H.P. Lovecraft's The Hound and Other Stories

Gou Tanabe's Adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft's Masterpieces

by Gou Tanabe (Adapter, Illustrator)

A pair of decadent young men pursue the abhorrent thrill of grave robbing... a German submarine's crew is driven mad by the call of an underwater temple... an explorer in the Arabian desert discovers a hideous city older than mankind...

This moody and evocative manga gets back to the dark foundations of the Cthulhu Mythos, adapting three of H.P. Lovecraft's original stories that first shaped the outlines of cosmic horror!

Contents:
- The Temple
- The Hound
- The Nameless City

Genres: Manga, Horror, Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Gou Tanabe is a Japanese creator of Manga.

Also known as 田辺 剛.

(Some prefer the spelling Gō Tanabe, but Gou Tanabe is used on his published books so far.)

Reviews

[The Artisan Geek]

21/7/20
If there's anything I fear, it's being stuck on the open sea - BRUH. Despite this being an adaptation my opinions are based on solely this and not the source material, since I have not read it (save for The Hound). Lovecraft sure did know how to tap into people's fears -- it's really disturbing -- and I think Tanabe's realistic manga style really adds to that terror, especially when concerning human beings and corpses. Stellar manga, really!

21/7/20
Don't know what to expect to be honest! I read The Hound last year or so and remember not thinking much of it -- I'm nevertheless interested to see Tanabe's adaptation.

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[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

H.P. Lovecraft's the Hound and Other Stories, adapted by Gō Tanabe, was one of four books nominated in the “Best Adaptation from Another Medium” category at the recent 2018 Eisner awards. Lovecraft, who is one of the fathers of modern horror, has a reputation for great ideas, great world-building, but he's wordy and the prose is sometimes turgid. I liked the idea of a manga artist reducing a master’s short works to its dark essence, such as Christophe Chabouté’s also nominated and amazing adaptation of the also wordy Moby Dick, which I thought should have won (Octavia Butler’s Kindred, adapted by Damian Duffy and John Jennings, was the winner, which I haven't yet read).

The three short stories in this volume are "The Temple," "The Hound," and "The Nameless City.” None of them are among his most familiar tales.

“The Temple” is a story about a submarine discovering Atlantis.

“The Hound” is about two guys who like to explore intellectual on the dark side of ideas, who discover a corpse with an amulet. When they return to London they are driven over the edge by strange visions.

“The Nameless City” is again about a lost city and The Necronomicon, which is important to Lovecraft's world. As our hero enters the temple, his nightmare begins.

The point for Tanabe would seem to be the dark mood and tone, with a sense of foreboding, and his art creates this vibe. There’s only an intimation of Lovecraft’s complex mythos, but there are threads of ideas that link the three stories. Everything in this black and white work seems shadowy, to preserve a sense of mystery.

This is my first encounter with Tanabe’s work. It feels subtle and subdued compared to the horror of Junji Ito (Uzumaki). I wasn't particularly moved by it all, but I liked it. Maybe 3.5, because I can't quite decide.

[Mizuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork...the artwork is so exquisite!

Contents:

(1) The Temple: This manga adaptation of Lovecraft's deep sea horror at WWI is just so perfect! The suffocating horror of the ocean depth, human's insanity, and the lurking threat of death! Gou Tanabe captures the essence of the story and presents it all to us so beautifully!!!

(2) The Hound: a story about grave robbing! What is not to love here!? Plus karma is a bitch! LOL

I think Mr. Tanabe is getting better at drawing facial expressions!!!

(3) The Nameless City

What more can I say.......? We bear witness to the unspeakable shapes and messages of the Great Gods.

PS: Take my words, Gou Tanabe is the messiah for all the Lovecraft fans out there. XD

[Orrin Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovecraft has been adapted so many times that reading yet another straight adaptation of any of his tales seems almost pointless, and yet Go Tanabe manages to elevate each of the three tales he retells, giving them a new atmosphere while also staying more-than-usually true to the feel of the source material.

