The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft (Image – Carter / Salmons)
When this book appeared in my pullbox I thought, why the hell did I order this? For me, BOOM! has pretty much besmirched the whole Cthulu franchise with weak, cliched writing and really, really bad art. Makes me not want to pick up ANY Cthulu stuff at all (except for maybe that cute Cthulu plushie).
But this is an Image book, so the quality should be better, right? And well yes it is. The only detraction this book has is it’s steep price tag of $4.99.
It was only a matter of time until someone made HP Lovecraft a character in a Cthulu story, so the concept is not earth shattering. But the story itself, even though we have the usual Cthulu story conventions, is in fact very fresh. We get all sorts of extraneous, but poignant details, that don’t move the plot along, but add to the overall feel of the story, and make us sympathize with the main character. They are worked in well, not contrived or clumsy. So this is good. I was engaged by the characters, and curious where else (besides the inevitable Cthuluiness) the plot would go. The story recaptures much of the humanness that drove the original Lovecraft tales, which so many knock offs lack.
The best part of this book, though is the art by Tony Salmons. Come on, if you don’t cherish your issues of Dakato North, you’re cheating yourself. What about the Marvel Fanfare Unus/Blob story? While I realize Tony Salmons may be an aquired taste, one which I enjoy (but I eat raw fish and haggis) he is a master in the medium. He tells a great, clear, fluid, interesting graphic story here. His story telling manages to get us right inside Lovecraft’s head . So, though I still balk at the price tag on this book, Salmon’s work alone is worth getting this book.
Story: A Art: A
