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Providence #issue 9
Providence #9
The world of H.P. Lovecraft has begun to invade the mind of Robert Black. His quest began as project to write a book but the more he is exposed to these horrors the closer to the edge of insanity he is pushed. The cracks in the world seem to be widening as he nears some inexplicable crescendo of horror. Alan Moore and artist Jacen Burrows have created the most realized version of Moore’s Lovecraftian vision ever published. Fans and classical scholars have flocked to the pages of Providence to decipher the many layers of story being told in this masterpiece. Moore has written every cover detail, every single page, and every nuance of this work to create an unforgettable series. Fans of Moore’s immersive style and meticulous grasp of storytelling will be thrilled to add this essential piece of comics history to their collections!
43 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2016
10 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
Alan Moore
1,577 books21.7k followersAlan Moore is an English writer most famous for his influential work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. He has also written a novel, Voice of the Fire, and performs "workings" (one-off performance art/spoken word pieces) with The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels, some of which have been released on CD.
As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.
As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 15, 2022
Review at the end of the series :)
May 17, 2024
This was another breathtaking episode in this saga. To describe the events and emotions associated with and experienced by Black would be a sacrilege. Read the whole thing and be amazed.
To the next volume, then.
To the next volume, then.
August 30, 2021
Wciąż się zastanawiam, czy narracja gloryfikuje Lovecrafta czy się z niego nabija.
October 30, 2020
Robert Black has finally arrived in Providence, Rhode Island, the namesake of this series. He’s greeted by Henry Annesley. The first page is shown from Black’s point of view, as he gets suspicious looks from the locals, but on Page 2 the point of view is shown from Annesley who’s wearing a pair of oddly shaped violet lensed glasses.
What Annesley sees though his glasses is the city’s street and Black but also various shaped creatures flying through the air and through other characters: bizarre fish, tentacles, worms, jellyfish, etc. Black is there to speak with him about the Stella Sapiente and as they walk to Annesley’s house and workshop they discuss some of the individuals that Black has encountered (in previous issues) as source material for his book.
Once in his home, Annesley tells Black about his organization and how members are ranked. Their conversation is interrupted by another character, and it’s this individual that walks with the protagonist to a new location where something happens and something is seen. The two men part when Black arrives at the residence of Howard Lovecraft. The two gentlemen talk and go to visit someone important who makes some statements that pertain to previous events and has an ability that others do not. “Outsiders” by Alan Moore is the first issue without any direct horrors occurring.
With his glasses Annesley sees horrific creatures that exist beyond the notice of man, which is the basis for the story “From Beyond” by Lovecraft. These creatures do nothing to those on Earth: Annesley merely sees both dimensions existing without either noticing the other. This provides some fun play on words from Moore, as everything that Annesley says, and to some degree Black, has a double meanings.
The character that interrupts the men’s discussion will have more to add to the series as he has access to an object that was mentioned in an earlier issue. Lovecraft also appears to have a bigger role than writer and friend to Black, as the individual that Lovecraft visits in the final pages says things that seem to mirror previous events. This issue is setting up the players and situations for the climax, which is only three issues away. It’s absolutely interesting to read, but possesses no direct terrors.
With the exception of four panels and two splash pages, Jacen Burrows illustrates Robert Black making his way through Providence. The art is so precise it leads one to believe that if one were to take this book to Providence today one would be able to follow in Black’s footsteps.
The opening page has the reader seeing what Black sees, and what he sees are frowning and suspicious faces. The street scenes are what one would expect. This makes the reveal of the full paged splash on Page 2 all the better: a smiling Black adjusting his tie as creatures of all shapes and sizes flit around him. Whenever the scene goes to Annesley’s view the images are disturbing; such as when a toothy eel-like creature goes through the smiling writer’s head. This also makes Annesley’s constant smile unnerving, because the reader knows what he’s seeing.
The man’s workshop is an impressively detailed setting, which will have Lovecraft fans pouring over to identify all its contents. The new character that enters on 6 is well illustrated. This individual is obviously younger than Black and Annesley, but the character is not a child; this is an impressive rendering of age in a character without being able to resort to modern day identifications, like tee shirt or hat imagery. The walk the two characters take is gorgeous, with a long shot of a train in the distance making one long for a time when views like this were possible.
The structure on Page 10 has every warning sign of trouble written on it. It is immense, strong, and forbidding. The third panel on 11 only intensifies this mood. A red flag is waved before the reader on 12 and 13 as an object in the room does not belong there. The introduction of Lovecraft is as one would expect to find the writer at home. Their walk though the city is also beautiful to look at. Pages 24 and 25 have some outstanding staging, as the reader is next to Black the entire time, but a conversation is occurring in the distance; this is a smart way to have the reader strain to see what’s happening. The final page puts the previous pages in a new light with someone seeing some things. Beautiful and creepy.
Juan Rodriguez gets two outstanding ways to employ colours to add to the eeriness of this issue. Before that’s addressed, the colouring of the real world should be addressed. Rodriguez’s work on these pages is excellent. The somber colours of the time look as though they would match the same structures today. There’s occasionally some brighter colours on buildings or in rooms, but the majority mirrors the reality of the time — dark colours: browns, blacks, and tans.
The first introduction of an unnatural colour occurs on Page 2 when the reader sees as Annesley does. Light violet is often used as an upbeat and festive colour, but in this book it takes on a sinister quality, tainting the world and becoming darker on the creatures that inhabit the different dimension. This colour stays with the reader whenever Annesley is shown, as his glasses are a magnet of attention. The second colour appears on 12 and 13 for the absolutely crimson item that’s shown in only three panels. It’s the brightest colour in the entire book, and deservedly so once it’s identified. Colour in this book create fear because they give slight clues into the unknown.
Dialogue, the story’s title, and a distant conversation are brought into being by letterer Kurt Hathaway. This is a dialogue heavy book, but Hathaway is expert enough to insert it into a panel without overcrowding or stepping on the visuals. The highlight is the distant conversation at the end of the book. It’s readable, but one really has to go deep into the image. This is a fantastic, and realistic, way for the reader to hear something that he or she wasn’t meant to. It’s necessary for the reader to hear what’s said since it seemingly gives clues of things to come. Excellent!
The final fourteen pages of the book contain pages from Black’s journal. It informs the reader what Black was up to before he arrived in Providence and his opinions on events. Having experienced the same events with the character, it makes for interesting reading to discover what Black thinks of them. The final two pages go beyond the last page of the illustrated story, telling that Lovecraft has loaned his most recent work to Black. This section of each book provides necessary insights into where Black has been and where he is going.
What Annesley sees though his glasses is the city’s street and Black but also various shaped creatures flying through the air and through other characters: bizarre fish, tentacles, worms, jellyfish, etc. Black is there to speak with him about the Stella Sapiente and as they walk to Annesley’s house and workshop they discuss some of the individuals that Black has encountered (in previous issues) as source material for his book.
Once in his home, Annesley tells Black about his organization and how members are ranked. Their conversation is interrupted by another character, and it’s this individual that walks with the protagonist to a new location where something happens and something is seen. The two men part when Black arrives at the residence of Howard Lovecraft. The two gentlemen talk and go to visit someone important who makes some statements that pertain to previous events and has an ability that others do not. “Outsiders” by Alan Moore is the first issue without any direct horrors occurring.
With his glasses Annesley sees horrific creatures that exist beyond the notice of man, which is the basis for the story “From Beyond” by Lovecraft. These creatures do nothing to those on Earth: Annesley merely sees both dimensions existing without either noticing the other. This provides some fun play on words from Moore, as everything that Annesley says, and to some degree Black, has a double meanings.
The character that interrupts the men’s discussion will have more to add to the series as he has access to an object that was mentioned in an earlier issue. Lovecraft also appears to have a bigger role than writer and friend to Black, as the individual that Lovecraft visits in the final pages says things that seem to mirror previous events. This issue is setting up the players and situations for the climax, which is only three issues away. It’s absolutely interesting to read, but possesses no direct terrors.
With the exception of four panels and two splash pages, Jacen Burrows illustrates Robert Black making his way through Providence. The art is so precise it leads one to believe that if one were to take this book to Providence today one would be able to follow in Black’s footsteps.
The opening page has the reader seeing what Black sees, and what he sees are frowning and suspicious faces. The street scenes are what one would expect. This makes the reveal of the full paged splash on Page 2 all the better: a smiling Black adjusting his tie as creatures of all shapes and sizes flit around him. Whenever the scene goes to Annesley’s view the images are disturbing; such as when a toothy eel-like creature goes through the smiling writer’s head. This also makes Annesley’s constant smile unnerving, because the reader knows what he’s seeing.
The man’s workshop is an impressively detailed setting, which will have Lovecraft fans pouring over to identify all its contents. The new character that enters on 6 is well illustrated. This individual is obviously younger than Black and Annesley, but the character is not a child; this is an impressive rendering of age in a character without being able to resort to modern day identifications, like tee shirt or hat imagery. The walk the two characters take is gorgeous, with a long shot of a train in the distance making one long for a time when views like this were possible.
The structure on Page 10 has every warning sign of trouble written on it. It is immense, strong, and forbidding. The third panel on 11 only intensifies this mood. A red flag is waved before the reader on 12 and 13 as an object in the room does not belong there. The introduction of Lovecraft is as one would expect to find the writer at home. Their walk though the city is also beautiful to look at. Pages 24 and 25 have some outstanding staging, as the reader is next to Black the entire time, but a conversation is occurring in the distance; this is a smart way to have the reader strain to see what’s happening. The final page puts the previous pages in a new light with someone seeing some things. Beautiful and creepy.
Juan Rodriguez gets two outstanding ways to employ colours to add to the eeriness of this issue. Before that’s addressed, the colouring of the real world should be addressed. Rodriguez’s work on these pages is excellent. The somber colours of the time look as though they would match the same structures today. There’s occasionally some brighter colours on buildings or in rooms, but the majority mirrors the reality of the time — dark colours: browns, blacks, and tans.
The first introduction of an unnatural colour occurs on Page 2 when the reader sees as Annesley does. Light violet is often used as an upbeat and festive colour, but in this book it takes on a sinister quality, tainting the world and becoming darker on the creatures that inhabit the different dimension. This colour stays with the reader whenever Annesley is shown, as his glasses are a magnet of attention. The second colour appears on 12 and 13 for the absolutely crimson item that’s shown in only three panels. It’s the brightest colour in the entire book, and deservedly so once it’s identified. Colour in this book create fear because they give slight clues into the unknown.
Dialogue, the story’s title, and a distant conversation are brought into being by letterer Kurt Hathaway. This is a dialogue heavy book, but Hathaway is expert enough to insert it into a panel without overcrowding or stepping on the visuals. The highlight is the distant conversation at the end of the book. It’s readable, but one really has to go deep into the image. This is a fantastic, and realistic, way for the reader to hear something that he or she wasn’t meant to. It’s necessary for the reader to hear what’s said since it seemingly gives clues of things to come. Excellent!
The final fourteen pages of the book contain pages from Black’s journal. It informs the reader what Black was up to before he arrived in Providence and his opinions on events. Having experienced the same events with the character, it makes for interesting reading to discover what Black thinks of them. The final two pages go beyond the last page of the illustrated story, telling that Lovecraft has loaned his most recent work to Black. This section of each book provides necessary insights into where Black has been and where he is going.
September 15, 2021
Mais um volume de "Providence" lido e, dessa vez, a história realmente segue seu desenvolvimento na cidade de Providence, onde nosso protagonista, Robert Black, acaba fazendo uma inesperada amizade com o jovem Howard Charles, que está buscando informações sobre seu antepassado, membro fundador da fraternidade Stella Sapiente (que Robert tem estudado com afinco).
Assim, enquanto Black conta mais sobre a genealogia de Charles, o rapaz apresenta-lhe diversos locais misteriosos de Providence, levando-os até a descoberta de uma pedra misteriosa...
Após diversos acontecimentos, Robert finalmente resolve visitar seu novo colega, H. P. Lovecraft!
É nesse momento que o leitor de fato conhece um personagem criado à semelhança de Lovecraft, pois acompanhamos sua vida, seus parentes, seu estado de saúde, sua fala peculiar e a idéias obscuras que deram origens aos seus contos.
Além de ver a amizade crescendo entre os dois personagens, também ficaremos sabendo o porquê da mãe do famoso autor estar em um sanatório... E tem tudo a ver com as criaturas bizarras que rondam o escritor e sua cidade!
Eu não posso negar que fiquei muito feliz lendo esse volume: primeiro porque Howard Charles representa Charles Dexter Ward, proragonista de um conto homônimo que é um dos meus favoritos de Lovecraft!
Além disso, algo que explodiu a minha mente foi, depois de tanto tempo, perceber que Robert Black é baseado em ninguém mais, ninguém menos, que Robert Bloch (mais conhecido por ter escrito "Psicose", mas autor de muitos mitos de Cthulhu e amigo de Lovecraft - um companheirismo que vemos nascer também nesse volume).
Foi a minha edição favorita de "Providence"? Não; algumas poucas coisas problemáticas aqui me incomodaram. Mas foi extremamente interessante perceber que, ao mesmo em que agora essa história está focada no real e no histórico, apresentando o verdadeiro Lovecraft, ela está mais mirabolante do que nunca - e de um jeito positivo!
As artes de Burrows conseguem retratar tudo o que os personagens sentem e as visões sobrenaturais que surgem, enquanto a narrativa criada por Moore continua a me surpreender e me deixar perdida, sem ter muita idéia da direção que esse enredo está tomando (talvez "O Habitante da Escuridão"?)! E se for pra ser assim... Que venham mais surpresas!
Mais resenhas no instagram literário @livre_em_livros e no canal do Youtube "Livre em Livros"!
Assim, enquanto Black conta mais sobre a genealogia de Charles, o rapaz apresenta-lhe diversos locais misteriosos de Providence, levando-os até a descoberta de uma pedra misteriosa...
Após diversos acontecimentos, Robert finalmente resolve visitar seu novo colega, H. P. Lovecraft!
É nesse momento que o leitor de fato conhece um personagem criado à semelhança de Lovecraft, pois acompanhamos sua vida, seus parentes, seu estado de saúde, sua fala peculiar e a idéias obscuras que deram origens aos seus contos.
Além de ver a amizade crescendo entre os dois personagens, também ficaremos sabendo o porquê da mãe do famoso autor estar em um sanatório... E tem tudo a ver com as criaturas bizarras que rondam o escritor e sua cidade!
Eu não posso negar que fiquei muito feliz lendo esse volume: primeiro porque Howard Charles representa Charles Dexter Ward, proragonista de um conto homônimo que é um dos meus favoritos de Lovecraft!
Além disso, algo que explodiu a minha mente foi, depois de tanto tempo, perceber que Robert Black é baseado em ninguém mais, ninguém menos, que Robert Bloch (mais conhecido por ter escrito "Psicose", mas autor de muitos mitos de Cthulhu e amigo de Lovecraft - um companheirismo que vemos nascer também nesse volume).
Foi a minha edição favorita de "Providence"? Não; algumas poucas coisas problemáticas aqui me incomodaram. Mas foi extremamente interessante perceber que, ao mesmo em que agora essa história está focada no real e no histórico, apresentando o verdadeiro Lovecraft, ela está mais mirabolante do que nunca - e de um jeito positivo!
As artes de Burrows conseguem retratar tudo o que os personagens sentem e as visões sobrenaturais que surgem, enquanto a narrativa criada por Moore continua a me surpreender e me deixar perdida, sem ter muita idéia da direção que esse enredo está tomando (talvez "O Habitante da Escuridão"?)! E se for pra ser assim... Que venham mais surpresas!
Mais resenhas no instagram literário @livre_em_livros e no canal do Youtube "Livre em Livros"!
December 27, 2018
And I.N. (Intrepid Narrator) finally makes it to Providence, there to meet a researcher with peculiar glasses (which can see hidden creatures; this apparently does not agitate them like it did in the Lovecraft story), a young student who shows him around, and, of course, Lovecraft himself. The young student is also named Howard. I wonder if he's a stand-in for Robert Barlowe (as I.N. is named "Robert"). Possible, but unclear as yet. He also happens to look a great deal like his grandfather Joseph Culwen (or Curwen from the stories), so he may not last past the next installment.
Back to this story, one place young Howard Culwen takes I.N. is to a dilapidated church with an oddly undisturbed library, and a very strange geometric object (a la the Trapezohedron). They ... enjoy themselves immensely there, then I.N. visits Lovecraft and arranges lodgings for himself.
Lovecraft's mannerisms here are much as they were depicted in the Night Ocean, so there must be some common source as to his RL behavior. I.N. accompanies him on a visit to his mother in the sanitarium, where she apparently also sees the hidden creatures, and thinks they're congregating around I.N. No one believes her, of course. There are hints that Lovecraft himself might have had similar experiences to I.N. and then concluded they were the results of hypnosis or dreams or whatnot.
All of that was quite enjoyable. The journal entries at the end were unusually good this time around, including speculation about the nature of horror, and how use of familiar creatures with known weaknesses is much less unsettling than entirely new, unknown cosmic horrors might be.
Back to this story, one place young Howard Culwen takes I.N. is to a dilapidated church with an oddly undisturbed library, and a very strange geometric object (a la the Trapezohedron). They ... enjoy themselves immensely there, then I.N. visits Lovecraft and arranges lodgings for himself.
Lovecraft's mannerisms here are much as they were depicted in the Night Ocean, so there must be some common source as to his RL behavior. I.N. accompanies him on a visit to his mother in the sanitarium, where she apparently also sees the hidden creatures, and thinks they're congregating around I.N. No one believes her, of course. There are hints that Lovecraft himself might have had similar experiences to I.N. and then concluded they were the results of hypnosis or dreams or whatnot.
All of that was quite enjoyable. The journal entries at the end were unusually good this time around, including speculation about the nature of horror, and how use of familiar creatures with known weaknesses is much less unsettling than entirely new, unknown cosmic horrors might be.
September 16, 2023
Queer in every sense of the word. Walk through HP Lovecraft's Providence and his walking tours through New England and New York. See the evolution of his fiction, his involvement with a huge body of correspondence. See the world originally through the eyes of a drunken and queer newspaper writer. See how HP Lovecraft affects both the past and the future. What is real? What is fiction? What is a dream and a dream world?
Incredible narrative and incredible graphic art work.
Highly recommended!
Incredible narrative and incredible graphic art work.
Highly recommended!
May 13, 2017
Loved the mention of UV photography.
February 28, 2018
This is just an excellent series by a genius storyteller. The art adds to the story and the dense prose at the end is well worth the read, even if it takes a bit of time.
January 10, 2023
Tbh trochę nudny rozdział, czytałem go wczoraj, a dziś musiałem się chwile wysilić, by przypomnieć sobie o czym był.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews