H.P. Lovecraft's The Hound and Other Stories review by Eblison Grun

H.P. Lovecraft's The Hound and Other Stories
writer- Gou TANABE
artist- Gou TANABE
publisher- Dark Horse Manga


Three tales from H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, are adapted and illustrated by Manga artist, Gou TANABE, in this collection of stories published by Dark Horse Manga.

Being a true fan of Lovecraft and a devotee of the Cthulhu Mythos, and following in my current trend of Japanese Horror, I dove into this book with no idea of what to expect.  As I spoke previously of the "rules of Japanese horror stories," there are also rules when writing Lovecraftian horror.  Lovecraft had his own style, back int he 20's.  His horror came from his own fear of sickness, of foreigners, of women, and of actual darkness.  It came from anything unknown to him and it created extreme anxiety, panic, and maybe even madness in the writer himself.  His short stories were also written at a time when authors were paid by the word and to get paid well, he made sure there were plenty of words.  This gave his work a long lingering feel; a slow, drawn out approach to the horror his characters experienced.  I've heard people talk about Lovecraft as though he were so detailed and explicit in his descriptions, that it drew a perfect picture in the readers' mind, but in fact, he was not.  H.P. Lovecraft was a master of describing without describing.  He was gifted with a flair for murky explanation.  He'd use phrases such as, "unfathomable forms," or "hideous and fearsome shapes."  Everything was unimaginable or unnamable; mostly indescribable.  Lovecraft did this in excess and it made him the giant of horror that he is today.  So, I had some skepticism that Gou TANABE, someone I'd never read before, could pull off an illustrated H.P. Lovecraft book.  After all, how can you draw something "undrawable?"

Well, he did.

In H.P. Lovecraft's The Hound and Other Stories, Gou TANABE gives us both detail and obscurity.  He never leaves an empty background.  Every page, every panel is illustrated with such fine detail.  But the art is dark.  TANABE's greatest talent is his use of light and shadow.  Each page has so much to look at, and yet there is so much black on the page.  You could look at what the character sees, but what are you looking at?  Is that a hand or teeth?  Claws or... and then it's too late.  We're left with a character who has been torn limb from limb.  There's a curious thing that draws you in, making want to see more.  Then, when you get to a point where you might be able to make out what you're looking at, it's all over.  This is the way to translate Lovecraft into pictures.  Being a true fan of the works of H.P. Lovecraft, I have picked up countless comic books, hoping to find one that grabs me as much as his stories do.  This is the only one I've seen that is worthy.

Here's what you'll find in H.P. Lovecraft's The Hound and Other Stories:

The Temple

A German submarine commander loses his entire crew and control of his ship, following the siryn song of an ancient temple beneath the sea.

The Hound

Two young men in possession of the Necronomicon, travel about, systematically robbing graves until an idol they steal wakes something terrifying and deadly.

The Nameless City

An explorer in the Arabian desert, uncovers an ancient city and learns the secrets of a race of people much older than humans.