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H. P. Lovecraft: He Who Wrote in the Darkness: A Graphic Novel by Alex Nikolavitch, Gervasio-Aon-Lee
1 review
otterno11's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Interest in the idiosyncratic horror works of H.P. Lovecraft appears to be only growing in awareness and popularity in recent years, with the life of the troubled writer himself also being exposed to greater scrutiny (and for good reason). For the most part, though, most biographical accounts sanitize Lovecraft’s more disturbing beliefs and present him as an endearing eccentric with a few unfortunate quirks.
This graphic novel biography by Alex Nickolovitch attempts to balance the “warts and all approach” with Lovecraft’s more quirky habits but ends up feeling ephemeral and shallow. While the art style brings the early twentieth century period to life, the comic, following H.P. Lovecraft from 1925 to his death in 1937, was mostly fragmented and unfocused. In attempting to tell the story of the last decade or so of Lovecraft’s life, Nickolvitch goes for a broad overview, touching on some important themes such as Lovecraft’s virulent racism and xenophobia without really confronting them.
The dialog throughout often feels stilted and merely expository in nature, though whether this is a result of the translation from the original French or a generally simplistic presentation is unclear. Mostly recounting various anecdotes from Lovecraft’s meetings and correspondence with various friends and acquaintances, including Harry Houdini and Robert E. Howard, much of the comic would seem opaque to those with less knowledge of Lovecraft’s biography. While there is background information on these people in the notes section, I’m not sure if I could even find where certain more obscure acquaintances like Donald Wandrei or Henry McNeil even appeared in the comic. Well, I know where Wandrei shows up, but only because I was aware of the story from other accounts (the time Lovecraft ate all 28 flavors at the local ice cream parlor), but his name does not actually appear in the scene. This accentuates the major issue with this comic, how it jumps from scene to scene lacking much structure, which perhaps is an issue of Lovecraft’s life being generally uneventful.
In the end, H.P. Lovecraft: He Who Wrote In Darkness does not really succeed either as an introduction to the writer or as any deeper examination of his life and work.
This graphic novel biography by Alex Nickolovitch attempts to balance the “warts and all approach” with Lovecraft’s more quirky habits but ends up feeling ephemeral and shallow. While the art style brings the early twentieth century period to life, the comic, following H.P. Lovecraft from 1925 to his death in 1937, was mostly fragmented and unfocused. In attempting to tell the story of the last decade or so of Lovecraft’s life, Nickolvitch goes for a broad overview, touching on some important themes such as Lovecraft’s virulent racism and xenophobia without really confronting them.
The dialog throughout often feels stilted and merely expository in nature, though whether this is a result of the translation from the original French or a generally simplistic presentation is unclear. Mostly recounting various anecdotes from Lovecraft’s meetings and correspondence with various friends and acquaintances, including Harry Houdini and Robert E. Howard, much of the comic would seem opaque to those with less knowledge of Lovecraft’s biography. While there is background information on these people in the notes section, I’m not sure if I could even find where certain more obscure acquaintances like Donald Wandrei or Henry McNeil even appeared in the comic. Well, I know where Wandrei shows up, but only because I was aware of the story from other accounts (the time Lovecraft ate all 28 flavors at the local ice cream parlor), but his name does not actually appear in the scene. This accentuates the major issue with this comic, how it jumps from scene to scene lacking much structure, which perhaps is an issue of Lovecraft’s life being generally uneventful.
In the end, H.P. Lovecraft: He Who Wrote In Darkness does not really succeed either as an introduction to the writer or as any deeper examination of his life and work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and Cancer
Minor: Death of parent
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