The Whisperer in Darkness: Book to Comic comparison
Book by H.P. Lovecraft, first published in 1930
Graphic Novel adapted by Mark Ellis, first printed in1991
The Whisperer in Darkness: Book to Comic adaptation
·
While the graphic novel combines elements of all
of the Cthulhu Mythos, the original short story by Lovecraft only briefly
touched on elements like the Necronomicon, Azaroth, and even Cthulhu himself. The
main focus in the original Whisperer in Darkness short story was focused on the
Outer Ones and the cult that allied with them as opposed to the followers of
Cthulhu in this comic adaptation.
·
The comic is a noted sequel to the short story
in that the events of the comic takes place after the short story, with
Professor Wilmarth being rescued by the Muskatonic Project protagonists, who
are inserted into the story.
·
The suspense and doubt of the reality of the
short story is uplifted in the comic as it is clear that there are aliens and
other gods in the comic, with the cult of the Outer Ones about to kill and take
the brain of the Professor had it not been for the Muskatonic Project.
·
They force the timeline of the Mythos onto the
beginning of the series, which took several short stories of Lovecraft and even
his successor authors to build.
·
For some odd reason the end talks about the
writer and editors of this comic and feature a good third of the last part of
the book about the DC, Marvel and other series titles they worked on that isn’t
the Cthulhu Mythos.
·
The suspense and mystery of the original book is
downplayed in the comic as it becomes a thriller shooter narrative with the
Project members fighting off the cult members Indiana Jones style.
·
The madness-inducing gods are notably lackluster
in the depiction in the comic.
·
The priests of the cult are wearing stereotype
South American blood ritual clothing in the comic, though given the depiction
of other ethnicities in Lovecraft’s own work (like him noting Middle Eastern
people as “Arabs” and being superstitious) this isn’t out of context.
·
The story in both comic and book take place in
Vermont of all locations, emphasizing the American-centered mindset of the
authors of both works despite the cross-cultural context The Great Old Ones
have on the world the Mythos is based on.
·
The comic ends in victory of the protagonists as
they manage to fend off an agent of Cthulhu, as opposed to the tragic end of
the canon Lovecraft stories and the bleak inevitability of mankind in the
cosmos in said canon stories.
·
Overall, the comic was okay but the source
material is excellent.
Bibliography
Ellis, Mark, and H. P. Lovecraft. The Miskatonic Project: The Whisperer in Darkness. [S.l.]:
Millennial Concepts, 2008. Print.
Lovecraft, H. P. The Whisperer in Darkness. Ware: Wordsworth Editions, 2007. Print.
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