“And they lived happily ever aft – just kidding, they are all dead or insane.” Clearly, a joke that only H. P. Lovecraft aficionados will understand. There is no disputing that this well-known cosmic horror author is in a completely different mood. Howard Phillips Lovecraft, who began his career as a pulp writer and went on to redefine an entire genre of horror literature, including the Cthulhu Mythos, will be 85 years old in 2022. While incorporating Lovecraft’s unique style into media such as films has proven to be a challenging process, comic book creators have been unexpectedly enthusiastic.
In today’s movie, we will combine our passions for Lovecraft and comic books to look at ten of the best Lovecraftian comic books. Please keep in mind that this list is in no particular order, and you are welcome to add your favourites in the comments area if we have missed them. Are you prepared? Let us get this party started!
Nameless
Often regarded as the scariest comic book of 2015, this Image Comics limited series here is a result of the trio of Grant Morrison, Chris Burnham and Nathan Fairbairn coming together. The six-issue science fiction horror series melding elements of Mayan and Aztec mythology follows a nameless occult hustler enlisted by a bunch of billionaire futurists to save Earth from a massive asteroid called Xibalba that is on a collision course with the planet. Also, with Xibalba approaching nearer, it exhibits some kind of psychic control not only over the people of earth but also over the astronauts who explore it. In fact, the story makes it pretty hard for both the characters in the comic book as well as the ones reading it to differentiate between reality and nightmare and to top things, the characters finally find themselves confronting what looks like some sort of a race of Lovecraftian God-Monsters.
Now, there are no second thoughts about the story being ultra-violent; there are faces getting torn apart, astronauts getting their limbs torn, several characters killing and eating their very own families. You know that you just cannot take Nameless lightly! Backed by Burnham’s electrifying work of art, Morrison takes his readers to the extreme dark corners of the universe. Mind you, this spinning narrative here is undoubtedly not for every comic book reader but certainly an experience to remember for certified geeks. So, if you fancy Lovecraft and comic books, you are in for a real treat!
Fall of Cthulhu
Ever wondered what happens when Gods go to war and mankind has to survive? Well, if you truly wish to know the answer, Michael Alan Nelson’s contribution to the collective Cthulhu canon, Fall of Cthulhu to be more precise is what you should be on the lookout for. Published by Boom! Studios and heavily inspired by Lovecraft’s short story, The Call of Cthulhu, the central characters of this 2007 comic book series find themselves caught up in the middle of an ancient, elaborate plot, one that’s intended by the malign deity, Nyarlathotep, with the sole purpose of raging war between the Great Old Ones. Collected into six volumes – The Fugue, The Gathering, The Gray Man, God War, Apocalypse and Nemesis along with an omnibus, Nelson takes his readers on a journey to the very boundaries of consciousness and way beyond.
With the first volume, Nelson effortlessly builds up quite an atmosphere of grim horror. There’s a lot that’s taking place; things that will eventually make way more sense as you move on to the next volumes. Please take note that the kind of comics this is, it is most certainly not for the casual readers. While it isn’t gory, it is conclusively disturbing and dark. With the second volume unfolding a lot of events, the third volume introduces exciting characters, mainly Lucifer and Sheriff Dirk. The fourth volume and it goes without saying has all hell breaking loose, especially with the war between the Gods. The fifth volume does bring the series to a dramatic finale, one that brags quite a few twists and revelations. As for the final volume, we will leave things to you. We highly recommend that you explore this comic book series and let us know your thoughts about it.
Neonomicon
Written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Jacen Burrows, this four-issue comic book limited series serves as a sequel to Moore’s preceding two-issue comic book mini-series, Alan Moore’s The Courtyard. Published by Avatar Press back in the year 2010, Neonomicon continues to further explore Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. Now, when it comes to Moore, he is particularly known for associating his work as well as themes relating to it with Lovecraft.
