Neonomicon is a new four-part miniseries from Avatar Press, released between July 2010 and January 2011. It is written by comics legend Alan Moore (of Watchmen fame), and illustrated by Jacen Burrows.
Neonomicon takes the works of horror master H. P. Lovecraft as the framework for its visceral, and definitely adults-only, plot.
The Story of Moore and Burrows' Neonomicon
As Neonomicon #1 opens, two FBI agents, Gordon Lamper and Merril Brears, are investigating a series of brutal murders. The killings are copycats of those committed by another federal agent, Aldo Sax, who had apparently gone insane while working on a similar case.
Lamper and Brears begin following the trail of Sax's original investigation, which points to cultists who seem to take the writings of H. P. Lovecraft a bit too seriously. Brears and Lamper follow leads to Salem, Massachusetts – an inspiration for Lovecraft's fictional town of Innsmouth – in Neonomicon #2.
By the third issue of the series, it becomes clear that Lovecraft's monsters are real. The cultists trap Brears in a subterranean pool with a lustful fish creature. After days of abuse, Brears manages to escape with the creature, which takes her down to its underwater home as Neonomicon #4 begins.
Neonomicon Definitely For Mature Readers Only
Moore and Burrows' work is not for children – Neonomicon features plenty of blood and bare flesh on display, to say nothing of its more unsavory, inhuman couplings. Nevertheless, the series' graphic nature is not pure tasteless sensationalism, as in some other sci-fi adult comics.
In that way, Neonomicon resembles Moore's Lost Girls, another explicit tale with literary allusions. But as with some other writers of comics who aren't artists, Moore can sometimes make his scenes a bit "talky."
Jacen Burrows' art, on the other hand, is nothing like Melinda Gebbies' Lost Girls illustrations. His Neonomicon pages revel in detail, whether depicting dank subterranean environments or the variously malformed bodies of humans and creatures alike. Occasionally this meticulousness gives the layouts an unnaturally stiff quality.
The Work of H. P. Lovecraft in Neonomicon
The series is a treat for H. P. Lovecraft fans, as many characters and situations recall the writer's works. Indeed, even the title is a play on Lovecraft's Necronomicon. However, those unfamiliar with Lovecraftian mythology need not feel lost. Many of these references are explained by the comic's characters – though sometimes to the point of tediousness.
Burrows also created a series of alternate, wraparound covers for Neonomicon, featuring Lovecraftian imagery that does not appear inside the comic. Other variants include covers in the style of EC Comics' Tales from the Crypt.
Snapping up every cover variant may only be for die-hard fans. But for any casual aficionados of Moore, Burrows, or Lovecraft, Neonomicon is certainly worth a look.
For more on Alan Moore comics, see Alan Moore's Complete WildC.A.T.S. Neonomicon #4 is scheduled to be released on January 26.
Luke Arnott - Luke Arnott has a Master's Degree in Comparative Literature from the University of Western Ontario, where he is currently enrolled in the ...
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