The father of cosmic horror that gave readers such monsters as Cthulhu was writer H.P. Lovecraft, whose most famous tale "The Call of Cthulhu," is a short story written in 1926 published in Weird Tales, a pulp magazine in February 1928.
Inspired by his grandfather's Gothic stories and Edgar Allen Poe, among others, Lovecraft's stories tell stories of men unlocking forbidden and indescribable knowledge, fate, civilizations in decline, and other dark themes. Many comic creators have followed in Lovecraft's steps with their own takes on this genre, writing stories in the same vein, adding the visual component to the written word.
10 Locke & Key Is A Great Introduction To H.P. Lovecraft's Literary Legacy
Locke & Key is author Joe Hill's love letter to all things Lovecraftian, even borrowing the Lovecraft name as the title for the first arc of the story. Published by IDW Publishing, this epic horror story is illustrated by Gabriel Rodríguez, telling the story of the Locke family and their connection to a collection of keys forged from whispering iron, giving them different magical properties.
The series checks off all the major Lovecraftian themes as the story spans from the American Revolution to the present day. Locke & Key is a prime example of a modern interpretation of H.P. Lovecraft's legacy.
9 The Wake Deconstructs Lovecraftian Themes, Reconstructing Them In A New Way
In 2014 Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy teamed together to give readers The Wake, a horror story from the DC Comics Vertigo imprint. The Department of Homeland Security enlists Marine Biologist Lee Archer to investigate a discovery made by an underwater oil rig in the waters of the Arctic Circle.
The story takes both in the distant past, the present, and a dystopian future, all connecting to tell a massive apocalyptic story. Originally released as a ten-issue series, The Wake is an experiment the deconstructs the horror and sci-fi genres and reforms them into something new.
8 Alan Moore's Trilogy The Courtyard/Neonomicon/ Providence Further Explores The Cthulhu Mythos
Alan Moore is no stranger to dabbling in the works and themes associated with H.P. Lovecraft's works and expanding the mythos. In 2003 Moore adapted his 1994 prose work The Courtyard to the comic book format with illustrator Jacen Burrows, published by Avatar Press. In 2010 the creative duo published the second installment, Neonomicon, introducing Carcosa, an avatar of Nyarlathotep, one of the Great Old Ones.
Moore is one of the top creators to fully embrace and further the rich mythology in the Lovecraftian tradition. He has also reintroduced and expanded on some of the genre's themes that disappeared over the years, such as naming certain rituals that were originally referred to as "nameless" ones.
7 Harrow County Explores The Connection Between A Young Woman, Her Family And The Connection They Share Dark Creatures Who Live Around Her
The Dark Horse Comics series Harrow County, which ran from 2015 to 2018, is writer Cullen Bunn and artist Tyler Crook's dark series that incorporates many Lovecraftian themes throughout the story. The series follows Emmy, who learns of the connection she has to the many dark creatures surrounding her home on the eve of her eighteenth birthday.
The origins of the series started as Countless Haints, a prose series written by Bunn and published on his website. The series hit many beats that are indicative of the works and themes created by Lovecraft.
6 Grant Morrison Brings His Unique Take On The Genre In Nameless From Image Comics
Nameless, the Image Comics limited series by Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham combines aspects of horror and science fiction with elements of Mayan and Aztec mythology. The story follows "Nameless," an occult hustler recruited by a consortium of billionaire futurists to save Earth from a massive asteroid on a collision course with the planet.
Though brutally violent, the story is a bleak, thought-provoking tale that finds the characters ultimately confronting a race of Lovecraftian God-Monsters. When combined with Burnham's mind-melting art, Morrison's story takes readers to the universe's darker recesses.
5 Revival Transforms Lovecraftian Themes Into A Rural Noire Tale Of Horror And Suspense
Set in a small town in rural central Wisconsin, Revival tells the story of what happens when the dead came back to life. Now the inhabitants have to deal with the mystery of how and why the dead have returned and the media scrutiny, religious zealots, and a government quarantine.
Local law officer Dana Cypress must now solve a brutal murder, and everyone, be they alive or undead, is a potential suspect. More than a typical "who-done-it," Revival is a must-read for fans of horror and noir alike.
4 Dynamite Entertainment Brings Lovercraft's Mad Scientist Herbert West And Reanimates Him Back To Life
Dynamite Entertainment has journeyed into the Lovecraftian mythos with stories about Dr. Herbert West, the character created by H. P. Lovecraft in 1922 for his short story "Herbert West—Reanimator." Doctor West, bent on overcoming death, invents a unique solution that can return the recently dead back to life, but in the process are driven mad and turning violent.
Dynamite Entertainment first featured the good doctor in a 2005 four-issue series Army of Darkness vs. Re-Animator, where he and Ash Williams, the hero of the Evil Dead franchise, face each other. The publisher is set to revisit Herbert West in the upcoming series from Cullen Bunn and Blacky Shephard, Re-Animator: The Eternal Lie, as West must locate and require his stolen reanimation serum.
3 Dr. Herbert West & Astounding Tales in Medical Malpractice Is An All-Ages Book For Youngsters
Who says that Lovecraftian stories are for older readers, not Bruce Brown, whose all-ages takes on the Re-Animator in Dr. Herbert West & Astounding Tales in Medical Malpractice. Going back to the doctor's younger days, Dr. Herbert West: Re-Animator, is not only a legend and a genius…but also a childhood menace?
Young Herbert creates a botched batch of his infamous serum, causing the dead to walk the streets searching for Johnny Cakes. With the help of his sister Elizabeth and the Dean of Arkham University, the trio must stop the reanimated army of the dead before the town runs out of pancakes and turn on townsfolk. This fun and light-hearted take on the Lovecraftian myth shows just how adaptable the genre can be.
2 Gideon Falls Takes The Surreal To The Next Level
Gideon Falls is the Image Comics series by the creative team of Jeff Lemire and artist Andrea Sorrentino, who out a horror story, by exploring evil's nature and not solely relying on blood, guts, and gore. The main character, Norton Sinclair, is an anti-social young man entirely consumed by a conspiracy hidden deep within the city’s trash. When a Catholic priest arrives, the two become intertwined in the mysterious legend surrounding The Black Barn, an otherworldly building that has repeatedly appeared throughout history, leaving in its wake death and madness.
As the stories of the two characters begin to parallel, they also begin to connect in such a way that it changes the usual tropes that one might usually associate with this style of storytelling, but in the end, it works, in a way worthy of a Lovecraft-styled story.
1 Ichabod Jones: Monster Hunter Is Indie Creator Lovecraftian Storytelling At It's Best
Lovecraftian themes are popular among well-known and indie creators alike, both with ample room to play in the sandbox for everyone. One of the creator-owned properties that stand out amongst the many is Russell Nohelty's Ichabod Jones: Monster Hunter, the story about a mental patient and convicted killer who may be humanity's best hope to survive the Apocalypse.
As he enters the new world filled with madness, the only problem is he becomes the hero the world needs even though society shunned him. This ongoing story combines the best concepts of the Lovecraftian style to deliver a dark fantasy horror series.