The Call of Cthulhu is graphic novel fun and Lovecraft 101

I don’t know much about The Call of Cthulhu, but I was a big fan of The Call of Ktulu by Metallica when Ride the Lightning came out. The uninitiated like me on The Call of Cthulhu can get up to speed on the classic book by H. P. Lovecraft in its graphic novel edition. It’s presented as part of the Dark Tales imprint on Canterbury Classics Books. The art in it is done by Dave Shepherd and its result might just depend on how much you know about the story.

As stated, the only thing that I knew about The Call of Cthulhu is that it’s a short story from the 1920’s by H.P. Lovecraft. The only reason I knew H.P. Lovecraft is from the countless cons that I’ve been to. There has always been some one there with a really cool shirt with his name or an image of Cthulhu. Even if you think you don’t know what Cthulhu looks like you do and considering that his images are almost 90 years old; thus predating almost all modern monsters and horror it’s fair to say that this is legendary stuff.   Similar to H.R. Giger’s work with Alien, the monster in The Call of Cthulhu is one that leaves an immediate impression.

Cthulhu is a massive octopus head with arms as long as a football field. But The Call of Cthulhu is more than a big octopus story. At its core this is a story about pagans all over the world that worship a demon who is truly the Big Bad. It’s stronger than time and space and occasionally pops up around the world in art or folklore.

In The Call of Cthulhu the titular creature doesn’t appear until the book is 95% finished. However before then we see glimpses of the beast in story flashbacks, muted sculptures and other devices from those who’ve seen-and now worship the creature. Thus, The Call of Cthulhu, it calls people who haven’t seen it and never stops speaking to them once they’ve seen it. This is old school horror whose timeless appeal stands the test for a reason. It’s spooky, relatable and very well done.

If you’re familiar with The Call of Cthulhu then this graphic novel by Dave Shephard will not cover any new ground. If this is your first introduction to the story then it’ll make you curious enough to see out the original short story and read it for yourself. The graphic novel includes a short introduction about Lovecraft, some misconceptions about the story and bits about his personal life. Apparently Lovecraft really liked cats, so he’d be a big fan of the internet-and the treatment that Dark Tales did to his classic book.

As the story was first published in the 1920’s it is not too graphic in its language or artwork. There is a sense of dread and foreboding horror throughout, but ages 10 and up will be able to read this, enjoy the classic story, appreciate the horror, but not be scared too much.