It helps that Tanabe has chosen to retell some of Lovecraft's less-often-regurgitated tales (I don't think "The Temple" or "The Nameless City" are high on anyone's list of Lovecraft's best-known stories). It is perhaps in "The Hound," however, certainly the most familiar story of the three presented in this thin volume, where Tanabe's adaptation works most eloquently. The artwork reminds me a bit of the art Ayami Kojima did for the Castlevania game series, but (generally) less baroque and more spare. Ultimately, these are some of the best straight adaptations of Lovecraft's work that I have come across, and the only real complaint to be lodged is that there are only three stories in the book, and I wanted more.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wish that I liked this more than I do. I've been a fan of Lovecraft since high school (1982-1986 if you must know), and a manga fan for almost as long, so I was very excited to see this book on the shelf at my friendly neighborhood comics shop.

The stories in this volume are "The Temple", "The Hound", and "The Nameless City." Tanabe's style is dark and moody, very much in the mode of dramatic series like Golgo 13 or Lone Wolf and Cub. He does a decent job with the adaptations, but they're somehow lacking. Everything is more or less as it should be, but there's some essential spark missing. All that reading this book did for me was make me yearn to reread the originals.

To be fair, Lovecraft resists being translated into visual media. His use of language and reliance on the imagination of the reader are difficult to bring to screen or comics. A certain visual imagination on the part of the adapter is required. This was an interesting book, and, though I can't bring myself to recommend it, Lovecraft fans at least will want to check this out.

[Ignacio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me ha gustado reencontrarme con estos tres relatos, un Lovecraft 101 que estaban en el primer libro suyo que leí: el Dagón y otros cuentos macabros de bolsillo de Alianza. Acostumbrado a las adaptaciones de Maroto, Breccia o Corben, más evocadores y sintéticos a la hora de plasmar el abismo que se abre ante los protagonistas, es refrescante ver cómo Tanabe se sirve de la descomprensión del manga para detenerse en cada escena y profundizar en la atmósfera y la enajenación de los personajes. O en la representación de las criaturas, brutalmente nítidas. Quizás haya detalles que no funcionen tan bien a nivel narrativo, caso de la secuenciación y las elipsis de "El sabueso". Pero para los interesados en las adaptaciones de los Mitos Tanabe está a la altura de los maestros.

[Bill Hsu · Rating 2 out of 5]

(I was going to make a snarky remark about the proliferation of Lovecraft tributes and adaptations, but I won't.)

Tanabe's texturing, draftsmanship, and skill with lighting effects are technically impressive. But his (overly) cluttered layouts, especially in the first two stories, would be better served by larger formats. There's also a flatness and old-fashioned quality in the storytelling that I don't find attractive. Tanabe's sense of visual design also seems less than imaginative; the creatures really don't look very interesting. (Not a fair comparison, but see Jacen Burrows' work in Providence, where he of course had Alan Moore's text to work from.)

[Alyson Walton · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ for this H.P Lovecraft adaptation of The Temple, The Hound, and The Nameless City illustrated beautifully by Gou Tanabe.
The artwork here is amazing, but it just doesn't portray the horror in H.P Lovecrafts work the same way as reading in the written word will.

[Alexander Engel-Hodgkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.2/5

Finally, I've gotten my hands on one of Gou Tanabe's Lovecraft adaptations! I quite enjoy Tanabe's artwork here, heavily detailed without being muddied or hard on the eyes. His human characters are designed a tad blandly here, but let's be real--no one reads Lovecraft in any form for his 'compelling' characters.

The Temple
A fascinating dive (heheh) into a nameless city at the bottom of the ocean that ultimately doesn't amount to much, but it was really good for the first third of the page count. Like many of Lovecraft's original stories, this one kinda just ends seemingly at random, which is my only disappointment with this otherwise stellar presentation.

The Hound
The only story in this volume with an actual ending, and coincidentally, the strongest of the three. The atmosphere is tense, the imagery disturbing, the writing to-the-point, and the artwork is superb.

The Nameless City
A fascinating foray into a nameless city at the bottom of the desert that ultimately doesn't amount to much, but it was really good for the last third of the page count. Like The Temple, this one also kinda just ends seemingly at random, which is my only disappointment with this otherwise stellar presentation. I even copy-pasted the majority of this paragraph from my thoughts on the first story. That's how consistent these two are.

I'm not disappointed with this volume overall. Looking forward to seeing more of Tanabe's work translated, because he is clearly the right man for the job. Even the ever-so-humble Junji Ito acknowledged this when he explained why he didn't go through with any of his own adaptations (though I think he's too hard on himself; Lovecraft adaptations by Ito would be fascinating in their own right).

