I typically approach any Lovecraft-related graphic novels with a healthy dose of trepidation. Often, the art simply does not live up to Lovecraft's terror, and ends up looking bland, childish, and cartoonish.

And, equally often, the writer either sticks slavishly to Lovecraft's original words, or veers so wildly that it doesn't even resemble a Lovecraft story anymore.

So, there's a fine line to be tread, hewing close enough to keep the spirit of Lovecraft, while also making it interesting enough for a more modern audience.

I will say, of the hundreds of Lovecraft graphic novels I've read, this one, hands down, is the best. The art moves with the horror, yet strikes a perfect tone each time. And the writing? I'm surprised, as I'm not a big fan of Keith Giffen's writing overall, but here, he does a great job. Yes, he takes some liberties, seemingly making Howard Lovecraft a lot less awkward than is typically portrayed, but overall, just a great story.

I loved this. ( )

I have often thought about reading H. P. Lovecraft. Not knowing if I would be repulsed or intrigued, I have yet to cross the line. Recently, however, some facsimile of him appeared before my eyes. Late last Halloween evening I was looking for something to read before sleeping. Too lazy to rustle up my glasses, I grabbed this book blindly off the shelf. I wrinkled my brow at the chance and fell into bed reading. I was immediately drawn in. Origin stories always intrigue—the origin of madness even more so. Lovecraft as a person appears to have run the gamut from unseemly to unsavory to unforgivable. This story offers how he sympathetically might have reached that place—and where the worlds he “created” might have sprung from. Childhood trauma germinates into adult horror obliterating the life he might have had. The story kind of slithers along—events happen or may not happen—Lovecraft ages but may not mature. Is anything real. The story is well paced and inventive and smothers when you almost catch your breath. The art work has a nice contrast. The presentation of Lovecraft manages an almost endearing caricature that is then set upon by the wildly imaginative art of Lovecraft’s worst fears. The art managing to be both indistinct and ominous, billowing as if the laws of this world don’t apply—instead answering to the demands of another. It all ends in devastation. A nice late night ride. I picked the book randomly but in the middle of reading, I remembered someone earlier in the day asked me out of nowhere if I had heard of Providence. It was odd then…stranger later when I began reading about possibly it's most famous scion. ( )

Sunday readings, pre-Halloween selection.

***

Recommended by a real-life friend as psychological preparation for reading Lovecraft. Apparently it's short, good, and mandatory if I dont' want to go insane. Duly noted! ( )

Niezwykły album o życiu Howarda Phillipsa Lovecrafta, w które wkracza świat mitów wymyślonych przez samego pisarza, powstał w wyniku współpracy trójki znakomitych profesjonalistów.

Hans Rodionoff, specjalista od wymyślania scenariuszy filmowych horrorów, napisał tym razem wstępny skrypt komiksu. Ostatecznie do formy graficznej tekst ten zaadaptował Keith Giffen, znany wcześniej z opowieści o superbohaterach. Rysunkami zajął się jeden z największych argentyńskich grafików, Enrique Breccia.

Wstęp natomiast napisał John Carpenter, jeden z najbardziej znanych reżyserów horrorów, który od lat jest miłośnikiem twórczości Lovecrafta.

Album ten nie jest zwyczajną opowieścią obyczajową. Na kanwie prawdziwych wydarzeń z życia pisarza osnuto autentyczny horror – właśnie w stylu lovecraftowskim. Skoro sam twórca wierzył, iż wymyślone przez niego uniwersum grozy jest prawdziwe, zatem na kartach tego komiksu ów inny świat wszedł do jego życia. A potem doprowadził go na skraj szaleństwa.

This graphic novel furnishes about as accurate a portrayal of H.P. Lovecraft as the movie "Chemical Wedding" (a.k.a. "Crowley") did of Aleister Crowley, which is to say: not particularly. In the foreword, moviemaker John Carpenter gives entirely too much credence to the possible facticity of the contents--which were apparently first developed as a screenplay.

Still, Rodionoff tells an entertaining story, and Breccia's art is quite effective and evocative. I would recommend it to horror comics afficianados and Cthulhu Mythos completists.