H.P. LOVECRAFT’S “THE CALL OF CTHULHU” IS INSANITY IN MANGA FORM :: Blog :: Dark Horse Comics

There is no language for such abysms of shrieking and immemorial lunacy Gou Tanabe, the artist of the Eisner-nominated H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness, returns to the chilling horror of H.P. Lovecraft’s published works with the manga H.P. Lovecraft’s The Call of Cthulhu, presented in paperback in summer 2024. Arguably the most famous of all of Lovecraft’s stories, this is now presented in one complete graphic novel, translated by Zack Davisson.

Junji Ito (Uzumaki, Black Paradox) had this to say about Gou Tanabe’s take on Lovecraftian lore: “I love H.P. Lovecraft…It would be great to adapt him as a serialized manga, but I actually saw Gou Tanabe create a great adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s stories. Afterwards, I ended up not doing it because I thought I wouldn’t be as good as Gou’s version.”

About H.P. Lovecraft’s The Call of Cthulhu:

What links together two bands of worshippers, one deep in the Arctic snows, one hidden in the bayous of Louisiana, is more than their shared practice of blood sacrifice. It is the inhuman phrase they both chant: Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn—”In his house at R’lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.” Now these nightmares will disturb the sanity of Francis Thurston, a young man pursuing an investigation into the cult of Cthulhu that leads to the most forsaken spot in the vast Pacific…and to Earth’s supreme terror, the risen corpse-city of R’lyeh.

Mysteries that teeter on the edge of sanity come alive with the complete story in this single volume, containing eight full-color pages and a tip-in title page featuring silver ink.

Explore 290 pages of eldritch horror in H.P. Lovecraft’s The Call of Cthulhu when it arrives in trade paperback (5 1/4” x 7 1/4”) on bookstore shelves on July 31, 2024 and in comic shops on August 1, 2024. Pre-order at your local comic shop, bookstore, Amazon or Barnes and Noble for $19.99.

Praise for Gou Tanabe’s Lovecraft Books:

“The art in H.P. Lovecraft’s The Hound and Other Stories breathes life in these almost 100-year-old stories that will surely captivate a brand-new audience. Overall, this is a lovely and honored tribute to one of horror’s greatest, original creators and I would highly recommend it for Lovecraft fans, horror fans, or even anybody who has wanted to dip their toe into the dark world of H.P. Lovecraft and isn’t quite sure where to begin.”—Wicked Horror

“A major difference, which I found to enhance the story, was that it was told from the point of view of both camps. The original was told from the perspective of only the main camp. This, combined with the added dialogue between the camps and artwork depicting the emotional reactions of the characters involved, created more of a sense of fear and foreboding than Lovecraft’s work.”—Musings of the Monster Librarian

“Tanabe’s main achievement is making Lovecraft’s monsters look suitably awesome. Even if you’re not particularly impressed by the idea of 15-foot spheroids, much less starfish-headed ridgy things with tentacles (always the tentacles!), Tanabe’s renderings still prompt a certain wonderment. It’s kind of amazing how effectively he manages to modulate Lovecraft’s histrionics over the course of the story, beckoning even less-than-susceptible readers to contemplate the author’s themes.”—NPR