellboy, Seed of Destruction, Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 & Neonomicon, to recently TV Series such as Lovecraft Country & Rick & Morty, Cthulhu & Lovecraftian Mythos is found long & wide.
The original story is no less chilling, on rereading. When cults, occultists, and psychically sensitive individuals around the world, begin going insane in either horror or ecstasy, all mentioning the warden of the old gods 'Cthulhu', and investigator tries to uncover the truth behind this eldritch entity.
In a series of disjointed accounts & anecdotes, we learn of the cult of Cthulhu & the old God which they worship. One who had awakened from the depths of the ocean floor, and now is preparing to free the cabal of eldritch beings known as the old gods, so that they and their acolytes may eradicate life as we know it, and reign once more with their cosmic horrors.
The artstyle in this volume, each of which varies from story to story, has immense range, in a good way. You can never expect what new aspects the illustrators are able to imbue in each story. For Call of the Cthulhu for example, the artists have used an interesting blend of dark, flowing, almost aquatic sheen when it comes to portraying the titular entity. Which, despite the setting, is crystal clear, and allows us to appreciate each aspect of the art on display, while also being simple to follow.
The whole background & setting is filled with this darkened purplish hue generously strewn about, which made me reminisce of some of Samurai Jack panels from the animated show. That is a comparison. Plus, on display here is Lovecraft's hilarious yet disturbing fear of shapes & non-Euclidian geometry.
✤The Haunter of the Dark
I admit, I've gone through most of Lovecraft's works, and it's the first time I read the Haunter in the dark. The story is typical Lovecraft, with the occult, mysterious grimoires, shadowy beings, fearful denizens set in a rural new England town. Nothing much to write home to.
The art is simplistic, yet at the same time filled to the brim with details, with sharp colors & outlines, going for a minimalistic sketch like aesthetic. Which once again reminded me of Samurai Jack.
✤The Dunwich Horror
One characteristic of Lovecraft Stories is the recurrent locations, and mcguffins which all show up in the shared world. This story, features the fictional Miskatonic University, as well as the dreaded Necronomicon, the staple of any good Lovecraft story.
Not much to say about this one, as the art, while competent doesn't really standout compared to the rest of the better stories.
✤The Color Out of Space
This, now this Ladies & gents is the crown piece of this anthology. Perhaps one of the more enduring tales, right up there along with Cthulhu, it describes a otherworldly meteor of mysterious nature, which crash lands onto the farm of Gardners. In time, this leads to a serious of alarming changes which takes place in and around the farm.
Vegetation which is bitter & unconsumable. Livestock & Fauna which become mutated, bloated abominations that are too horrorsome to even behold. In time, the family of the Gardners themselves slowly whittle away as if something were draining the very lifeforce from them, eventually driven insane to death.
On full display in its decadent glory, is the entire gamut of body horror, as we are made privy to the horrifying changes which have afflicted the land and life in it, when coming in contact with the noxious vapors from outer space. And of course, there are the psychedelic otherworldly colors, which seem alive and almost, sinister.
The Color out of space is the story which benefited the most from the graphic novel treatment, with its array of grotesque, macabre creations which could give the creatures from Thing a run for their money. Don't miss reading this. Unless you are someone who gets squeamish with body horror, in which case, why have you picked up this anthology in the first place!
✤The Shadow over Innsmouth
Innsmouth, is one of those stories, which, in my opinion, puts front and center, the feelings of fear, revulsion and disagreement which Lovecraft held to, among other things, people of other ethnicities & cultures, as well as the concept of interracial marriages as well the children who are borne of them.
The denizens of Innsmouth, who copulated with the creatures from the undersea world, to gain riches and immortality are portrayed as slimy, loathsome abominable beings whose very existence is an affront to everything that is good.
Using terms such as ‘Sickening fish tainted stench of the town- the idea of wormy decay’ to describe them. It may have given rise to who knows how many tales of mysterious, sinister villages & townsteads located in the heartland of the nation.
The art in some places is reminiscent almost of the undead pirates from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Black pearl movie. The settings & creatures are very well rendered and would leave you with that feeling of uncomfortable sliminess that the author is all gung ho about.
✤The Rats in the Walls
The Rats in the walls, which has surprisingly less amount of gore, (relatively) for one of these stories, is also reminiscent of the Edgar Allen Poe novels of old, from the Title to the subject matter. The outer gods or sinister beings, don’t make much of an appearance in this story, but the allusions to what had transpired in those catacombs, much of which remained unsaid, is chilling.
