The Myth of Lovecraft. H.P.L. as a character in comics

Abstract

This paper investigates the representation of horror writer Howard Phillips Lovecraft as a character in comics, with a particular focus on Hans Rodionoff, Keith Giffen and Enrique Breccia’s Lovecraft (2003) and Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows’ Providence (2015-2017). These comics are not biographical works, but either fictionalize Lovecraft’s biography by adding elements of cosmic horror taken from his stories (as in Lovecraft), or use him as a character within a wider narrative pivoting on his Cthulhu mythos (as in Providence). This choice can be interpreted as an element of fan culture, as it is meant to be read by fans as an internal reference to a shared knowledge, but also as a metatextual reflection on the influence of Lovecraft as an author. Providence is especially readable in this light, as it even provides a representation of Lovecraftian scholarship, in the person of critic S.T. Joshi. By merging together the author and the character, biography and fiction, these comics provide a reflection on the reception of Lovecraft’s figure and work, while simultaneously addressing the complexity of a hypermediated cultural landscape in which icons of horror fiction and their narrative creations become indistinguishable.