With Neonomicon, he introduces the readers to the character of Johnny Carcosa – in other words, an avatar of Nyarlathotep, one of the Great Old Ones. It goes without saying that Moore wanted to elaborate on some of the ideas that already existed in the first instalment and at the same time tell his readers a contemporary story, one that definitely did not depend on a 1930s atmosphere. The goal was to highlight certain things that he thought Lovecraft had intentionally left out of his stories.
For those of you, who are yet to dive into this particular comic book series, please be aware of a few characteristic traits of Moore that we’d like to highlight. For starters, he is brilliant but when it comes to his work, it is sexually explicit. Therefore, it should not come as a shock to you at all when we tell you that Neonomicon has on display a graphic rape sequence boasting some very well-executed elements. What we have is a large Fishman forcibly penetrating a woman. Yes, it was absolutely horrendous and earlier when we said well-executed elements, we meant the visual imageries more from the point of view of the woman to amplify the suspense of the creature getting revealed. Hats off to Burrows for being so incredible with his work throughout. A winner of the newly created Graphic Novel category at the Bram Stoker Awards in 2012, Neonomicon is a true treasure, one that you just would not want to miss out on!
Alan Moore’s The Courtyard
This two-issue comic book mini-series adapted by Anthony Johnston from a 1994 short prose horror story by Alan Moore is backed by a brilliant work of art by Jacen Burrows. Published by Avatar Press in the year 2003, Alan Moore’s The Courtyard has FBI agent Aldo Sax specializing in ‘anomaly theory’, to probe deeper into three apparently unassociated ritual murders across the United States. As part of the investigation, he goes to a nightclub in Red Hook and learns about a psychoactive drug called Aklo. Sax arranges a meeting with the mysterious peddler called Johnny Carcosa at the dealer’s apartment and is given a hallucinogenic white powder, one that acts more like a prelude to the Aklo.
Sax, under the influence, is subjected to bizarre visions of spectral planes and unsightly primaeval creatures and soon comprehends the fact that Aklo in reality is the language that Carcosa spoke to him. Things take a horrible turn for Sax when the preceding visions lead him to slaughter his fellow neighbour in the same manner as the killers that he was looking into.
What truly makes this adaptation such a hit amongst fans is the stellar artwork by Jacen Burrows. It is flowy, it is easy to comprehend and the Lovecraftian monsters on display are more than just fine. Burrows need a special commendation for giving the characters impressive facial expressions, something that really worked in favour of the story here. In case you have not checked this out yet, trust us when we tell you that you should!
Providence
Continuing to explore Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, this twelve-issue comic book limited series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Jacen Burrows serves both as a prequel as well as a sequel to Moore’s previous stories, Neonomicon and The Courtyard. With The Yellow Sign, The Hook, A Lurking Fear, White Ape, In The Walls, Out Of Time, The Picture, The Key, Outsiders,
The Haunted Palace, The Unnameable and The Book categorized as the twelve issues, Providence is set in the year 1919. The series revolves around gay, Jewish writer Robert Black primarily working as a reporter for the New York Herald. Black takes a time off from his career with the sole aim of writing a Great American Novel making use of the ‘occult Outsiders’ that he is pursuing across New England.
When we say there was no stopping this series from getting critical acclaim, one does get a fair idea about it, right? After all, Moore has irrefutably been one of the topmost creators to wholly grasp the rich mythology in the Lovecraftian tradition and also expand the mythos. In case you did not know, the first volume ended up being a recipient of a nomination for the 2016 Bram Stoker Award for Best Graphic Novel.
The Dunwich Horror
If you fancy H. P. Lovecraft as much as we at Marvelous Videos do, know that you just cannot miss out on Joe R. Lansdale’s The Dunwich Horror. Backed by Peter Bergting’s artwork, it is what one would like to address as the dawn of a great horror story. Well, if we take a closer peek at the first few pages of this comic book here, you will observe that it has no dialogue. As surprising as it might seem to you, the right mood is already set. There is suspense, there is a mystery and soon the readers will find themselves flipping through the pages, holding on to their breaths just to know what is it that is waiting for them on the next page. Signs of a good story, right? Well, did we not make this clear right at the very beginning?
