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H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness #1-2

Les Montagnes hallucinées : Tome 1

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En 1931, une expédition de sauvetage découvre le campement en ruines du Pr Lake, parti explorer l’Antarctique quelques mois plus tôt. Son équipe de scientifiques avait envoyé un message annonçant une découverte extraordinaire avant de sombrer dans le silence…

Sur place, des squelettes humains dépouillés de leur chair laissent imaginer les scènes d’horreur qui ont pu se dérouler. Plus perturbantes encore : les immenses montagnes noires aux pics acérés au pied desquelles le Pr Lake et ses compagnons ont rendu l’âme… Ces terres désolées semblent cacher de terribles secrets. Gare aux imprudents qui oseraient s’y aventurer !

Avec un trait sombre et réaliste, Gou Tanabe met en images les pires cauchemars imaginés par H. P. Lovecraft, le maître du fantastique et de l’horreur. Aux confins des terres inexplorées, la joie de la découverte laisse place à une lutte sans espoir contre la terreur et la folie !

290 pages, Simili-cuir

First published January 1, 2016

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About the author

Gou Tanabe

61 books254 followers
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.)

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5 stars
1,455 (43%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 351 reviews
Profile Image for Mizuki.
3,379 reviews1,405 followers
June 15, 2025
Review for vol. 2: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

(1) I like how Tanabe rearranged the narrative to create tension and suspense!

(2) and you just have to check this out! At The Mountains of Madness (H. P. Lovecraft) - Thug Notes Summary and Analysis

(3) I like how Mr. Tanabe's drawing makes all the characters come to life.

(4) Antarctic expeditions are now so much fun~

(5) You know what? there is barely any conversation in the original story, but now Mr. Tanabe changed all the dry descriptions into dialogues!!! YEAH!

(6) Alright! So this really is a story for readers who have a hard-on for learning, the mystery of the unknown and fucking new discovery!

(7) the Elder Things look terrifying when you are up close with them!

(8) I also like how the characters are positioned in the landscapes created by the manga-ka, it really expresses the wonder and horror of wilderness well!

PS: Take my word, Gou Tanabe is the messiah for all the Lovecraft fans out there. XD
Profile Image for Stewart Tame.
2,478 reviews121 followers
August 29, 2019
Gou Tanabe has upped his game with this book. The previous volume of his Lovecraft adaptations, The Hound and Other Stories, was fun, but didn't really rise above its novelty value for the most part. I had assumed that it was simply that Lovecraft’s prose is too much a part of his identity for his work to translate well into more visual media.

But At the Mountains of Madness is a different beast. Tanabe’s adaptation flows nicely, and I found myself being less conscious of the fact that I was reading Lovecraftian manga and simply getting into the story.

As the cover states, this is volume one, so only half of the saga of Miskatonic University's ill-fated Antarctic expedition of 1930 is covered. I’m not going to bother summarizing the plot details. This is one of those classic horror tales that should be familiar to all fans of the genre. It's not difficult to find, so go read it if you haven't already. Anyway, this manga covers the story up to the point where the main expedition finds Dr. Lake’s camp … or what’s left of it anyway. The book ends with the expedition about to turn back due to the weather, despite many mysteries unsolved. The final lines, “I am not leaving Antarctica without answers. If the winds subside tomorrow … I fly to the Black Mountains. “ Even if I weren't familiar with the story, the fact that a Volume 2 is forthcoming would lead me to conclude that the winds will be subsiding …

Tanabe’s art serves the story well. He keeps to a fairly realistic manga style, and has a flair for the creepy bits when they come up. I am eagerly anticipating some of the scenes that are coming in volume 2. He would seem to be up to the task, and I’d best not expand on that because spoilers …

I love the use of silver ink on the cover. Even better is the very first page of the book, with the same scene in silver on matte black paper. Flipping gorgeous it is, and I am dubious that an eReader would give the same effect. I’ll admit that I'm a bit set in my ways with regards to physical media though …

An excellent adaptation of an enduring classic. Highly recommended!
Profile Image for Zai.
1,012 reviews25 followers
April 27, 2021
Este es el segundo manga que leo en mi vida, y me estoy aficionando, así que no será el último.

