The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft #1 – Review

By Mac Carter (Story), Tony Salmons (Pencils & Inks), and Adam Byrne (Colors)

The Story: Writer H.P. Lovecraft has got a bad case of heartache and a worse case of writer’s block. Odd for a man who’s mind is loaded all sorts of macabre things. But a string of events changes things and soon Lovecraft is thinking about his masterwork…

What’s Good: Mac Carter does a wonderful job creating just the right tone for a story about the life of the famous horror author. The dialogue effectively captures the liveliness of the 1920’s (as does most of the stylized artwork), while Lovecraft’s inner monologues manage to be melancholy, sinister, and frustrated all at the same time. Carter makes you feel for the brooding writer, doing a really impressive job of writing the monologues in a way that reflects the style of Lovecraft’s works.

The story itself is off to a good start, though it’s a bit too early to tell whether things will successfully and satisfyingly play out in only four issues. Enough happens in chapter one to hook the reader, but it’s mostly all set up. That said, it’s some pretty solid set up.

What’s Not So Good: The artwork by Tony Salmons and Adam Byrne is really hit or miss throughout the book. And it proves to be frustrating because when the visuals work, they work really well. For every few scenes that do an admirable job of capturing the story and the setting, there is one that looks off in some way. Either the coloring is far too dark and muddy or the action is delivered in a confusing manner.

Conclusion: The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft is off to a promising start. The writing delivers in a big way and, if the visuals can do an effective job of playing catch up, I think the mini-series could deliver in a big way. I recommend it for fans of the author and fans of supernatural stories in general.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny