As there have been a ton of new horror books offered recently I wanted to do a quick spotlight focus on the more Lovecraftian style books. The bulk of these are new printings but they definitely deserve a feature.
You'll see that I'll try to include a little order code with most items (ex:JUL200019). Show some love to your retailer and use those codes when you can, it saves a lot of time on the data entry end of things.
PROVENANCE OF MADNESS TP
(W) Kiyarn Taghan (A) Christian DiBari (CA) Paul Jackson
Black Caravan Imprint. Provenance of Madness is multiple love letters to H.P Lovecraft, in the form of three short stories and fan art from across the globe. With each short we delve further into Lovecraft's three best known titles: "At the Mountains of Madness," "The Shadow Over Innsmouth," and "The Call of Cthulhu." We see an interpretation of what happened after the events in these famous stories, and enjoy those worlds from a new perspective. Each short plays with how a protagonist can succumb to madness in different forms. Also included is a selection of artwork inspired by the writings and worlds that Lovecraft created, featuring a variety of artists from across the world.
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Why this caught my eye:
Check out Christian DiBari's art. Stylistically it reminds me a bit of Sean Murphy's work and I'm really getting into it. Also that's a pretty great cover and it's kind of worth it for that alone.
The Culbard Collection
KING IN YELLOW GN
(W) Robert W. Chambers, I.N.J. Culbard (A/CA) I. N. J. Culbard
The King in Yellow: a play that brings madness to all who read it. Irresistible and insidious, it lures the reader with its innocence and dooms them with its corruption. In a series of interlinked stories, Robert W. Chambers's classic work of weird fiction shows the creeping spread of the play's macabre touch. I.N.J. Culbard's deft and unsettling adaptation, newly reissued, breathes life into Chambers's influential masterpiece, expertly revealing the malice and mayhem that await those unlucky enough to turn the wrong page.
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HP LOVECRAFT CASE OF CHARLES DEXTER WARD GN
(W) H. P. Lovecraft (A/CA) I. N. J. Culbard
Providence, Rhode Island, 1928. A dangerous inmate disappears from a private hospital for the insane, his method of escape baffling the authorities. Only the patient's final visitor, family physician Dr. Marinus Bicknell Willett - himself a piece of the puzzle - holds the key to unlocking The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. A macabre mixture of historical investigation, grave-robbing, and bone-chilling revelation, this newly reissued adaptation artfully lays bare one of H.P. Lovecraft's most horrifying creations.
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HP LOVECRAFT DREAM QUEST OF UNKNOWN KADATH GN
(W) H. P. Lovecraft (A/CA) I. N. J. Culbard
Obsessed with revisiting the sunset city of his dreams, Randolph Carter leaves the humdrum confines of reality behind, traveling into a vivid dreamworld where anything is possible. But while Carter draws closer to his goal-the mysterious Kadath, home to the gods themselves-another force, dark and brooding, is watching with plans of its own. An epic fantasy mixing adventure, peril, and wonder in equal parts, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath explores themes of memory and forbidden knowledge through the prism of H.P. Lovecraft's boundless imagination.
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HP LOVECRAFT SHADOW OUT OF TIME GN
(W) H. P. Lovecraft (A/CA) I. N. J. Culbard
Miskatonic University, Arkham, 1908. Professor Nathaniel Peaslee collapses in front of a class of students, only coming to his senses five years later. Horrified to discover that his body has been far from inactive during the intervening period-and plagued by unsettling and outlandish nightmares-Peaslee attempts to piece together the truth behind the missing years of his life. A chilling journey through time, space, and the recesses of the mind, this adaptation gives terrifying form to one of H.P. Lovecraft's final tales.
JAN211535
Why these caught my eye:
So I already own all of these, and because I'm an idiot I'm tempted on these new printings because of their matching design elements. I'm also a big fan of Culbard's work as well, especially his Wild's End series. So I'll always take the opportunity to push his work whenever I can find the chance.
I will say that these can be a little dry when compared to some of the other adaptations to come out in recent years. Last year my friend Cole Hornaday and I did comparative reviews between Culbard's adaptation of At The Mountains of Madness and the Gou Tanabe version from Dark Horse. We break down a lot of the differences and strengths of each creator in the podcast if you get the chance to give it a listen (review starts at 29:26 mark).
They're very different styles though so in hindsight it's not really fair to compare them. While Culbard may be less graphic in his horror, he's exceptionally strong at cutting the fat and making things more engaging as he plays with the subtlety of the tone. Also, the original source material for Charles Dexter Ward can be pretty boring and Culbard made it so much more lively and entertaining. I kind of consider that a bit of a miracle.
If you like to collect Lovecraftian books then I think this is definitely a strong set to invest in, especially as SelfMadeHero does nice quality projects.
That's it for this batch, we'll check out some LGBTQ+ material next time!
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