Hats off to both Lansdale and Bergting for successfully being able to come up with such an intense ambience and also keep the readers hooked on till the very last pages. To achieve this requires a very particular set of skills and you know not everyone gets to do that but the duo surely did. We don’t want to spoil the story for you; it is highly recommended that you give this a shot as soon as you can. Also, did we miss out on the part that this comic adaptation of Lovecraft here is specifically for the 21st-century audience? Oh well, now you know!
The Calling: Cthulhu Chronicles
So, a cruise ship comes to the port and hundreds aboard the ship are dead – well, when you have a premise like this, you know you are in for a real treat. There are no second thoughts about this heavily Lovecraft-inspired horror graphic novel, one that is written by Michael Alan Nelson, piquing the interests of fans of supernatural horror series and of course the Great Old Ones.
Right from the scary, concise storytelling, the profound weight established right at the beginning, the riveting art design, the classic Cthulhu mythos and the way everything was interconnected, there is literally nothing not to like about The Calling: Cthulhu Chronicles. One only wishes that a story as grand as this one here truly had more volumes to brag; a single volume clearly leaves the readers craving for more especially when you have a certain ghost ship angle attached to it. Anyway, addressing all fans of cosmic horror, there is an Old One sleeping that will hear … THE CALLING! And, just like that you know you cannot miss this.
Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham
Here, let’s make this easy for you. If you are someone who happens to be a fan of Batman, Lovecraft and Mike Mignola, you are simply going to love this. Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham published under DC Comics’ Elseworlds imprint has an alternate Batman in the 1920s finding himself battling against supernatural forces that have taken over the city of Gotham post inadvertently reawakening a terrible thing from beyond space and time, one that is known as the Lurker on the Threshold.
Having said that, be honest if this has ever crossed your mind – what if the character of Batman was written by Lovecraft, how would he end up being? Well, this is precisely what this mini-series here aims to do. It fulfils the deepest desires of not only the fans of cosmic horror but also fans of Batman! The artwork on display does full justice to the unsettling mood and for that, we have the duo of Dennis Janke and Dave Stewart to thank for. Also, the addition of Ra’s al Ghul, Green Arrow and Two-Face makes this three-issue comic book mini-series all the more gripping.
Colder
Written by Paul Tobin and illustrated by Juan Ferreyra, Colder specifically comes under the category of comic books where the artwork is so overpowering that you’d want to read it anyway. We are pretty serious about this one; Colder has no direct reference to H. P. Lovecraft or even the Cthulhu Mythos for that matter. But yes, it does draw very heavily on the Lovecraftian usage of insanity, hence, making it to our list of the top 10 Lovecraftian comic books to be explored.
Wondering what’s the story about? Well, Colder is about Declan Thomas, one who becomes cursed by Nimble Jack to become colder or in other words, his body temperature happens to be far below average. For those who aren’t aware, Declan is an ex-inmate of a mental institution, one that was apparently wrecked in a fire. Anyway, he has this mysterious capability of stepping inside a person’s madness and also curing it. Of course, he strives to cure his own but then he is running out of time. A demonic predator is seen chasing him through what appears to be a nightmare version of Boston and if Declan’s body temperature reaches zero, you know it is over for him.
Fatale
Published by Image Comics, this supernatural noir comic book here is the creation of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Initially, declared to be a 12-issue limited series, Fatale was eventually extended to 24 issues post which the series concluded.
As far as the narrative is concerned, it concerns Josephine, more popularly known as Jo. A femme fatale, apparently immortal, having survived from the 1930s till the present times and not a day older, Jo is blessed with a supernatural power to hypnotize men and make them intensely infatuated with her. For decades, Jo has literally been struggling to both comprehend and keep her powers in check. At the same time, she is also being hunted by some kind of a violent cult, ones that worship cosmic gods reminiscent of Lovecraftian horrors. Somehow, all of this is tied to Jo.
With this, we come to an end to today’s video. Please feel free to add your favourite Lovecraftian comic books, the ones that you think should have made it to the list in the comments section.