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The Call of Cthulhu and Dagon: A Graphic Novel
Dive into these dark, haunting, and richly illustrated adaptations of two tales from H. P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos.
In this hauntingly illustrated adaptation of two of H. P. Lovecraft’s most famous stories from the Cthulhu Mythos, illustrator Dave Shephard captivates readers with stories of supernatural monsters so powerful that humanity is deemed irrelevant. The Call of Cthulhu and Dagon introduce the Great Old Ones, powerful deities who reside outside the normal dimensions of space-time, with physical forms that are impossible for the human mind to fathom. This handsome thread-bound edition presents these stories in rich and colorful detail, making it an accessible and entertaining gateway to Lovecraft’s world.
In this hauntingly illustrated adaptation of two of H. P. Lovecraft’s most famous stories from the Cthulhu Mythos, illustrator Dave Shephard captivates readers with stories of supernatural monsters so powerful that humanity is deemed irrelevant. The Call of Cthulhu and Dagon introduce the Great Old Ones, powerful deities who reside outside the normal dimensions of space-time, with physical forms that are impossible for the human mind to fathom. This handsome thread-bound edition presents these stories in rich and colorful detail, making it an accessible and entertaining gateway to Lovecraft’s world.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published March 2, 2021
8 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
About the author
Pete Katz
11 books22 followersPete Katz is a half-Irish, half-Greek illustrator & writer, born in the East End of London. He has been a freelance illustrator for almost twenty years and has worked for clients including; Image Comics, Oxfam, Harvey Nichols, Barnes & Noble and the British Museum. As well as illustrating his graphic novels, he wrote the scripts for; The Prophet, The Art of War, The Raven, Frankenstein and Beauty & The Beast. As well as working on graphic novels he also produces portraits, t-shirt graphics and other commissions.
YOU CAN FOLLOW HIM ON INSTAGRAM @nutkin
YOU CAN FOLLOW HIM ON INSTAGRAM @nutkin
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
November 23, 2024
Egy időben több Lovecraft novellát olvastam és teljesen beszippantott a hangulata, nem csodálkozom azon, hogy ekkora népszerűségnek örvend még ma is, bár szerintem inkább ikonként, mint népszerű horrorszerzőként tarthatjuk számon. Az pedig vitathatatlan, hogy Poe-val együtt megalkották a horrorirodalom alapjait, ezért legalább egy-két novellát illik elolvasnia egy e műfaj iránt érdeklődő személynek!
Amikor megláttam, hogy megjelenik ez a képregény nagyon örültem, hogy ismét egy klasszikus feldolgozás és azért is, mert Smaragdzöld tanulmány c. képregény a kedvenceim között van, ami szintén Lovecraft Cthulhu-mítoszán alapszik.
A kötet a címében szereplő két novella adaptációját tartalmazza, plusz az elején van egy érdekes előszó, ahol kis információmorzsákat olvashatunk Lovecraftról és a két novella keletkezéséről valamint magának a képrgénynek a megalkotásáról, érdemes elolvasni!
Ennek a képregénynek szerettem a felépítését, és több részlete is nagyon jól sikerült, viszont a képek kidolgozása nem mindenütt tetszett, sokszor elnagyolt és vázlatszerű. A lovecrafti hangulat így is átjött, bár néhol jobban örültem volna egy kicsit árnyaltabb borongósabb képi világnak!
Azért egyáltalán nem bántam meg, hogy elolvastam, sőt, nagyon szívesen olvasnék még ehhez hasonló klasszikus feldolgozásokat!
Lovecraft rajongóknak kötelező, valamint azoknak érdemes tenni egy próbát, akik kíváncsiak a nagy Cthulhu-mítosz kialakulására!
Amikor megláttam, hogy megjelenik ez a képregény nagyon örültem, hogy ismét egy klasszikus feldolgozás és azért is, mert Smaragdzöld tanulmány c. képregény a kedvenceim között van, ami szintén Lovecraft Cthulhu-mítoszán alapszik.
A kötet a címében szereplő két novella adaptációját tartalmazza, plusz az elején van egy érdekes előszó, ahol kis információmorzsákat olvashatunk Lovecraftról és a két novella keletkezéséről valamint magának a képrgénynek a megalkotásáról, érdemes elolvasni!