Me decidí por este libro porque me encantan las historias de Lovecraft, soy una gran fan, este libro es la adaptación al manga del relato En las montañas de la locura de H. P. Lovecraft, las ilustraciones y diálogos son de Tanabe Go, y me han parecido maravillosos, te sumergen desde el inicio en la historia.

La trama es la siguiente, un grupo de científicos van de expedición a la Antártida, para investigar sus rutas, minerales, etc… y documentarlo, ante un pequeño descubrimiento, la expedición se divide en dos grupos, un pequeño grupo se queda en el campamento base y el resto avanzan hacia el noroeste para investigar…..

Pero este último grupo hace un descubrimiento realmente desconcertante, y tras una tormenta el campamento base pierde el contacto con ellos, cuando esta pasa, deciden ir a buscarlos…… y hasta ahí puedo contar.

Este manga es el primero de dos libros y estoy deseando que salga el segundo para continuar la historia.
Profile Image for Orrin Grey.
Author 104 books351 followers
December 16, 2019
We may never get Guillermo del Toro's take on AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS, but fortunately we have Gou Tanabe's, which is bracingly cinematic in all the best possible ways, and capable of feats that a movie probably couldn't achieve on any sort of rational budget.
Profile Image for Drew Canole.
3,182 reviews44 followers
September 16, 2022
This and volume 2 make for the greatest HP Lovecraft adapation in comics I've read so far (and perhaps one of the best comic adaptations in general)... and that's high praise since the legendary Richard Corben adapted a lot of HP Lovecraft stories.

The two-page splashes showing the gloomy Antarctic landscapes are just jaw-dropping. The horror is well handled, and Gou leaves enough to the imagination to keep you in fear of this mysterious entity the team has found.

Profile Image for Ignacio.
1,449 reviews302 followers
April 30, 2021
Impresiona la fidelidad con la que Tanabe ha trasladado la novela corta de Lovecraft sin arrojarse a la "literalidad". Cómo conserva su caudal descriptivo y enigmático apoyándose en los recursos de la historieta, con un trazo y una narrativa que abarcan del naturalismo a la hora de representar los paisajes imponentes que se encuentra la expedición polar o la representación de sus descubrimientos, a lo cinematográfico de la secuenciación. Ciertas absurdeces del relato de Lovecraft quedan más al descubierto (Lake se lleva cuatro aviones, dejando a la expedición principal en cuadro), y a los textos les falta una corrección más exigente. Pero nada mengua el poder cautivador de esta majestuosa adaptación.
Profile Image for Quentin Wallace.
Author 34 books178 followers
March 21, 2020
This surpassed my expectations. While many comics have adapted Lovecraft's stories, his writing really has proven difficult to translate. However Tanabe has done about as good as job as possible here. I noticed some other readers mentioned how cinematic this manga is, and I totally agree. You can see from here just how cool a movie could be, although sadly we may never see one.

Tanabe is not glossing this over, as this first volume is very in depth and covers the first half of the story without compromise. It's always interesting to see Lovecraft's creatures being represented in art, as his descriptions are often open to interpretation. Tanabe has done a great job here.

I have never looked this up, but seeing this story presented graphically makes me wonder if the source material was an influence on John Carpenter for his classic horror film "The Thing."

Looking forward to the conclusion as so far this is very well done.
Profile Image for Sarah E B  ʚ♡ɞ.
485 reviews41 followers
November 7, 2025
4.4/5 Stars⭐ ✨