✤Dagon
The Shortest of the Lovecraft stories, Dagon takes a similar approach to that of ‘The Call of the Cthulhu’, when introducing its titular entity. There is barely enough story for a couple of scenes, but that in itself is crammed with all the horrors & grotesque wonder the illustrators could fit in.
And much like Cthulhu, the awe inspiring, nightmarish visage of Dagon is rendered in quite a chilling manner. Short, but gets the job done. As well as a good closing story.
Concluding thoughts
Other than the 7 stories illustrated in this volume, there are still several tales of the author which I would like to read as a comic. The likes of ‘At the Mountains of Madness’, 'The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath’, Pickman's Model and many more. Looking forward to the next volume for those tales.
View all my reviews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Rating 4 out of 5 | Grade A; Scary things which go bump in the night
Warning: Graphical Violence, Blood, Gore, Body Horror & much more; Reader Discretion advised
I chanced upon a series of Graphical novels, adaptations of well known Lovecraftian tales, and I thought, Great. Now I get a chance to revisit those tales of eldritch horrors, without having to wade through the doom and nihilistic gloom of the written form, which would give Edar Allan Poe the chills.
And I’ve to say, Lovecraft’s short stories lend themselves quite well to illustrated mediums. There is so much to explore, and present, and the artists can go wild coming up with all manner of horrifying illustrations & landscapes, the types of which only a troubled mind such as Lovecraft was capable of conjuring up.
For those whose first foray this is unto the writer’s body of work, bewarned. This is one of those, ‘you have to take in account the time when it was written’ sort of stories. Lovecraft did not have a healthy childhood upbringing; and even less healthy adult life. Writing was his sole escape from the actual nightmares and crippling feeling of nihilistic doom which plagued him. This, combined with misguided morals, lead him to be immensely offensive & outspoken in regards to the ‘colored folk’, as well as any sort of romantic relationship between them and those who he saw as civilized people.
You could say, the whole of ‘The Shadow over Innsmouth’ is Lovecraft’s screwed up opinions & fears in regards to intercultural marriages, and what he thought would be the ‘abominations’ which they would spawn. So, read them with the understanding that, if you belong to any cultural groups other than ‘white’, these stories carry a lot of things which would anger you.
And you know, the obligatory warning for the Graphical violence, body horror and frankly nightmare inducing premises which are the staple of any good Lovecraftian story. (Be particularly wary of the body horror on display in ‘The Color out of Space’.
Yet, despite his shortcomings, Lovecraft was nonetheless able to scare and move his audiences, renewing their fear in the unknown. In his own words,
“The oldest & strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest & strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown”
Scientists of all ages looked to the stars with optimism, believing in the notion that there is life out in the universe; and we are not alone in this dark, dark existence. Lovecraft went over the other side of that railing, driven insane by the notion of what the vast, cold darkness of the universe might hold. He feared that, whatever was out there, didn’t mean well for civilization as he knew it. And he is able to convey that, frighteningly vividly, in his stories.
Suffice to say, any connoisseurs of cosmic terror, would be remiss to not take a gander at the vast worlds which was penned from his mind. One which, through friends, peers and acquaintances, grew into a collective universe, filled with old gods, new gods and countless unknown horrors. Lovecraft is to Horror, what Philip K Dick was to science fiction; Prolific, thought inducing, imaginative, but ultimately underappreciated. So join us in indulgences into his nightmare fueled, slightly racist, fear of non-Euclidean geometry filled immortal tales.
Review
This Anthology of stories is composed of 7 of the most well known short stories penned by H.P. Lovecraft. Including:
✤The Call of Cthulhu
No-one needs any introduction to what could without doubt be considered as the most recognizable & lasting piece of the Lovecraftian Mythos. One which has slithered it many armed tentacled presence into much of modern media, art & literature. From games such as Elden Ring, to movies such as Hellboy & Evil Dead, comics such as Hellboy, Seed of Destruction, Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 & Neonomicon, to recently TV Series such as Lovecraft Country & Rick & Morty, Cthulhu & Lovecraftian Mythos is found long & wide.
The original story is no less chilling, on rereading. When cults, occultists, and psychically sensitive individuals around the world, begin going insane in either horror or ecstasy, all mentioning the warden of the old gods 'Cthulhu', and investigator tries to uncover the truth behind this eldritch entity.
In a series of disjointed accounts & anecdotes, we learn of the cult of Cthulhu & the old God which they worship. One who had awakened from the depths of the ocean floor, and now is preparing to free the cabal of eldritch beings known as the old gods, so that they and their acolytes may eradicate life as we know it, and reign once more with their cosmic horrors.
The artstyle in this volume, each of which varies from story to story, has immense range, in a good way. You can never expect what new aspects the illustrators are able to imbue in each story. For Call of the Cthulhu for example, the artists have used an interesting blend of dark, flowing, almost aquatic sheen when it comes to portraying the titular entity. Which, despite the setting, is crystal clear, and allows us to appreciate each aspect of the art on display, while also being simple to follow.
The whole background & setting is filled with this darkened purplish hue generously strewn about, which made me reminisce of some of Samurai Jack panels from the animated show. That is a comparison. Plus, on display here is Lovecraft's hilarious yet disturbing fear of shapes & non-Euclidian geometry.
✤The Haunter of the Dark
I admit, I've gone through most of Lovecraft's works, and it's the first time I read the Haunter in the dark. The story is typical Lovecraft, with the occult, mysterious grimoires, shadowy beings, fearful denizens set in a rural new England town. Nothing much to write home to.
The art is simplistic, yet at the same time filled to the brim with details, with sharp colors & outlines, going for a minimalistic sketch like aesthetic. Which once again reminded me of Samurai Jack.
✤The Dunwich Horror
One characteristic of Lovecraft Stories is the recurrent locations, and mcguffins which all show up in the shared world. This story, features the fictional Miskatonic University, as well as the dreaded Necronomicon, the staple of any good Lovecraft story.
Not much to say about this one, as the art, while competent doesn't really standout compared to the rest of the better stories.
✤The Color Out of Space
This, now this Ladies & gents is the crown piece of this anthology. Perhaps one of the more enduring tales, right up there along with Cthulhu, it describes a otherworldly meteor of mysterious nature, which crash lands onto the farm of Gardners. In time, this leads to a serious of alarming changes which takes place in and around the farm.
Vegetation which is bitter & unconsumable. Livestock & Fauna which become mutated, bloated abominations that are too horrorsome to even behold. In time, the family of the Gardners themselves slowly whittle away as if something were draining the very lifeforce from them, eventually driven insane to death.
On full display in its decadent glory, is the entire gamut of body horror, as we are made privy to the horrifying changes which have afflicted the land and life in it, when coming in contact with the noxious vapors from outer space. And of course, there are the psychedelic otherworldly colors, which seem alive and almost, sinister.
The Color out of space is the story which benefited the most from the graphic novel treatment, with its array of grotesque, macabre creations which could give the creatures from Thing a run for their money. Don't miss reading this. Unless you are someone who gets squeamish with body horror, in which case, why have you picked up this anthology in the first place!
✤The Shadow over Innsmouth
Innsmouth, is one of those stories, which, in my opinion, puts front and center, the feelings of fear, revulsion and disagreement which Lovecraft held to, among other things, people of other ethnicities & cultures, as well as the concept of interracial marriages as well the children who are borne of them.
The denizens of Innsmouth, who copulated with the creatures from the undersea world, to gain riches and immortality are portrayed as slimy, loathsome abominable beings whose very existence is an affront to everything that is good.
Using terms such as ‘Sickening fish tainted stench of the town- the idea of wormy decay’ to describe them. It may have given rise to who knows how many tales of mysterious, sinister villages & townsteads located in the heartland of the nation.
The art in some places is reminiscent almost of the undead pirates from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Black pearl movie. The settings & creatures are very well rendered and would leave you with that feeling of uncomfortable sliminess that the author is all gung ho about.
✤The Rats in the Walls
The Rats in the walls, which has surprisingly less amount of gore, (relatively) for one of these stories, is also reminiscent of the Edgar Allen Poe novels of old, from the Title to the subject matter. The outer gods or sinister beings, don’t make much of an appearance in this story, but the allusions to what had transpired in those catacombs, much of which remained unsaid, is chilling.
✤Dagon
The Shortest of the Lovecraft stories, Dagon takes a similar approach to that of ‘The Call of the Cthulhu’, when introducing its titular entity. There is barely enough story for a couple of scenes, but that in itself is crammed with all the horrors & grotesque wonder the illustrators could fit in.
And much like Cthulhu, the awe inspiring, nightmarish visage of Dagon is rendered in quite a chilling manner. Short, but gets the job done. As well as a good closing story.
Concluding thoughts
Other than the 7 stories illustrated in this volume, there are still several tales of the author which I would like to read as a comic. The likes of ‘At the Mountains of Madness’, 'The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath’, Pickman's Model and many more. Looking forward to the next volume for those tales.
View all my reviews
Comments
Post a Comment