Ennek a képregénynek szerettem a felépítését, és több részlete is nagyon jól sikerült, viszont a képek kidolgozása nem mindenütt tetszett, sokszor elnagyolt és vázlatszerű. A lovecrafti hangulat így is átjött, bár néhol jobban örültem volna egy kicsit árnyaltabb borongósabb képi világnak!
Azért egyáltalán nem bántam meg, hogy elolvastam, sőt, nagyon szívesen olvasnék még ehhez hasonló klasszikus feldolgozásokat!
Lovecraft rajongóknak kötelező, valamint azoknak érdemes tenni egy próbát, akik kíváncsiak a nagy Cthulhu-mítosz kialakulására!
January 29, 2024
3,5/5. Good enough adaptation of Dagon and Cthulhu but at the some time it didn't really bring something quite unique to those classic Lovecraftian stories. Good but not essential!
September 10, 2022
A graphic novel of HO Lovecraft’s, Call of Cthulu. Opening with Dagon before it settles on the main attraction, the novel envisions the horrors of Lovecraft with perfect panels and art style. However I’m not so sure how true it is to the original novel (I think I’ll have to pay it another visit soon), but for what it did present it felt a tad lacking on the insanity department, depicting the effect the Cthulu mythos had on those that come across it.
Overall it’s a lovely homage to Lovecraft’s work with skillful art style and progression that I would recommend to Lovecraft’s enthusiasts.
Overall it’s a lovely homage to Lovecraft’s work with skillful art style and progression that I would recommend to Lovecraft’s enthusiasts.
December 4, 2024
If you're really into H.P. Lovecraft, you'll enjoy this. As someone who is not, it was pretty good.
December 21, 2024
In The Call of Cthulhu and Dagon, a man dreams of of ancient being named Cthulhu through dreams, and years later, a sailor recounts his memories of stumbling upon a monolith in the middle of the ocean and witnesses an ancient sea god named Dagon, driving him mad. Both stories explore the insignificance humanity brings to Earth and how frail the mind is. Francis Thurston is a static character. Francis basically observes, peicing together the broken up parts of the encounters of Cthulhu. All his relationships including the sailor, cultist, and sculpture shows humanities insignificance. Drivin by curiosity, his main character traits is his persistence. In Dagon, an unnamed sailor is dynamic, descending into madness after his encounter with the sea god, Dagon. Him being alone in this situation, deepens his fear. His fragile mind and desperation defines his behavior. Showing how vulnerable humans can be when coming into contact with the unknown. The main themes and messages of the stories is humanities insignificants. Lovecraft conveys this theme through the scary settings and unreal events. I liked how Lovecraft made the setting unsettling. It left me intrigued. The descriptions made the story hard to follow though. This book is for people who likes mythology and horror. The graphic novels core comes from the feeling of dread. I would also recommend this to people who like psychological themes. The short descriptions makes the story hard to follow though. The themes of fear and the unknown and humanities insignificants sits with the the current concerns of humans presence in the long universe.
August 22, 2024
If there's an author who benefits from adaptation, it's H.P. Lovecraft. But unfortunately for Pete Katz's adaptation of Dagon and Call of Cthulhu, it's been done, and done better than here. In good hands, like INJ Culbard's works, or Barranger's sumptuously illustrated versions, the most purple or racist of Lovecraft's writing is gone and the horror of his imagery can be polished to a horrible, non-Euclidean shape. I'd easily recommend both if you're looking for something like this. The former brings a sharp eye for narrative while retaining original language, while the latter makes few cuts and hones instead on powerful imagery.
In contrast Katz's adaptation attempts to flow the story into more of a narrative shape, and in this regard Dagon works...well enough. But his patchwork dialogue stitching things together is stilted, and badly fits with the large chunks of Lovecraft's original writing. At one point a police officer barks "time to drain the swamp" in Act II of the story, which is so pointlessly specific to 21st Century American politics that I could immediately tell when the book was published.
It's compounded by Dave Shepherd's illustrations, which bring little to the work. If Culbard's work also uses a cartoony style, it's far better at using its panels to add suspense or drama to the story. Shepherd's version by contrast feels flat, sloppy, and straightforward. Again, Dagon works better than Call, but it's not enough to save this book. I'd give this one a pass, and pick up one of the many other versions of these stories.
