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Lovecraft Finally Gets the Adaptation He Deserves In New Series
Weird fiction author H.P. Lovecraft gets the adaptation he always deserved in Ablaze Comics’ new series Unknown Kadath. Comic books either adapting or based on Lovecraft’s writings are many, and generations of creators have infused their work with Lovecraftian themes–to varying degrees of success. Ablaze Comics has scored a winner with their gorgeous adaptation of the story “The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath,” combining a faithful script and trippy, surrealistic artwork befitting the source material. The first issue is on sale now.
H.P. Lovecraft’s influence on the fields of horror and science fiction can not be understated. Across numerous short stories and novellas, Lovecraft created a modern mythology, populated with terrifying monsters, such as Chtulhu–alien beings from beyond Earth, with motivations beyond our understanding; the themes Lovecraft helped popularize came to be known as “cosmic horror”--in which humans are prey to forces they cannot comprehend, forces that may drive them mad. Many generations of writers and artists have found Lovecraft’s themes and characters irresistible, incorporating them into their own work, and indeed, it was others playing in Lovecraft’s sandbox that may have ended up preserving his work for posterity. Comic book creators have been among the numbers taking their cues from Lovecraft. As stated before, Lovecraftian themes have permeated comic books, and some publishers have released works derived from him–such as Boom’s The Fall of Chtulhu, which met with acclaim from fans and critics. Ablaze Comics dares to step into the world of Lovecraft with a great adaptation of a classic Lovecraft story.
The issue opens with young Randolph Carter, the story’s protagonist, traveling to a hallucinatory landscape (in a shout-out to Windsor McCay’s Little Nemo in Slumberland) with a talking cat. Carter is dreaming, and before the dream ends, the cat tells him to “remember me Carter.” The story moves ahead in time (and space) finding Carter, now a young man, fighting off a horde of humanoid creatures; he is in a mysterious, dream dimension, searching for knowledge. He is seeking Kadath, the land of the gods–and nothing, not frog creatures or holy men, will stop him. As Carter makes his way to Kadath, the world becomes darker, more dangerous and the issue ends with Carter coming face to face with hideous, tentacled monsters that would do H.P. Lovecraft proud. The book is written by Florentino Florez, adapting Lovecraft’s story and illustrated by Guillermo Sanna and Jacques Salomon.
Adapting H.P. Lovecraft to comics, or any medium, can be tricky and Ablaze pulls it off in Unknown Kadath. While Lovecraft’s writings and themes have been highly influential, faithful adaptations of his work tend not to fare so well. For starters, Lovecraft’s work is largely devoid of characterization; it also lacks a number of conventions short stories typically have–such as love interests, interpersonal conflict as well as dialogue. This makes adapting Lovecraft’s works faithfully difficult, and many creators opt to simply engage with his themes or characters; the aforementioned Fall of Cthulhu is one of the best examples of this type of adaptation. Ablaze has bucked this trend, giving Lovecraft’s fans a world-class interpretation, balancing the need to remain faithful to the source material with the needs of the comic book medium. Sanna and Salomon’s art perfectly captures the dark and atmospheric world of H.P. Lovecraft, rendering some truly terrifying monsters.
H.P. Lovecraft’s reputation among scholars and critics grows by the year, despite his problematic world views. His influence stretches across genres and mediums, and Ablaze Comics gives fans a new look at “The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath,” making it the adaptation Lovecraft deserves.
