Where in the world is H.P. Lovecraft?

January 13, 2009 10:28 PM

Lovecraft is Missing. If you like reading Lovecraft, you might enjoy this comic about his unexplained absence, as well. Make sure to check out the Lovecraft related links on the left.
posted by Caduceus (25 comments total)

It's a shame everyone uses the same old Comic Life fonts to do their lettering.
posted by dunkadunc at 10:36 PM on January 13, 2009

Neat find. The visual style reminds me of some of the French stuff from Heavy Metal in the 80s.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:42 PM on January 13, 2009

HIS UNEXPLAINED ABSCESS?
posted by Astro Zombie at 10:44 PM on January 13, 2009

I am really enjoying this comic. Thank you! I love historical horror fiction.
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 11:22 PM on January 13, 2009

HIS UNEXPLAINED ABSCESS?

Yes, that turns out to be the reason for his absence.

/not-actually-a-spoiler
posted by Caduceus at 11:26 PM on January 13, 2009

The visual style reminds me of some of the French stuff from Heavy Metal in the 80s.

Good comparison.

Starting to get more into comics, and a lover of Lovecraft. Thanks!
posted by brundlefly at 11:39 PM on January 13, 2009

Looks like great fun! Cheers!
posted by Samizdata at 11:39 PM on January 13, 2009

This is going to eat up many hours of many days. I'm already buzzing with anticipation for the next page/installment.

Thanks, and thanks again.

"They'll burn nicely." The chills that line inspires. The chills.
posted by Minus215Cee at 1:11 AM on January 14, 2009

If Jack Chick read the Necronomicon.
posted by Justinian at 1:32 AM on January 14, 2009 [9 favorites]

Sweet! Fantastic art, intriguing story, and great pacing from the Hergé school of "end every page on an intriguing note."

This does have a strong bédé feel to it -- if you like this art style, I highly recommend you check out some of the bande déssinée available from English translator-publishers. NBM has a fantastic catalogue of Eurocomics translated for North American audiences, as does UK publisher Cinebook. Mild self-plug: I have a blog dedicated to Eurocomics, link in my profile.
posted by Shepherd at 2:20 AM on January 14, 2009

I like the comic, but I really wish people would add a note like "currently unfinished" or "story arc in progress" or "one chapter done" to posts like this. I can't speak for everyone, of course, but I personally have seen at least a dozen webcomics end prematurely (in fact, let me check my bookmarks: Alice, NeverNever, Riboflavin, Elf Only Inn, RPG World, Inktank, Sea of Insanity, Once Upon a Table, Ghastly, Return to Sender, Nine Planets Without Intelligent Life, Fear The Boot, Comedity, Zebra Girl...) leaving me with a profound sense of disappointment; and comics like this one, with an elaborate backstory, hints of things to come, and characters whose motivations become apparent only by and by are especially "risky" in that regard.

Not that I don't like being introduced to new comics in this way - I'd just appreciate some hint about how much I'm going to get...

Oh, and since I don't want to come off as too negative let me add one recommendation of my own: One Over Zero, a webcomic of predetermined length that went the full duration and is now concluded and archived.
posted by PontifexPrimus at 3:41 AM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

Uh, actually, he's not. He's buried on the East Side in Providence, you can go visit him. There's a little get-together there on his birthday every year.
posted by newdaddy at 5:05 AM on January 14, 2009

Another Chickthulhu tract!
posted by aeschenkarnos at 5:24 AM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

Justinian: " If Jack Chick read the Necronomicon."

Awesome.
posted by Science! at 5:41 AM on January 14, 2009

I can't speak for everyone, of course, but I personally have seen at least a dozen webcomics end prematurely...leaving me with a profound sense of disappointment; and comics like this one, with an elaborate backstory, hints of things to come, and characters whose motivations become apparent only by and by are especially "risky" in that regard.

Uh...I hope you don't watch too much dramatic TV, because...
posted by kittens for breakfast at 6:15 AM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

The original link is to a now broken website. sup with that?
posted by Severian at 6:57 AM on January 14, 2009

It's quite good, actually, although I almost stopped reading after seeing the current page, which has some horrible expository dialogue on it. Seriously, this:

- "Hope Howard's home, he's not expecting me until tomorrow."

- "I sure appreciate you saving me the price of a bus ticket."

- "No no no, it is I who appreciate you, fellow scribe. Three days discussing our craft has been an experience beyond price."

- "Not to mention the opportunity to vent my spleen against our anvil-headed friend, mr. Wright."

Is atrociously bad. And it surprised me to see that the rest of it wasn't at all like that, so I'm not sure what happened, maybe the writer got lazy.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 7:42 AM on January 14, 2009

Quite good, I'd say. Thank you for the link.

Those who complain about various aspects of this might try seeing if they can do a better job.
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 8:28 AM on January 14, 2009

Wow, the coloring on these is really distinctive and neat. Daytime shots are a little flat but crazy-ass purple-pink night? Perfection.
posted by The Whelk at 8:56 AM on January 14, 2009

The horrible expository dialogue is ... well, if you've read some Lovecraft, it fits right in. Just as much as the bilious color of some of the characters.
posted by adipocere at 9:01 AM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

Also, it's always fun to see artwork become more and more confident as the artist draws the characters more and more. It almost always happens and I love watching the slow transition.
posted by The Whelk at 9:01 AM on January 14, 2009

PontifexPrimus: For what it's worth, the guy who did Comedity is currently working on a webcomic called Finder's Keepers. No guarantee he'll finish this one either, but it seems to be better planned than Comedity was.
posted by Caduceus at 9:14 AM on January 14, 2009

HP Lovecrafts World of Cosmic Terror from Mefi's Artw.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 9:14 AM on January 14, 2009 [3 favorites]

I'm just waiting patiently for Templar, AZ to frackin' finish allready so I can buy the damned book and figure out what is ever-loving hell is wrong with Dr. Bash.


(I am, of course, being a total hypocrite cause my own long-form webcomic is on a 6 month hiatus while I finish The Book...which I should be finishing now and not reading other people's books.)
posted by The Whelk at 9:22 AM on January 14, 2009

Comics that never reach their conclusion, you say?

Strangehaven, represent!
posted by Kattullus at 7:58 PM on January 14, 2009