In contrast Katz's adaptation attempts to flow the story into more of a narrative shape, and in this regard Dagon works...well enough. But his patchwork dialogue stitching things together is stilted, and badly fits with the large chunks of Lovecraft's original writing. At one point a police officer barks "time to drain the swamp" in Act II of the story, which is so pointlessly specific to 21st Century American politics that I could immediately tell when the book was published.
It's compounded by Dave Shepherd's illustrations, which bring little to the work. If Culbard's work also uses a cartoony style, it's far better at using its panels to add suspense or drama to the story. Shepherd's version by contrast feels flat, sloppy, and straightforward. Again, Dagon works better than Call, but it's not enough to save this book. I'd give this one a pass, and pick up one of the many other versions of these stories.
May 13, 2025
Why would anybody wanted to make a graphic novel based on a book and change the ending like this?
Obviously in order to tell a story through a different media you need to change some things in order to keep the overall meaning. So cutting out certain storylines is understandable in abbreviation format such as graphic novel. But the excuse up front about changing the ending even changes the way how reader approaches the story. Already knowing that this is not the H. P. Lovecraft's final message even though his name is the only one screaming at you from the cover, while Dave Shephard's is barely visible in desaturated and slimline fashion.
My intentions were to get the gist of who the hell is Cthulhu and to get an idea whether I would be interested to read the original story. I bet I got that. But I also got dissapointed by the sheer audacious "motion" that made the illustator to change the ending. It took away the intented mystery of the cult and the last words of the main character, which I read about online.
Obviously in order to tell a story through a different media you need to change some things in order to keep the overall meaning. So cutting out certain storylines is understandable in abbreviation format such as graphic novel. But the excuse up front about changing the ending even changes the way how reader approaches the story. Already knowing that this is not the H. P. Lovecraft's final message even though his name is the only one screaming at you from the cover, while Dave Shephard's is barely visible in desaturated and slimline fashion.
My intentions were to get the gist of who the hell is Cthulhu and to get an idea whether I would be interested to read the original story. I bet I got that. But I also got dissapointed by the sheer audacious "motion" that made the illustator to change the ending. It took away the intented mystery of the cult and the last words of the main character, which I read about online.
July 10, 2025
V poslední době jsem pořád dokola slyšela jméno H. P. Lovecrafta a jak jeho horory inspirovali další spisovatele. Zároveň jsem ale zaslechla, že to byl příšerný mysogyn a arogantní chlápek, takže jsem moc nechtěla věnovat jeho dílu pozornost. Komiksové zpracování nejznámější povídky se jevilo jako nejlepší způsob, jak aspoň trochu zalepit svou kulturní neznalost.
Úvodní povídka Dagon mi přišla celkem zábavná, i když z ní hrozně čouhal fakt, že je sto let stará, v dnešní době už se taková zápletka jeví jako hrozně prvoplánová.
Volání Cthulhu bylo delší, propracovanější, linka pátrání po okolnostech strýčkovi smrti, která se po chvilku rozběhne, dokonale plní roli taháku děje. Trochu jsem se ztratila v části o lodích, nechápala jsem, kdo koho napadl a proč. Ukázalo se, že ani po přečtení shrnutí na Wikipedii mi to není úplně jasné, ale po několika pokusech jsem se nakonec chytla po chopila, kdo zemřel kdy a proč.
Komiks mi úplně stačil, nemám po jeho přečtení dál svět Cthulhu prozkoumávat, myslím, že mi jeho propojení s ilustracemi bude jako mentální zkratka stačit.
Úvodní povídka Dagon mi přišla celkem zábavná, i když z ní hrozně čouhal fakt, že je sto let stará, v dnešní době už se taková zápletka jeví jako hrozně prvoplánová.
Volání Cthulhu bylo delší, propracovanější, linka pátrání po okolnostech strýčkovi smrti, která se po chvilku rozběhne, dokonale plní roli taháku děje. Trochu jsem se ztratila v části o lodích, nechápala jsem, kdo koho napadl a proč. Ukázalo se, že ani po přečtení shrnutí na Wikipedii mi to není úplně jasné, ale po několika pokusech jsem se nakonec chytla po chopila, kdo zemřel kdy a proč.
