Adding to lore of Lovecraft, by creeps and bounds
by Julia Keller

One of my favorite scenes in “Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom” — and there are many contenders in this splendid new graphic novel by Chicago native Bruce Brown — occurs when young Howie stands before a gigantic, green, grotesque and multi-tentacled monster.

The monster says, “You saved my life, Master Howard. I am your humble servant. My name is Thu Thu Hmong.”

Generally, such encounters ring with grim portentousness. Child and creature, after all, are forging a bond that may save civilization — or see it perish at the behest of a terrifying, all-powerful villain. Surely a manifesto is to follow, a bombastic declaration filled with passion and conviction, or at least a decent blood oath or two.

But hearing his new friend’s odd moniker, the kid replies, “I’ll never remember that.” They agree that Thu Thu Hmong will hereafter be known as “Spot.”

Continued here:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/books/ct-ae-0124-lovecraft-lit-life-main-20100122,0,6140639.column

Recently I became worried when I saw little Cthulhu-themed toys appearing as geeky gifts. Small plastic creatures from the netherworlds of H.P. Lovecraft should stay where they belong. However, with Lovecraftian horror making a comeback of late, perhaps I was a bit hasty in my assessment of these strange little tsotchkes. Maybe there’s room in the realms of the Old Ones and the Deep Ones to ensnare unsuspecting victims new blood a new generation of fans by enticing them with toys!

In that vein, I recently had the opportunity to review a new Lovecraft-inspired graphic novel from author Bruce Brown and illustrator Renzo Podesta – Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom. The title sounds so innocuous… and when you see the cover with a boy and this strange looking green creature, you wonder what kind of a journey this kid might be taking…

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http://blogcritics.org/books/article/comic-review-howard-lovecraft-and-the/

As an architect of a genre once dubbed “weird fiction,” the creative engineer Howard Phillips Lovecraft envisioned a vast bestiary of creatures still highly regarded in pop culture and lore today. But the monster fabled as the Cthulhu earned its place as one of H.P. Lovecraft’s most notable and infamous fictional designs. In a new graphic novel from Arcana’s line comes Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom, an all-ages book that weaves the mythos from the very beginning—spotlighting Howard Lovecraft as a child swept up by a magical world beyond imagination.

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http://www.onemetal.com/2009/12/29/howard-lovecraft-and-the-frozen-kingdom/

When asked about the recent Bloodstrike back-up story that was featured in Image United #2, acclaimed comic creator, Rob Liefeld, had this to say:

Nrama: Just like there’s new members of the comic team, there’s also new members of the creative team – you’ve got Mark Pouton scripting and art from Marat Mychaels, Jeremy Roberts & Mike Capprotti. How’s you get this team together – you told us a bit, but I want to know more?

Liefeld: Yes, I wrote the story, handed it to Marat and started scripting the story, got overwhelmed in deadlines and called Mark Poulton who is a long tenured member of my message boards and has showcased his work for Arcana the last 5 years on books as diverse as Koni Waves and Velvet Rope. He has a great passion for the Extreme Library as well, he was a natural choice and he did a great job polishing and completing the assignment.? ?

The full article can be read here:

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/091223-Liefeld-Bloodstrike.html