Graphic Classics: H.P. Lovecraft
edited by Tom Pomplun
(Eureka Productions, $9.95, 144 pages, trade paperback; published
in November 2002.)
H.P. Lovecraft's stories betray a profoundly distasteful unease  with
anyone who isn't learned or aristocratic (preferably both), white, and
masculine. His overuse of portentous adjectives and adverbs quickly
becomes tiresome. Lovecraft aficionado Gahan Wilson addresses this stylistic
overindulgence in his introduction: "commentators on the works of Lovecraft
have put him down for his lavish use of unspecific adjectives (which
accusation even the most profound admirer of H.P.L. must admit is not
entirely inaccurate)."
Yet it's undeniable that his monstrous space gods, mad visionaries,
and dangerous grimoires have justly become permanent staples of fantastic
fiction.
In Graphic Classics: H.P. Lovecraft, editor Tom Pomplun pays
homage to the controversial writer with a selection of comics, fiction,
and poetry, with abundant graphics by a diverse crew of illustrators.
Like all the volumes in the Graphic Classics series, this is a gorgeously
produced book. The bizarre and compelling artwork, on nearly every page,
deliciously spices the mix with humour and terror. Highlights include
cartoonist's Matt Howarth's 22-page adaptation of "The Shadow Out of
Time", the stylishly witty illustrations of Devon Deveraux and Lisa
K. Weber, and Giorgio Comolo's nightmarish portrait of Lovecraft's most
famous monster, Cthulhu.
I find most of Lovecraft's fiction just this side of unreadable, yet
there's no denying that Graphic Classics: H.P. Lovecraft is a
delightful collection -- and probably the best way to sample the writer.
Most of all, Pomplun's admiration of Lovecraft does not blind him to
the unsavoury aspects of his character, and the collection includes
two comics stories -- one by George Kuchar, the other by Chris Pelletiere
-- that lampoon Lovecraft's neuroses and prejudices. The Kuchar piece
is particularly funny, while the Pelletiere slides into macabre surrealism.
This is a very attractive and entertaining package.
Originally published in
The Montreal Gazette, Saturday, 31 May 2003.
Claude Lalumière's Fantastic Fiction
is a series of
capsule reviews first published in the Saturday Books
section of The Montreal Gazette.
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