Komiks mi úplně stačil, nemám po jeho přečtení dál svět Cthulhu prozkoumávat, myslím, že mi jeho propojení s ilustracemi bude jako mentální zkratka stačit.
July 20, 2024
not bad, not great, just decent.
the Dagon "introduction" I think was better than the actual Call of Cthulhu part, as it's mostly the original story word for word, just edited down.
The actual main portion, The Call of Cthulhu, is a bit restructured from the original in order to make the storytelling a bit more active than passive, but it doesn't do an amazing job of this restructuring. rather than the original story feeling like a regular man slowly uncovering a horror, this one feels more like a slow story of a detective gathering information.
the climaxes of each part aren't fully climactic, mainly due to the pacing and lack of quantity of cool illustrations during these parts. for a graphic novel, this was the most disappointing part, as I wanted a lot more cool art. there definitely was some cool art, just not to the level that I would've loved.
also the binding of this is whacky, and, like the rest of this book, just
o k a y .
the Dagon "introduction" I think was better than the actual Call of Cthulhu part, as it's mostly the original story word for word, just edited down.
The actual main portion, The Call of Cthulhu, is a bit restructured from the original in order to make the storytelling a bit more active than passive, but it doesn't do an amazing job of this restructuring. rather than the original story feeling like a regular man slowly uncovering a horror, this one feels more like a slow story of a detective gathering information.
the climaxes of each part aren't fully climactic, mainly due to the pacing and lack of quantity of cool illustrations during these parts. for a graphic novel, this was the most disappointing part, as I wanted a lot more cool art. there definitely was some cool art, just not to the level that I would've loved.
also the binding of this is whacky, and, like the rest of this book, just
o k a y .
June 4, 2024
Zajímavá komiksová adaptace Lovecraftovy nejznámější povídky. Osobně nejsem zrovna milovníkem komiksů, což tady ale nebyl pro mě kámen úrazu.
Kresby jsou bezesporu povedené, po řemeslné stránce jde o dobrou adaptaci. K vyššímu hodnocení chybí jednoduše to, že prakticky jakákoliv adaptace nemá podle mě šanci zachytit pravého ducha Lovecraftova díla. Originál je vysoce imaginativní a to je prostě a jednoduše problém převést do grafické podoby.
Přesto tady autor odvedl solidní práci a komiks je pro adaptaci Cthulhu rozhodně lepší médium, než třeba televize. Myslím, že hodnocení 3/5 plně reflektuje výsledný produkt. Pokud máte rádi grafické romány, dobrá volba. Pokud jste příznivcem tajemného mythosu Cthulhu asi vám tahle adaptace moc nenabídne.
Kresby jsou bezesporu povedené, po řemeslné stránce jde o dobrou adaptaci. K vyššímu hodnocení chybí jednoduše to, že prakticky jakákoliv adaptace nemá podle mě šanci zachytit pravého ducha Lovecraftova díla. Originál je vysoce imaginativní a to je prostě a jednoduše problém převést do grafické podoby.
Přesto tady autor odvedl solidní práci a komiks je pro adaptaci Cthulhu rozhodně lepší médium, než třeba televize. Myslím, že hodnocení 3/5 plně reflektuje výsledný produkt. Pokud máte rádi grafické romány, dobrá volba. Pokud jste příznivcem tajemného mythosu Cthulhu asi vám tahle adaptace moc nenabídne.
August 28, 2023
I read this before without pictures and had a hard time wrapping my head around the shit dude was describing. Lots of 'cyclopean architecture' and stuff like that. Thought this would help make sense of it. Turns out it the illustrator had to draw bunch of pictures of people talking and thinking. The story is, while supposedly novel for the time and first of its kind, sorta dull. Some guy is having dreams about Cthulhu, there are some statues of Cthulhu, a boat almost sorta finds Cthulhu and everybody is pretty spooked about the coming of the ancient tentacle beard monster from the deep. Aaaaaaand the end. *strokes chin, arches eyebrow* "Positively Lovecraftian!"
