Book Review of "The Lovecraft Anthology, Volume 1", edited by Dan Lockwood

Graphic novels like this one are a special treat. Each story (there are 7 in total) are done in varying artstyles, all of which capture the bleak, isolated hopelessness so common to this literary master; many, disturbingly creepy (Mark Stafford).

This graphic novel succeeds where "Sherlock Holmes and the Necronomicon" failed. Lovecraft's horrific imagination is simply ripe for artists' interpretation of some of his most memorable monsters and atrocities!

The written adaptations for this graphic medium are done well, allowing the art to fill in the necessarily omitted void of description with visual elements.

Of particular noteworthiness to me was the book's interpretation of "The Colour Out of Space" (Adapted by David Hine and Illustration by Mark Stafford).

Lovecraft's "The Colour Out of Space" has always been one of the trickiest - if not outright impossible! - stories to translate into any visual medium. Several movie adaptations have attempted to interpret this story and failed miserably. (Although possibly entertaining in their own right, they failed as an interpretation of "The Colour Out of Space").

"The Curse" (1987) and "Creepshow's" (1982)

episode starring Stephen King, "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" come to mind with the latter portraying the 'extraterrestial' colour as a bright, near unnatural, green.

This graphic novel version (still a visual medium) sidesteps this issue, focusing on what horror it does to the plants, animals and, especially, people. (I am challenged to imagine how one represents a new colour while limited to the colours of our visual spectrum?"

I was also especially pleased (or unpleased as we shall soon see) with its rendition of "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" (Adapted by Leah Moore & John Reppion and Illustrated by Leigh Gallagher). It succeeded in relaying the town's sense of isolation, destitution and, ultimately, emptiness.

It was unpleasently soul emptying and I didn't want to continue reading at times! Well done!

In "The Call of Cthulhu" (Adapted by Ian Edginton and Illustrated by D'Israeli), depicting the corpse-city R'lyeh's strange angles is a difficult endeavor even for the most imaginative minds.

I believe it's no accident that Lovecraft himself never directly takes us to R'lyeh, instead ingeniously relying upon his fictitious character Johansen's testimony. (I know I myself am facing this particular challenge. I am currently working on finishing the third book of The Symbiot Series where I take the main characters directly into (read in, first person) the risen city of R'lyeh.)

This graphic novel's version of "The Call of Cthulhu" can be forgiven to rely on a variation of M.C. Escher's stairs. to represent R'lyeh's odd angles. The only other medium I can recall that was bold enough to attempt a direct first person perspective of R'lyeh's outré angles was the 2005 film "The Call of Cthulhu", and did the job well. (I only hope I can pull off writting a journey into R'lyeh myself!)

The Lovecraft Anthology Volume 1 should please the well read H.P. Lovecraft fan as well as serve as an appetite wetting introduction to the Lovecraftian world of the Cthulhu-mythos (or, more accurately, Yog-Sothothery!)

What a brave and bold endeavor!

Four stars! I look forward to Volume 2!