H. P. Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror

by Joe R. Lansdale (Adapter), Peter Bergting (Illustrator), Shawn Lee (Lettering)

H.P. Lovecraft is known as one of the key founders of modern horror, cited as a major influence by many prominent authors, such as Stephen King. In collaboration with renowned Lovecraft historian and literary caretaker Robert Weinberg, IDW is bringing you the definitive Lovecraft comics updated for a 21st century audience. Adapting "The Dunwich Horror" and "The Hound," a new vision of Lovecraft emerges, courtesy of Joe Lansdale and company!

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Classics, Comics, Short Stories, Lovecraftian

104 pages, Paperback

First published October 19, 2011

About the author

Champion Mojo Storyteller Joe R. Lansdale is the author of over forty novels and numerous short stories. His work has appeared in national anthologies, magazines, and collections, as well as numerous foreign publications. He has written for comics, television, film, newspapers, and Internet sites. His work has been collected in more than two dozen short-story collections, and he has edited or co-edited over a dozen anthologies. He has received the Edgar Award, eight Bram Stoker Awards, the Horror Writers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the British Fantasy Award, the Grinzani Cavour Prize for Literature, the Herodotus Historical Fiction Award, the Inkpot Award for Contributions to Science Fiction and Fantasy, and many others. His novella Bubba Ho-Tep was adapted to film by Don Coscarelli, starring Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis. His story "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road" was adapted to film for Showtime's "Masters of Horror," and he adapted his short story "Christmas with the Dead" to film hisownself. The film adaptation of his novel Cold in July was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and the Sundance Channel has adapted his Hap & Leonard novels for television.

He is currently co-producing several films, among them The Bottoms, based on his Edgar Award-winning novel, with Bill Paxton and Brad Wyman, and The Drive-In, with Greg Nicotero. He is Writer In Residence at Stephen F. Austin State University, and is the founder of the martial arts system Shen Chuan: Martial Science and its affiliate, Shen Chuan Family System. He is a member of both the United States and International Martial Arts Halls of Fame. He lives in Nacogdoches, Texas with his wife, dog, and two cats.

Reviews

[Nowrin Samrina Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really well written. My first book of Lovecraft and yes i loved it. Gonna read all of them soon.
Not gonna lie, some lines really gave me chills 😬

[Barry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow... that was lame.

Unfortunately, even with the weight of a popular author's name (Joe R. Lansdale) attached to the "adaptation" (*cough*sequel*cough*) of the eponymous short story by Lovecraft, this was a weak, weak comic. It's hardly even a mindless picturefest of flat characters - there's nothing engaging, suspemseful, action-packed, or otherwise entertaining about it. It's a mess of gory images and blurry glimpses of tentacles and headless cattle (and occasional people), with a lot of interspersed scenes of impatient dialogue from a bunch of wannabe Mulders (and one token Scully). And the descriptions of sounds were laughably bad - literally spelling things like "SLAM" and "SSSSSSSSLLLLLUUURRRRP," they conveyed no sense of action or atmosphere whatsoever. Really - I was bored to the point of disgust.

The only saving grace for me in these comics (I read the four separate issues) was the starkly contrasting (if flawed) adaptation of Lovecraft's "The Hound." My very first taste of Lovecraft once upon a time, I was pretty satisfied with this take, with dark, muddy pictures simply oozing with atmosphere and disquieted moods. The only dissatisfaction I felt from it was the spelling out of the howling (suffering the same problem as "The Dunwich Sequel" - "AAWWOOOOOO..." - seriously?) and the overuse of monologue straight from the story, all shown in spindly, sometimes hard-to-read cursive. Still, what a mood it (re-)created - if this was how "Dunwich" was handled, we'd have a whole other review to make!

So, this was a very uneven and poorly-handled riff on our dear Howard Phillips. Maybe someone else will love it - most likely (I hop) newcomers to Cthulhu and company - but for the rest of you...you're not missing mich.

Oh--and if the trade paperback doesn't include "The Hound" - you may as well skip it altogether.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why have I never read H.P. Lovecraft before?
For a short story written in 1929, it has all the ingredients of a modern day horror story.
I'll be looking for more of these gems!

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This graphic novel, even after being adapted by Lansdale, remains a wordy and overlong tale. To realise its truly horrific aspects, one needs to consult 'Providence'. Just a few frames, sparse dialogues, and lots of empty spaces— Moore and Burrows have created magic with these items in that work. Unlike that suffocating classic, this one felt diluted and ineffectual.

[Mark Rabideau · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess H.P. Lovecraft is not really my cup of tea. This novella was okay but certainly no better than okay. Having tried two of his tales, I think I'll move on to something else.

[Ihor Kolesnyk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Цінність Лавкрафта у тому, що він таки ковзає поруч із невимовним жахом. Тут комікс має цілком інший вайб - такого собі сучасного варіанту окультизму для багатих. Ілюстрації 4/5
Сюжет 3/5
Читати можна, але для сильнішого враження недостатньо.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modern graphic novel adaptation of two of H. P. Lovecraft's stories - The Dunwich Horror and The Hound. The artwork is very creepy and atmospheric.

[Elchamaco · Rating 2 out of 5]

Esta bien pero ya no da mucho horror cósmico.

[Kirsten · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a very disappointing book. It's billed as an adaptation of Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror, but instead it's basically a retconned sequel to Lovecraft's story. The art is fairly pedestrian and the story is very hard to follow.

The second adaptation in this volume, "The Hound," is even worse. The artwork is quite nice, but the lettering used to related the story is almost impossible to decipher (white, blurred cursive on a black background), and I gave it up partway through.

[Spencer · Rating 2 out of 5]

As another reviewer has said here, the title is very misleading; this is actually written by Joe Lansdale and is some kind of meta sequel to Lovecraft’s The Dunwich Horror. I expected more from Lansdale as I’ve enjoyed everything else that I’ve read by him so far, but this wasn’t particularly good. The story was just there to act a framing device for the original story and felt kind of pointless, why didn't they just do the original? Despite some decent art it’s not really worth your time.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a good intro into HP Lovecraft's Dunwich Horror, but what do I know? I've never read the actual story. This is the graphic novel.
So far, part 1 has piqued my interest and I can't wait to see what happens next.

[Igor Pignatti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantástico, assombroso, ambicioso, leitura obrigatória para quem quer conhecer o melhor de Lovecraft.

[vanni · Rating 3 out of 5]

the unfiltered racism,, I can't

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first story is presented in a contemporary comic book style. The characters investigate some weird events. Here you will find spells, Hollywood style horrors... To be honest I didn't really like it. There was hardly any Lovecraft in this story left.

The second story was better. Firstly, the illustrations are more creepy and gothic. This doesn't distract you from the sense of fear, but intensifies it. Secondly, Lovecraft's text is present here, so it gives you the impression that you have understood the author.

All in all, I would not recommend spending money on this book.

[Teresa Barrera · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't really get into this story.

[Cassiano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic !!!

[Martin Urdaneta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Posiblemente sea el último libro de Lovecraft que termine leyendo, me parece un tipo adelantado a su época en cuestiones de horror pero ¿cuántas veces se pueden reciclar los misterios fuera de la comprensión humana y seguir dando miedo?

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet. Feel like this may be the best Lovecraft story, sorry Cthulhu.

Read it homies and tell me what you think. Just google it you’ll fngyha’pl njh’tha

[Nicole H. ✨️nicoledreamsofbooks✨️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded*

First book I have read by this author, it was good!! Let the spooky season reads commence 👻

[Michele Salluce · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Nell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as strange as the dream novella. It was more uncomfortable than chilling, and I did actually end up feeling terribly sad that someone wasn't able to borrow a book from library

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am thoroughly convinced lovecraft compiled a list of his favorite words and would force them into every piece he wrote.

[Chris Purser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am truly a terrible horror fan because I've never read any of HP Lovecraft's works. Not a one. I know OF them. Just haven't indulged. So a visual of THE DUNWICH HORROR? Yes, please.

There wasn't anything about this comic that I didn't like, really. It's a first in a series and it sets up the story really nicely. The Dunwich Horror itself is a killer inter-dimensional being (another thing I know about Lovecraft, he was all about other dimensions) that's invisible in our world. And it definitely got some creep factor on with the art.

Of the story itself there's just enough dialogue there to set the story up. There isn't too much dumping and you get enough to know just enough of what's going on and what's left in the dark is pretty horrifying. You don't know too much about the characters at this point but I would hope they'd get on with it quick since they're dying already!

The art had some squick factor going along with it. Lovecraft is pretty gruesome stuff and this comic was not shy about putting that onto the page. But don't confuse it with gore. That's not what I would call it. What you do see is horrifying and I can still see it when I close my eyes but it's not overwhelming to the point where it cancels itself out. For me too much gore and it ruins it. Too much gore means that's where the emphasis is because the story itself kind of sucks. Not with THE DUNWICH HORROR. The gross that you see compliments the story that you're getting. It's symbiotic. And cramps the heart a little.

A definite read for any horror fan, this first book of THE DUNWICH HORROR will certainly get those spiders crawling up your arms and will probably make you spiral into a state of paranoid psychosis. I mean, an invisible, inter-dimensional being tearing people apart? Not even air is safe!

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Art: Some great monster/horror stuff.
Story: Brief and not that engaging.
Typos: Several.
The Hound add-on story: Utterly gorgeous.
One-star subtracted because it's called "H.P. Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror" and it most certainly is NOT the HPL story. The HPL story was for more entertaining.

I think the story might've been more engaging if it'd been fleshed out further with the implied bits. I didn't feel like we got the best part. A couple interesting ideas about the original story.

Definitely read if it's free, mine was a gift from a friend. But I don't advise buying this one unless it comes with more than the 4 issues it seems to have been.

[Andra · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite Lovecraft to date. He manages to write in a way that seems almost historical, as if he's only recording events that genuinely happened. And since every region, village and town have their own share of similar spooky stories, this makes the whole thing somehow more believable and easier to get into. His use of language is beautiful as well: colorful, poignant, and original.
*
"The bent, goatish giant before him seemed like the spawn of another planet or dimension; like something only partly of mankind, and linked to black gulfs of essence and entity that stretch like titan fantasms beyond all spheres of force and matter, space and time."

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a VERY AVID fan of horror, macabre, thriller, crime, supernatural genres, and this was a treat. It wasn't truly frightening, but Lovecraft's gloomy tone throughout the story was really a cookie. :) Recommended to those who want to read classics.

[Craig Childs · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Joe R. Lansdale’s fourth time to translate a classic horror short story into a graphic novel. The artwork is excellent and the story is serviceable but flawed.

“The Dunwich Horror” was the first and only short story I have read by H.P. Lovecraft. I was already somewhat familiar with his extensive mythology from other writers, such as Kij Johnson’s “The Dream Quest of Vellit Boe” and Lansdale’s own “The Bleeding Shadow”. I found it to certainly be imaginative and perhaps even important, since it introduced new key elements of the Cthulhu mythos. However, the author’s decision to imitate dense regional dialects by spelling words phonetically made large passages of dialog virtually unreadable. Overlong sections of exposition and description grew tiresome.

As he did in his 2008 adaptation of “Pigeons From Hell”, Lansdale chose to update the story by writing it as a quasi-sequel set in in modern-day and featuring characters who are descendants of the originals. I would have preferred a faithful straight-up retelling set in the late 1920’s, but at least this version relates many of the events of the original short story via flashbacks.

In the short story, Dr. Henry Armitage is a scholar with access to the legendary book of spells, the Necronomicon, who finds a way to banish the Horror back to another dimension. In the comic, his grandson and a team of undergraduate students release it again.

The narrative is straight forward, although the various students seem interchangeable and vaguely rendered. To be fair, the graphic novel was probably doomed to its cardboard characters once the author made the decision to write it as a sequel, rather than tell the story through the lens of the monster’s twin brother Wilbur, which is how much of the short story is related.

Lansdale makes two story decisions which are sure to provoke conversation among Lovecraft aficionados. First, there is a sequence where a librarian swallows a flash drive containing the digitized contents of the Necronomicon. It kills her, suggesting the contents of that book in any form are deadly.

Second, via flashback Lansdale provides an alternate motivation for Wilbur’s actions in the original story. He suggests Wilbur was really trying to prevent the monster from entering our world and was killed not by a library guard dog, but by a hound of Hell loyal to the monster.

The artwork is striking throughout, with its palette of dark, gloomy grays and browns. The gore is substantial but muted so that it never seems cartoonish. The depictions of the otherworldly monsters are fantastical and fitting, although by no means the best examples of Lovecraft art one can find.

[Mariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't mind this graphic novel, it certainly could have been a better interpretation of H.P. Lovecraft's stories, but I don't think it was horrible. This graphic novel interprets Dunwich Horror & the Hound.

The way this graphic novel details the Dunwich Horror is different than the actual Dunwich Horror story. H.P Lovecraft's original Dunwich Horror story tells the story of Wilbur Whateley and how he's hideous and apparently has supernatural odor to his body. He's attacked and killed at the Miskatonic library as he tries to steal the Necronomicon. Dr. Henry Armitage recognizes the supernatural significance and goes to the house to stop the evil at the old Whateley house. However, the graphic novel tells of 4 friends who are investigating the Whateley's, but are not directly connected with them. They go to the house and 2 of the friends are killed instantly. Eventually the remaining 2 friends banish the evil being. Again, definitely not the same story as Lovecraft's original story.

The second story was the Hound. I like the artwork associated with the story however, the cursive font was incredibly difficult to read. This was the story I liked the best because they actually stuck with Lovecraft's original story.

If you're a fan of Lovecraft, you might be a little annoyed with this because of some of the inaccuracies in the retelling of the story. I still enjoyed reading it and overall I liked it.

[rybkaponi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Даже не знаю, что вообще заставило меня купить эту книжицу. С Лавкрафтом я не знаком, в планах знакомиться с ним не было никогда (да и после прочтения сей книги тоже не появилось), но так уж вышло, купил. Ну что ж. Сборник состоит из двух произведений - переработанный Ландсдейлом и нарисованный Бертингом "The Dunwich Horror" и сокращенный (нет, не сокращенный, скорее сокращенный и слегка переработанный) Вейнбергом "The Hound" с иллюстрациями Ментон3. Ах да, еще и статейки про самого Лавкрафта.

Ужас Данвича совершенно ничего из себя не представляет - унылый сюжет, чуть более унылая рисовка. Совершенно не интересно, в общем.

Пёс же - нечто совершенно иное. Это не комикс в чистом виде (да и не в чистом тоже), это скорее рассказ с обильным количеством иллюстраций. Вот как в детских книжечках - картинки на весь разворот, и пара строчек текста - вот примерно так это выглядит. Но боже, как же круто в итоге всё получилось, как же хорошо гармонирует стиль художника с текстом. Вот прям попадание в яблочко. Шикарная работа.

И уж если оценивать книгу - то отвратительный Ужас Данвича заслуживает от меня 4/10, а шикарный Пёс 9/10.