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read much at all of Lovecraft but his work is something I would like to delve into someday. Three tales are presented here in traditional manga format. The art is exquisite and frightening, very detailed. The stories are oh so very dark and oppressive. Quite a unique presentation for an introduction to Lovecraft and which I think fans will also appreciate.

1. The Temple (1920) - The art is quite good but I can't stop thinking how great it would be for Junji Ito to do a Lovecraftian book. Anyway, as usual, this Lovecraft tale leaves me baffled. A German submarine deals with superstition, mutiny and the lost Atlantis. Eventually, he is alone at the bottom of the sea. The tale (and art) are very oppressive and the feeling that something dreadful is going to happen lingers throughout but by the end, I'm not sure if it did or not. I know what happened but don't get the point. (3/5)

2. The Hound (1922) - Now this is more like it! Two rich men bored with the frivolities of life turn towards the darkside. It's been a while since they went on a treck for treasures when one man finds out about a thief dead 500 years ago who was buried with an amulet which has something to do with corpses. Upon return to London, they are haunted by visions and beasts until they see their own undoing. The only problem is that the art did not flow. It was like scene to scene to scene without a narrative flow. (4/5)

3. The Nameless City (1921) - I feel like I've read this story before. It's the best one by far and the one most understandable. It is here with the third tale that I can see the connection between the stories, of the Mythos that Lovecraft is famous for and which I don't fully understand yet. The Necronomicon and its author, an 8th century Arab are mentioned in this and "The Hound" shedding some light on that aspect for me. The main similarity is between this and "The Temple, though. In that one, a man finds an abandoned lost city under the ocean and the story ends as he is about to enter the temple. In this one, a man finds an abandoned lost city in the Arabian desert and his horrific journey begins as he enters the temple. Quite an intense story with the foreboding becoming heavier and heavier as the story progresses. (5/5)

[Michael Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strip away Lovecraft's turgid prose, racism, and anti-Semitism and replace it with pared-to-the-bone narration and brisk artwork from Guo Tanabe, while keeping all the weirdness intact, and you get something that's actually enjoyable to read!

Tanabe does a great job adapting three Lovecraft stories (The Temple, The Hound, and The Nameless City), letting his pencils tell the story in ways that are more evocative and imaginative than the source material (there's no "unimaginable" or "indescribable" horrors here - Tanabe creatively illustrates it all), and are certainly more briskly paced, especially when reading in the cinematic guided view of ComiXology.

This book was a nice introduction to Tanabe's talents, and now I'm very curious to read his two-book adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's at the Mountains of Madness Volume 1 to see what kind of life he can breath into H.P.'s aged, dry 'classic.'

[Zai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me estoy aficcionando a las adaptaciones al manga de los relatos de H. P. Lovecraft por Tanabe Go, con el presente ya son 4 las adaptaciones a este género que leo, las anteriores fueron las siguientes; El color que cayó del cielo y Las montañas de la locura vol. 1 y 2, estos 2 últimos siquen siendo mis favoritos.

El presente volumen es una antología, no contiene sólo un relato como los anteriores, sino que contiene 3; La ciudad sin nombre, El templo y El sabueso; este último es el que le da título a este manga y el que más me ha gustado.

Las ilustraciones de Tanabe Go son maravillosas y totalmente acordes con los relatos del maestro del terror cósmico, H. P. Lovecraft.

[Devon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tanabe has an incredible grasp of depth and perspective. Everything looks like it's sculpted out of shadows. The ambiguity that comes from this shadow really works with Lovecraft's style. Tanabe successfully captures the fragmentary quality of Lovecraft. You can pore over a frame and still not be quite sure of the nature of the monster inside.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a general rule of thumb, it seems to me that visual interpretations of the works of H.P. Lovecraft have not succeeded very well. At his best, Lovecraft dealt in hints and suggestions of terrible things, and when he did bring his horrors front and center, his work suffered from the usual banalities of the genre. By definition, this means that graphically depicting Lovecraftian beasties robs them of most of their power, a significant problem for the visual artist.

