H.P. Lovecraft's At The Mountains of Madness - Gou Tanabe

Japanese artist Gou Tanabe continues his graphic manga adaptations of the dark horror of H.P Lovecraft with At The Mountains of Madness, an extended tale that delves into the origins of his some of his most famous creations spoken of in the Necronomicon; the Old Ones, the Cthulu and the fearsome Shoggoth. The story of their arrival on our planet, their enforced 'hibernation' in the Antarctic and their terrifying re-awakening. It's a story to inspire the most imaginative of visual presentations and Gou Tanabe does that impressively across two volumes.

In1930, the Miskatonic University expedition led by Professor Dyer delves deeper into this frozen and inhospitable continent than anyone has been before. They soon discover some fossils of great interest, of a kind never seen before, and excitedly one of the scientists, Lake has commandeered some planes and a team to explore further inland. Despite an incoming storm, they discover a hitherto unknown range of dark jagged mountains and what looks like ancient structures. The prologue of this adaptation however has already shown where this ill-advised venture has led, with the later discovery of the a grim fate of Lake's team, their butchered bodies flayed to the bone.

The expedition had started promisingly. With planes undertaking flight surveys, the team have been able to explore further in to this unknown region than the first explorers using only sleds and skis. Drilling equipment gives them further opportunities to delve into an unknown piece of the past, into the secrets of a desolate and empty place. One of their finds is a strange triangular striation in the stones which Lake thinks might be an unknown lifeform and despite the risks, he insists on exploring further. His instinct is right as they discover an Antarctic mountain range to rival the Himalayas, black mountains of black slate, none with any covering of snow. A large cavern leads to startling discoveries, structures and crafted designs that seem to record the prehistoric folklore of the Cthulhu spoken of in the Necronomicon. Then the storm arrives and their radio contact with Professor Dyer a base camp stops.

Gou Tanabe's graphic adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's At The Mountains of Madness is divided into two parts, each around 265 pages. After the horrific prologue, Part 1 details the beginnings of the expedition, the finds of the Lake party and what happens after their mysterious ill-fated examination of the artifacts. In Part 2 Dyer and Danforth follow in their footsteps, trying to understand what they discovered and what monstrous force has utterly ripped apart the team. That involves a lot of investigation into the strange structures found within the mountain range, something that Tanabe delights in, depicting truly breathtaking visions of the worlds and creatures of Lovecraftian mythology.

The expanse of the terrifying mountain range and the dangers of the harsh Antarctic landscape gives the artist great material to work with and he takes full advantage of it in his detailed black-and-white drwings. There are numerous full page and double page spreads that are quite breathtaking, befitting the subject; the deadly shards of the black mountains “ the structures of nightmare”, ”its masonry a monstrous perversion of geometric laws” like a range of demonic horns. The imaginative way of depicting the structures on the mountains that looks unnatural, sinister and otherworldly. The creation origin of “The Great Old Ones” is also suitably grand and impressive, abstract and otherworldly. But that's only a taster for the coming of the spawn of Cthulhu, and the rebellion of the Shoggoth, the Mi-Go, and the great battle of alien races.

As with the artist's adaptation of Lovecraft stories in H.P. Lovecraft's The Hound and Other Stories the pacing and choices about what to show is masterful, increasing the sense of awe and terror page by page. If there is one niggle I might have with the artwork it is that Professor Dyer retains the same look of intense focus bordering on horror throughout, Lake the same expression of curiosity and intrigue at what he has discovered. The drawing of western faces is perhaps not a strong point with the artist. He is good at defining individuals but there is little variety in their expression or character. Considering what they find in their expedition into the Mountains of Madness however, there is good reason for most of the team wearing faces of frozen disbelief and horror throughout.

Reading notes. Gou Tanabe's adaptation of H.P Lovecraft's At The Mountains of Madness is published by Dark Horse Manga in Kindle format as well as in two paperback volumes. The left to right reading order of the original Japanese format is retained. A deluxe hardcover edition collecting the two volumes is coming in July 2024 and the work merits the upgrade. I read the two volumes in Kindle format on a tablet. It works well enough, but the larger the screen you have to take in a whole page at a time and the numerous double-page spreads, the better and more effective it will be.