This book, a fortunate find at my local library, offers a truly lovely way to transition into the winter season. What makes it stand out most is the exceptional artwork. The illustrations are remarkably detailed and represent a distinct visual style—one that is refreshingly different from what I typically expect within this genre. It's a testament to the artist's skill and originality. Highly recommended!
❄ 🗻
Profile Image for C. Varn.
Author 3 books400 followers
May 22, 2023
Gou Tanabe manages to do something that I didn't think possible, which is to maintain a fairly realistic manga style and illustrate a culture that is depicted in a way in the original Lovecraft as to be fairly indescribable. Indeed, it is the lack of detail which Lovecraft tends to rely on to build the tension and cosmic dread in his stories, so illustrating them in general is difficult. Illustrating them in a way that maintains any of the horror even more difficult. Tanabe succeeds here, even in the first volume which focuses on the more banal events of the original story.
Profile Image for Václav.
1,131 reviews44 followers
July 20, 2020
(3,5 of 5 for another confusing comics take on H. P. Lovecraft)
It's never easy with Cthulhu mythos and the image of world Lovecraft created. Because it's hard to transfer "unspeakable" or "mindbending" to something visual and still that fascinating and chilling. And yet there is always someone who wants to tackle it. This time manga creator.
The result is confusing. I can't say it's bad, but it isn't good neither. The story is there, but panels are sometimes confusing, chaotic or depicting something I can't tell what it is. Usually some kind of landscape. Too much of it. Too much of empty stares to some chaotic curves. Maybe the author intended to show something but also not show it in detail/precisely, but it usually ends as some Pollock art. Text is rather confusing too, the dialogues are stiff, sometimes random and generic they look that they do not connect. It can be Dark Horse translation (I would bet on that), but sometimes, with this kind of bubbles which do not point to the speaker, it could be annoying as hell.
One last thing, which bothered me the whole time, are the faces. Almost everybody's face looks like they're holding tremendous shit or they are possessed by evil from the start (or probably both). Characters usually have one or two facial expressions and the whole book looks like if the mannequins from Bushman took off from the shop window and went to the expedition.
Profile Image for Dave.
982 reviews21 followers
March 10, 2020
Fantastic in both word and detailed fine line black and white artwork, Tanabe adapts Lovecraft's "long form" story about the expedition to the Antarctic by a group of explorers and scientists and what they find there in the ice, snow, and caves.
Reading this reminded me a bit of Kirkman's "Walking Dead" comics with both being in black & white and featuring fine line, great detail, and panels both large and small.
Just an amazing adaptation and easily among the best I have seen of Lovecraft's work. I want to see out Tanabe's other Lovecraft adaptations now.
Profile Image for Javier Muñoz.
849 reviews103 followers
June 9, 2021
Adaptación de la novela de Lovecraft, al contrario que en otras adaptaciones de obras de Lovecraft las representaciones de los seres de los mitos no son confusas e informes, también hay que tener en cuenta que la descripción de los antiguos de la novela es quizás de las más detalladas que podemos encontrar en cualquier relato del autor de Providence.

Dibujo impresionante y fidelidad a la obra original, presiento que el segundo tomo será aún mejor, estoy deseando ver la versión de Tanabe de los Shoggoths.
Profile Image for Pablo Mallorquí.
793 reviews58 followers
January 15, 2022
Me habían hablado muy bien de las adaptaciones lovecraftianas del mangaka Gou Tanabe, y tras leer el primer tomo de Las montañas de la locura me uno al entusiasmo. Tanabe ha conseguido una cosa muy difícil, que es trasladar la esencia del relato original y la inquietud que genera pero a la vez aportando elementos propios a la narración y retocando detalles. Y el resultado funciona a la perfección. Una lectura obligada para los amantes del terror que además cuenta con uno de los dibujos más impresionantes que he visto en un manga.
Profile Image for Barbara.
1,091 reviews26 followers
July 18, 2019
Good first installment. Looking forward to the second volume and continuing the story.
Profile Image for Vicente Ribes.
911 reviews170 followers
September 13, 2023
Un cómic brutal. Si algún dia Guillermo del toro decide adaptar la historia podria poner como base este cómic. Tanabe coje una historia enrevesada y te la explica con unos dibujos y una narrativa que contiene más acción que la que suele haber en Lovecraft y se adapta mejor a estos tiempos modernos.
Profile Image for Raul Ruiz.
120 reviews5 followers
July 8, 2021
Espero que Planeta saque todo lo que este señor ha hecho
Profile Image for Zai Zai.
810 reviews16 followers
September 11, 2024
Very good adaptation. I could tell it was made by someone who genuinely admired the material. Will complete this series for sure.
Profile Image for Francis.
1,094 reviews33 followers
February 23, 2019
Je n'ai jamais lu de Lovecraft dans ma vie, mais ce manga double m'a sérieusement donné envie de plonger dans l'univers sombre et démentiel de cet auteur! Premièrement, cela faisait longtemps que je n'avais pas lu une bande dessinée qui prenne son temps pour bien établir son atmosphère. Chaque scène pèse lourd, cachant peut-être un indice sur le danger imminent qui guette les personnages principaux et dont l'on constate les malencontreuses conséquences dès le début du manga. Chaque dialogue compte: les conversations scientifiques évoquent sans conteste les récits verniens, alors que l'ambiance sombre et menaçante rappelle les nouvelles d'Edgar Allan Poe. J'aime bien le clin d'oeil aux romans Le Sphinx des glaces et The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. Et les illustrations sublimes de l'auteur qui traduisent, par des traits sombres, parfois floues, l'atmosphère de folie qui règne dans ce récit. C'est un premier tome tout simplement réussi!
Profile Image for Callum Woodward.
194 reviews2 followers
December 28, 2022
It’s an okay adaptation of Lovecraft’s famous work but the biggest problem this book faces is the unclear art that shows up throughout the volume. It’s a lot of effort put into it but it really feels like it was time wasted when it’s hard to decipher what’s going on in the pages. There’s a lot of black mountains and organic matter that is just so dense on the page it’s hard to pick it out from the rest of the scene.