So I was pleasantly surprised by Gou Tanabe's visual takes on several of Lovecraft's lesser tales ("The Temple", "The Hound", and "The Nameless City"), primarily because Tanabe alters the source material just enough to introduce actual characters, something in which Lovecraft himself had limited interest. Tanabe's graphic style is dark, moody, and gothic, perfectly capturing the Poe-inspired tales that he is interpreting. He does not shy away from putting the monsters on the page, but he wisely avoids making those appearances the dramatic fulcrum for each tale, and focuses instead on how his characters react to what is happening to them. It's a smart way to avoid some of Lovecraft's greatest failings as a writer, and has the rewarding effect of making Tanabe's manga versions of these stories more effective than Lovecraft's original prose versions.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this manga collection of three Lovecraft stories. These aren't the most well known of Lovecraft's stories as here we get The Temple, The Hound and The Nameless City. The art is very well done for the most part, if at times a little confusing. The stories do translate the claustrophobic horror of Lovecraft very well.

We have a submarine from WWII exploring a sunken city, basically echoes of Dagon. Then we have gravediggers robbing the wrong grave. Finally we see an ancient tomb being explored and, well, in a Lovecraft story I think "ancient tomb" pretty much says it all.

If you're a Lovecraft fan, this is worth checking out.

[Hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, those two page spreads are gorgeous, and I love Tanabe's interpretation of the tales. The Hound especially was horrifying. I loved this.

[Niina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olipas tämä hyvä! Pidin paljon piirrosjäljestä, joka on hyvin tummaa. Hahmot ovat monipuolisia ja helppo erottaa toisistaan, miljööt ovat yksityiskohtaisia. En ole lukenut Lovecraftin tarinoista aiemmin kuin Vaeltaja unien portilla -novellikokoelman. Tähän mangakokoelmaan valitut tarinat olivat todella kiinnostavia.

[✶ marta ✶ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastico il riadattamento, fantastici i disegni. Unica pecca, le tavole dell'edizione J Pop sono troppo piccole e non si riescono ad apprezzare come si dovrebbe

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never experienced Lovecraft in manga form before, but it was really fun! I’d like to read the other adaptations Tanabe has done.

[Leila Anani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Manga adaptation of 3 Lovecraft short stories:
The Temple
The Hound,
The Nameless City

Solid manga adaptation with decent enough art, but I expected more somehow. The Hound put me in mind of M.R. James' The Casting of the Runes. The Nameless City gave me Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull vibes. My favourite story here is The Temple which made me think of Dagon - I love the Atlantean setting.

I'm not sure that manga is the best vehicle for Lovecraft - taking it away from the dense prose loses something somehow. Or perhaps its simply that the visuals here don't do the stories justice. This one's not bad, but sadly failed to blow me away.

[Artur Coelho · Rating 4 out of 5]

É intrigante constatar o fascínio contínuo que a obra de H. P. Lovecraft excerce hoje sobre escritores e desenhadores. A prosa deste autor pulp que quase caiu no esquecimento, com todos os seus defeitos estilísticos e temáticos, conjura um tipo muito próprio de terror classicista que exerce um fortíssimo fascínio nos apreciadores e criadores do género. Esta adaptação para mangá de Gou Tanabe de três dos seus conhecidos contos (The Hound, The Nameless City, The Temple), cruza a estética da banda desenhada japonesa com o terror visceral e europeísta de Lovecraft. O registo gráfico é notável, sumptuoso nas trevas e no invocar das deformidades aterrorizantes que caracterizam a obra lovecraftiana.

El Templo: A interpretação gráfica que Tanabe dá a este conto distingue-se pela forma como retrata os espaços claustrofóbicos de um submarino alemão cuja tripulação enlouquece. À deriva submerso no oceano, condenado pelos motores destruídos, aproxima-se de um misterioso templo debaixo das águas, talvez um resquício de estilo helenista da antiga atlântida. É curiosa a forma como Tanabe nos leva da claustrofobia do interior do submarino a espaços visuais amplos onde os mistérios submersos se cruzam com um formalismo baseado na arte grega da antiguidade clássica.

El Sabueso: Versão de The Hound, a história aterrorizante de dois jovens decadentes cuja busca insaciável pelos prazeres mórbidos os leva a deparar-se com um aterrorizante defensor de um artefacto misterioso. São muito interessantes os contrastes gráficos entre uma certa elegância mórbida dos jovens protagonistas e a escuridão profunda dos momentos de terror.

La Ciudad Sin Nombre: Se o estilismo de Tanabe se caracterizou pelo rigor formal nas duas primeiras histórias, o seu traço torna-se mais solto e expressivo ao abordar The Nameless City. As ruínas soterradas sob os desertos arábicos ganham um curioso ar bizantino que é muito eficaz a invocar o ambiente de fascínio e estranheza pelos locais remotos que ocultam segredos tenebrosos que caracteriza o conto original.

[Joseph B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gou Tanabe breathes new life into lesser known Lovecraft stories in this trio of adapted shorts. The Temple, the Hound, and the Nameless City all get comic adaptions once more, this time in manga form. What sets this collection apart is Tanabe's brilliantly detailed art conveying the tone of Lovecraft's stories. He takes the route of letting the art tell the story in many places, and this works very well. The tension and suspense is conveyed wonderfully with his art style. If you are a Lovecraft or horror fan, this collection is well worth checking out.

In particular, I found the Nameless City to be the best of the bunch. Tanabe immerses the reader in this story with each panel, making us feel as if we're there with the adventurer as he goes deeper and deeper in this long forgotten city.

[Václav · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4 of 5 average for 4,6 The Temple, 4 The Hound and 3 The Nameless City in this another manga Lovecraftian story)
Continuing trough the Gou Tanabe's adaptations of Lovecraft stories I will not mention the issues I have because they're mostly the same as before, only the quality of the story changes. The collection of three stories carries the name of the most known one. The irony is it's the weakest one of them. Graverobbing The Hound is a bit better and more "fun", but The Temple is best. By far. The desolating atmosphere of the doomed submarine is perfect, the storytelling is working well and the material is worth of horror movie adaptation.
It's worth the try for the HPL fans, for the rest, I would not vouch for it. The Temple is definitely interesting, but that only 1/3 of the book.

[Sergi Oset · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esperaba una versión gore y enfermiza de la adaptación de “El templo”, “El sabueso” y “La ciudad sin nombre”, los tres relatos de Lovecraft que integran este tomo editado, de forma impecable, por Editorial Livrea, pero nada más lejos de lo que pensaba. Tanabe tiene un arte muy fino y detallado, es escrupuloso y no se aparta del guion trazado por los relatos originales, pausado y con abundancia de viñetas muy expresivas sin bocadillos. Ha sido un placer poder compara su versión de “La ciudad sin nombre” con la que se recoge de Esteban Maroto en el volumen “Los Mitos de Cthulhu de Lovecraft”.
PD: ojalá Livrea también traduzca y publique el “En las montañas de la locura” de Tanabe.

[Catarina Prata · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is my first time reading Gou Tanabe's works, and I can say I am already a fan. The dark and shadowy art style is perfect for Lovecraftian horror and to be read at night, with only a little light on. Even though I feel like some stories would work better if longer, we must consider the fact that this is an adaptation, and a very good one at that. The anxiety, the madness and the historical dark feeling, as well as terrible creatures are all present in this work and, as such, I am looking forward to read more of Tanabe's works.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK art and stories, the size of this book (5x7 inches) doesn't show the artwork to its best advantage and adapting Lovecraft to graphic format is always tough.

[miss_mandrake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Denn es ist nicht tot, was ewig liegt, bis dass die Zeit den Tod besiegt.

Ich war richtig aus dem Häuschen, als ich die Mangas von Lovecrafts Geschichten sah. Dieser Band hat mich zwar von den Zeichnungen beeindrucken können, jedoch fehlten mir oft leider die Ortsangaben oder kleinere Details.
Trotzdem hat sich der Kauf für mich gelohnt.

[Etienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5/5. The Temple, The Hound, The Nameless City, three short stories from Lovecraft adapted into manga. Well done, the ambiance and atmosphere are well transfer into this new format, providing a fun read for the fan and maybe even attract new ones.

[Jim Reddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of three H.P. Lovecraft stories adapted by manga artist Gou Tanabe, The Temple, The Hound, and The Nameless City.

These stories are a good mix of prose from the original stories, character dialogue, and beautiful black and white artwork. The artwork conveys the mood found in Lovecraft’s fiction well. Tanabe uses lots of shadows and detailed line work. An enjoyable if quick read.

[Yaroslav Chernovol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Збірка оповідань Лавкрафта з ілюстраціями Го Танабе. Малюнок класний, темний, атмосферний, бодігоррорний. Тепер цікаво стало як виглядає артбук по Ктулгу від того ж автора.