January 26, 2023
The Call Of Cthulhu and Dagon: A Graphic Novel (2021) by H.P. Lovecraft, Illustrated by Dave Shephard. I have always found any of the Lovecraft writings to be both eerie and very creepy, Reading this smartly drawn and inked graphic version has only enhanced those feelings. Both stories presented in this full colored version are well represented and have their inherent terror enhanced to a great degree by these illustrations.
This is a must have book for any collector of the weird and macabre.
This is a must have book for any collector of the weird and macabre.
March 5, 2024
Komiks jsem si nekupovala s nějaký přehnaným o��ekáváním, ba naopak jsem byla připravena na "nejhorší". To nejhorší se sice nedostavilo, nicméně počtení nemohu hodnotit pozitivně. Grafické zpracování nebylo špatné, ale postrádala jsem jakýkoliv náboj, který v sobě mají Lovecraftoviny. Možná to bylo až příliš konkrétním ztvárněním monster, možná právě tím, že se jednalo o zkrácenou variantu. K přečtení tedy nějak extra doporučit nemohu, ale pokud se na ni natrefíte v akci za 29 kč jako já, tak proč do ní nejít a nevyzkoušet, třeba vám sedne více :)
December 13, 2022
If you didn’t like the original you won’t suddenly like this.
Art 4/5 Stars.
Story 0/5 Stars.
Overall 2/5 Stars.
I don’t like horror, I don’t like Lovecraft. I did read Call of Cthulhu years ago and felt pretty much the same about it as I feel about this.
If you didn’t like the original you won’t suddenly like this. I do like some Cthulhu based board games but I think that it is more about the board games than anything else.
Art 4/5 Stars.
Story 0/5 Stars.
Overall 2/5 Stars.
I don’t like horror, I don’t like Lovecraft. I did read Call of Cthulhu years ago and felt pretty much the same about it as I feel about this.
If you didn’t like the original you won’t suddenly like this. I do like some Cthulhu based board games but I think that it is more about the board games than anything else.
February 13, 2023
I adore Lovecraft’s books. The writing, the imagery, the horror, it’s all exactly as it should be. This mashed the original narratives into a jumble of poorly written nonsense. If they had kept Lovecraft’s original writing throughout the entire book that would have been best. The art is…ok. But it doesn’t need to be drawn, the horror exists in your mind.
What I do like is the binding.
What I do like is the binding.
February 6, 2023
The writing is a bit cheesy, but I did enjoy it.
I was hoping with art the story would be expanded, but story and artwork are pretty simplistic. It'd be fine for younger teens becoming interested in darker stories or an intro to Lovecraft.
I was hoping with art the story would be expanded, but story and artwork are pretty simplistic. It'd be fine for younger teens becoming interested in darker stories or an intro to Lovecraft.
July 25, 2025
I love collecting graphic novel adaptations of classic works but I regretted getting this after I read the intro and found out the writer changed the ending (wtf?). the illustrations were uninspired and using a regular computer font for in-picture texts were just lazy. Give this a pass.
November 19, 2021
Fair YA graphic novel
January 9, 2022
3.5 ⭐️
November 12, 2022
Love having Dagon and Cthulhu in the same graphic novel. I wish there was more art to go along with the book and that weird rope binding still perplexes me. 🤔
May 23, 2023
Pretty well done application and distilled some elements that were made clearer through the format.
I would not describe this as an entry piece into Lovecraft, however.
-pH
I would not describe this as an entry piece into Lovecraft, however.
-pH
June 3, 2023
This is a fantastic portrayal of the source material- the art direction is inspired and there is excellent pacing. A great way to experience Lovecraft's stories.
December 25, 2023
Pretty weak to be honest.
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January 27, 2024Read half this book and really liked it but can't find a *free* copy of this book locally so sadly can't rate
February 26, 2024
An average story.
March 13, 2025
This is a fun adaptation, beautiful art, neat binding.
August 13, 2025
I love the art! The style was very compelling. At times I found the layout a bit hard to navigate, though.
March 15, 2021
I love the Cthulhu mythos but I will say that I find Lovecraft's writing very dense at times and often hard to follow so having a graphic novel of 2 of his stories is very welcomed. I also love visual representations of the creatures from the mythos especially given that the original descriptions tend to be sparse and try to evoke emotion more than being incredibly detailed. Would love to see more of this.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews