Cthulhu Tales Omnibus: Delirium

Cthulhu Tales #1-2

by Mark Waid, Keith Giffen, Steve Niles

A wide-ranging anthology based on the horror universe of H.P. Lovecraft by today's top talent!

Lovecraft lives! All new original tales of twisted darkness and the macabre based on Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythology. Featuring some of today's hottest talents, including comic book superstars Mark Waid, Keith Giffen, Steve Niles, William Messner-Loebs, and Michael Alan Nelson, screenwriters John Rogers (Leverage), Andrew Cosby (Eureka), Johanna Stokes (Eureka), and Henry Alonso Meyers (Chuck), and webcomics sensation Kevin Church among others. With grab-you-by-the-tentacles art by Chee (TRANSFORMERS), Ben Roman (THE CRYPTICS), Shane Oakley (CHANNEL EVIL), Andrew Ritchie (NECRONOMICON), Andy Kuhn (FIREBREATHER), Lee Carter (THE DARKNESS), Filip Sablik (ARTIFACTS), Chris Lie (DRAFTED) and Joe Abraham (HERO SQUARED). Don't miss this primal journey into a dark arena of horror. Featuring a cover from 100 BULLETS cover artist Dave Johnson!

Genres: Comics, Horror, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Weird Fiction, Lovecraftian

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 6, 2011

About the author

Mark Waid is an American comic book writer widely known for shaping modern superhero storytelling through influential runs on major characters at both DC Comics and Marvel Comics. Raised in Alabama, he developed an early fascination with comic books, particularly classic stories featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes, whose imaginative scope and sense of legacy would later inform his own writing. He first entered the comics industry during the mid 1980s as an editor and writer for the fan magazine Amazing Heroes, before publishing his first professional comic story in Action Comics. Soon afterward he joined DC Comics as an editor, contributing to numerous titles and helping shape projects across the company. After leaving editorial work to focus on writing, Waid gained widespread recognition with his long run on The Flash, where he expanded the mythology of the character and co-created the youthful speedster Impulse. His reputation grew further with the celebrated graphic novel Kingdom Come, created with artist Alex Ross, which imagined a future DC Universe shaped by generational conflict among superheroes. Over the years he has written many prominent series, including Captain America, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and Superman: Birthright, bringing a balance of optimism, character depth, and respect for comic book history to each project. Waid has also collaborated with notable artists and writers on major ensemble titles such as Justice League and Avengers, while contributing ideas that helped clarify complex continuity within shared superhero universes. Beyond mainstream superhero work, he has supported creator owned projects and experimental publishing models, including the acclaimed series Irredeemable and Incorruptible, which explored moral ambiguity within the superhero genre. He later took on editorial leadership roles at Boom Studios, guiding creative direction while continuing to write extensively. In subsequent years he expanded his involvement in publishing and digital storytelling, helping launch online comics initiatives and advocating for new distribution methods for creators. His work has earned numerous industry awards, including Eisner and Harvey honors, reflecting both critical acclaim and enduring popularity among readers. Throughout his career Waid has remained a passionate student of comic book history, drawing on decades of storytelling tradition while continually encouraging innovation within the medium. His influence extends across generations of readers and creators, and his stories continue to shape the evolving language of superhero comics around the world today through enduring characters imaginative narratives and thoughtful reinventions of familiar myths within popular culture and modern graphic storytelling traditions.

Reviews

[J. Griff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a graphic novel of short stories from a variety of different writers: Mark Waid, Keith Giffen, Steve Niles, John Rogers, Andy Kuhn & others. These stories are dark & in the spirit of Lovecraft, but there were a few that didn’t make sense to me or just didn’t care for the artist’s work. Still highly worth reading if a fan of the writers.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This wasn't bad but didn't stand out either. It's a collection of unrelated tales that all feature the Cthulhu Mythos in some form. Ironically, the humor stories stand out more than the horror stories. There's an eclectic mix of stories and art.

Overall a nice read for Lovecraft fans.

[Timothy Pitkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories with some really great artwork and while not all of the stories are scary as some are actually kind of funny but still they all show their love for the genre and the universe Lovecraft created. My favorites ones are Cthulhu Calls, The Beach, Quality Time, and Witch Hunter.

[Evo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Naw, not for me

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories (and art) in this range from 1-4 stars in quality. It's worth checking out if you're a fan of Lovecraftian fiction. If not, you should probably skip it.

[Benjamin]

Cthulhu Tales was an on-going anthology comic book of Lovecraftian fiction published by Boom! Studios in 2006 and from 2008-2009. From ComicVine, it looks like each issue had two-to-four stories, while the Delirium Omnibus has 26 stories. (The Madness Omnibus has 23 stories.)

As a big comic anthology, this book has a wide range of art style, which is a lot of fun; and it also has a range of writing, though not as much as you might expect. Unless, of course, you know Lovecraftiana, which tends to circle around the same tropes. So, if you want lots of narration from protagonists who are going mad, this is the book for you.

But even if these stories do tend towards the repetitive (man finds something beyond understanding, goes mad), each has at least one interesting scene or image. So, the narrator of "In the Pi of the Beholder" pulls back from madness in an oddly uplifting story; "The Beach" has an arresting image of whales and dolphins beaching themselves to get away from Cthulhu; "Witch Hunter" presents a nice heroic-style Cthulhu story; "The Pull of Insanity" makes a cute play towards meta-horror, like Lovecraft/Derleth's own "Lamp of Alhrazed"; and I could go on.

One notable trend in Lovecraftiana is the comic take on cosmic horror, which I suspect comes from the same impulse that gives us plush Cthulhus; but there are some standout works that flirt with comedy, like "Are You There Cthulhu? It's Me, Margaret," "Waiting for Cthulhu," and "Alimentary, My Dear Cthulhu."

But as all anthologies, this one is a little hit-or-miss, with some twist endings not entirely working. It seems like ending Lovecraftian stories on a high note is hard since they tend to end the same way (terror, madness, or death). What's the best way to end a Cthulhu tale? Hmmm...

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love. Loved. Loving. Have loved. Will to be loved. Loved.

So good. So weird and trippy and scary and dark and funny. So Cthulhu. It took me back to the autumns of my boyhood, when I would read my Lovecraft, H. P. on the screened-in porch while leaves fell from the trees and the air smelled like smoke. The moon was full, and a thin glaze of ice would appear in puddles over night. There were pumpkins, and scarecrows, and apples. It was fall in New England, and I was reading Lovecraft. Simpler times, simpler times...

Anywho...great stories and some amazing artwork (especially by Andrew Ritchie). Really hit my Lovecraft button. Weird and scary and gross and beautiful and cosmic.

[Azra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting way to begin The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. Within these covers, we learn that Cthulhu apparently is a fan of the movie High Fidelity and some girls just can't get a break, no matter what. We also learn that sometimes those elementary school plays really can be hell and why it isn't a good idea to sneak into the Body Farm.

I am not usually a fan of Lovecraft in this format or in movies. However, this was a fun read. I may have to check out the others (if there's more than one) in this series.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stuff! I picked this up on a whim, unfamiliar with the title, but generally liking the concept of comics based on the Cthulhu mythos. Considering the usual spotty quality of anthology titles, this is top notch. Having good talent like Mark Said, Keith Giffen, Mark Badger and William Messner-Loebs helps. Some stories are funny, some are chilling; most are worth your time. There's at least one more volume of these that I'll have to see about getting my hands on ...

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains a few gems, but you have to dig for them. The rest of these tales are mostly superficial, show little understanding of Lovecraft or horror fiction, and function more as vignettes than fully realized works of fiction. The whole book feels mostly cursory and surprisingly repetitive.

[Shannon Kitchens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of mini-stories, many of which deserve five stars. However, some where weaker, but even so, I don't think there was a single story in this omnibus I didn't like.

[Cagne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of different stories, of different authors, of different styles, with a Cthulu theme. Some stories echo other Lovercraftian themes, faint echo.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

The tales were too short and choppy and the art was inconsistent.

[Rajiv Ashrafi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Terribly inconsistent.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little omnibus graphic novel of shorts based in the Lovecraft mythos. If you like Lovecraft and Cthulhu mythos stories, then this is your thing.

[David smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

not as good as "madness" omnibus