My first official review!

Ok gang, this is something special indeed. I have been given the opportunity to review a new comic adaptation of an H.P. Lovecraft short story! I want the artist to be able to use this review internationally if he so chooses, so I'll write in English for the duration of this post. The comic itself is available as of today under a Creative Commons license.

Background

It all started a few weeks ago on Facebook. The Norwegian cartoonist Kim Holm posted in one of the groups I am a member of, and asked if anyone was interested in receiving an advance review copy of his adaptation of Lovecrafts short story "Pickman's Model". As a fan of Lovecraft and comics alike I jumped at the opportunity. I explained to Kim that I write a blog mainly about nail polish, but that I would love to review his work anyway. And he was kind enough to send me a copy.

Now, I had grand plans for how I would set up the mood for reading this piece, but alas, reality got in the way. So I found myself a little pressed for time when I finally picked it up.

I do not know Kim Holm personally, and I don't think that I have come into contact with his work before.

First impressions

This is a slim album, roughly the size of a paperback book. The cover is tantalizingly red/orange/black, almost firelike. The album proper is done in black and white. It was accompanied by a letter/press release giving me more information about the artist and his journey with this material. It also informed me that Kim Holm releases all his work under open licences and hopes that his work will be built upon by others, much like Lovecrafts work has been referenced and expanded.

Need a cup of something for this.

The reading experience

I know the story very well of course, having read it a bunch of times over the years. I have also read "sequels" or "tie-ins" written by other authors. But I think that this is the first time I have seen it in graphic form. As so many of Lovecrafts stories it is the confession of our protagonist, finally telling someone the whole truth about what happened years ago. I wondered how something so one-directional would translate to the comic medium. But after the first couple of pages I was completely drawn in. Holm is a splendid artist, with a keen eye for details.

The first part of the story is "just" our protagonist telling his story, and the art is rather calm, I felt. But after a little while we get to see our antagonist, and he is given a voice. The art here turns more intimidating.

Holm uses light and darkness to chisel out the features of men and surroundings alike. He works almost exlusively in stark contrasts, even more so as we near the climax of our story. Here the art goes almost in to the realm of the abstract.

Final words 

Yes. I liked this adaptation of the source material. I feel that the essence of the story is here. It is presented with the respect it deserves, while at the same time it has been slightly modified to suit this medium. I very much appreciate that Holm kept to the "hint, don't show"-attitude of Lovecrafts work, rather than fall into the trap of showing everything just because this is a visual medium. The artwork is stunning and at times disturbing. The lettering is clear and easy to read. If I had found this while browsing at my local comic book shop I would probably have picked it up just from the title and the looks of it. I can absolutely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Lovecrafts work, or just likes their comics dark and disturbing. And if Kim Holm does any more Lovecraft adaptations, I'll make sure to get my hands on them!

Go get it!

So, what are you waiting for? Go get this comic for yourself. It's available for free online at www.freecomics.no, or you can by it at  http://www.indyplanet.com/ for just $9.99 and enjoy it the way I have. (I'm old school that way, I like my comics in print.)