H.P. Lovecraft's The Hound and Other Stories - Gou Tanabe

The dark imaginative worlds of H.P. Lovecraft, his created mythology and monsters, are among the most influential works in the horror genre, and yet the visualisation of those worlds are as difficult to pin down as it is to measure the increments of rising fear they inspire. Lovecraft had a way to tapping into those deep primal fears, leaving much to the imagination, making them feel like part of a mythology based on another reality that is within reach - which, if you consider it as fear, is exactly what it is.

When it comes to visual depictions of his work, it must similarly be a case of capturing that sense of inner fear rather than seek to make it concrete in images. And yet, there is always something fascinating about seeing how others visualise those tales. The Japanese artist and writer Gou Tanabe works not in the typical manga style, although it is certainly comparable to the more refined artwork of latter day Junji Ito, but closer to the style of Bernie Wrightson's elaborate illustrations, yet he follows his own inner voice and style with beautifully horrific imagery. His adaptations of Lovecraft's work puts the dark tales in this collection into a compelling visual narrative that lingers after you've come to the end. As they should.

Originally written in 1922, Tanabe updates Lovecraft's story The Temple from WWI to WWII. Under the command of Karl Heinrich von Altberg-Ehrenstein, the U-29 submarine has just torpedoed a British ship and it on its way back to Wilhelmshaven when they receive orders to intercept another liner, the Dacia. On the surface however, they discover the dead body of a soldier believed to be from the freighter sunk clinging to the submarine. He is dumped overboard but before that the Commander removes the head of a small statue from his pocket. After that, things seem to go wrong; crew members go missing, others see visions of the dead soldier following them under the sea. The predicament of a damaged U-boat and frightened men leads to mutiny, and the descent of the boat to what appears to be the origin of the small statue, to Atlantis in the depths.

There's a similar idea of sacrilege leading to the discovery of arcane knowledge that should not be tampered with in The Hound. Approaching a run down looking mansion, unlocking a creaking door, there is little doubt that narrator and his friend St. John are heading towards trouble. His thoughts that “esoteric studies … gruesome art” have grown stale further suggests that no good is going to come of their latest venture into diabolism and “things not of this earth”. Using the learning of the Necronomicon “ in that hideous extremity of human outrage” they explore “the abhorred practice of grave robbing”. Removing a jade amulet from a 500 year old grave of a grave robber torn apart by a great beast in Holland, something terrifying follows them back to England.

The opening premise is simple enough opening premise, but the choice of framing the panels leading up to the entry are suggestive, if the name of H.P. Lovecraft and a tale called The Hound don't already have you shivering in anticipatory fear. There is again, effective use of panel storytelling, showing enough to see that there is indeed something unnatural about what the grave robbers have unleashed, as if it is too big and fearsome to fit into a panel or page. If most of the killings take place off-page, the results are nonetheless shown in grim dark detail. There is no escape from the one who had arisen.

There is less to depict visually for the most part in the third story in the collection The Nameless City. Again, following clues left in a study of the Necronomicon and other such forbidden texts, the narrator is shown approaching the crumbling ruins of a fabled lost city once greater than Egypt and Chaldea, then spending a number of pages descending a narrow opening into some low ceilinged shrine. As he descends deeper into darkness, his torch goes out and his, eyes widen to see what lies beneath. The pacing and revelation is excellent, the artwork remaining creative and imaginative in its visualisations of the discovery of the remains of the history of a nameless race of creatures that once lived there. The build-up is worth it for the conclusion.

Reading notes. Gou Tanabe's adaptation of H.P Lovecraft's The Hound and Other Stories is published by Dark Horse Manga, in Kindle format as well as a paperback volume. The left to right reading order is retained, as are the Japanese sound effects which are as much a part of the effect of the art work. Tanabe specialises in literary manga adaptations, including Gorky and Chekhov. With several other adaptations of Lovecraft already published and others on the way, he will be noted here for his growing body of work that will take in all the major and some lesser-known works by H.P. Lovecraft. I read The Hound and Other Stories 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 some double page spreads), the better and more effective it will be.