Regarding plot, it’s the same as the original. Just as slow, a bit more informative in the visual sense when it’s not fighting against you but still uses Lovecraft’s words in monologue that definitely give it its age. There isn’t 3 paragraphs of tentacle measurement here and that’s largely for the best.

I’ll see how volume 2 is but I suspect it’s just dark and slow as volume 1 but I do hope that now I understand what I’m in for, I have less issues about it and can fully enjoy the adaptation more.
Profile Image for Edgar Cotes Argelich.
Author 49 books153 followers
June 22, 2022
Tanabe fa una feina excepcional en l’adaptació al manga d’aquesta llibre del mestre del terror, amb uk dibuix espectacular i un guió adaptat amb alguns petits canvis, però que funciona a la perfecció. Magnífic.
Profile Image for Jordi.
260 reviews8 followers
December 9, 2019
Some of the panels are breathtaking - a must for Lovecraft fans.
Profile Image for Megan Farve.
409 reviews5 followers
December 18, 2019
I enjoy H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountain of Madness in any format, but I really enjoyed the art in this edition as well. I can’t wait for the second volume!
Profile Image for Andrew.
680 reviews248 followers
April 5, 2021
H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness, Volume 1, adapted by Gou Tanabe, is a fantastic first volume manga edition of H.P. Lovecraft's classic "At the Mountains of Madness." The book follows an expeditionary team from Miskatonic University as they attempt to explore and document Antarctica in the 1930's. The team becomes obsessed with rocks that may contain biological patterns of unknown origin, and stumbles across the Black Mountain, a massive peak of strange configuration that they begin to explore. The exploration team disappears, and the rest of the expedition mount a search and rescue to try and determine what, exactly, happened...

And thus ends volume 1. This was a fantastic manga take on the classic science/fiction/horror novel of the same name. The graphics in here are extremely well done, capturing the bleakness of Antarctica, the darkness of the cold stone of the Mountain, and so forth. The narrative and story are classic, but well captured here as well, replacing descriptive text with graphic in many cases, but leaving in the solid and pulpy dialogue classically attributed to Lovecraft. An excellent take on a classic, and a great way to reexplore (or look for the first time) at this Lovecraftian classic.
7,033 reviews83 followers
June 22, 2020
4,5/5. Continuing on my Lovecraft journey (original works, adaptations and followers works). This one was a very interesting manga adaptation of the Lovecraft story. The ambiance is well represented, the story feel good, the art is good and I really enjoy reading it. I read a bunch of Lovecraft comic adaptation but this was my first manga.
Profile Image for Nelson.
369 reviews18 followers
October 29, 2020
Incredible adaptation thus far. I have only read part of the original novella but dare I say that this adaptation is a lot more enjoyable, as we skip the more boring parts of Lovecraft's prose (his rambling descriptions and tedious pacing). I expect that the second half will be even more engaging. Honestly I could marvel at Tanabe's mountainscapes for days and not lose an ounce of awe. Can't wait to see his depictions of the stuff coming up in the second half.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 351 reviews

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