Cover art by Vatche Mavlian

There really are not enough occult, dark and twisty comics on the shelves these days. Those that do exist are to few and far between, but Boom! Studios helps stem the tide with this ongoing series.

The word ‘Cthulhu’ is a name for a character that was devised by horror author H.P. Lovecraft and serves to describe a being of great terror and evil. The Fall of Cthulhu title seeks to capitalize on the popularity of past works of revered horror, billing the series as ‘Lovecraftian’ in scope and tone.

I would like to say I knew what was going on in this issue, but having not read the first two issues in the series, I was left scratching my head a bit. Here’s what I know: Protagonist Cy is suspected of possibly killing his uncle, which, in truth he would never do, since he cared a lot about him. A powerful collection of demonic forces are working in the shadows, and local proprietor Mr. Arkham, is a creepy SOB. And Cy’s girlfriend demands that he give up on solving any mysteries, or she will leave him.

Nelson’s script manages to delve quite deeply into genuinely freakish horror imagery, especially when he crafts spooky dreamscapes in which horrible things happen to unidentified bystanders. The protagonist faces an even bleaker future, and engages in pacts with evil; Never a good idea.

The elderly hotel owner, Mr. Arkham, suffers from a terrible case of overwritten dialogue. He provides unintentional comic relief to the proceedings, placing a dent in the book’s tone. The rest of the characters seem more genuine, thanks to realistic dialogue and true-to-life bickering. By grounding the characters in a world that seems akin to our own, the writer allows the elements of horror to function as an unsettling invasion of the unknown.

The book’s penciller and inker, Jean Dzialowski, must have had a great time showing off his skills in this issue. He gets to switch between two styles, probably leading some readers to think there were multiple artists on this production. The majority of the issue is comprised of a soft, muddy style. Pencils are obvious because thanks of the thin inks. A nightmarish realm is produced by reversing the effect, displaying a thickly inked world devoid of texture. The colourist, Imaginary Friends Studio, plays a role in achieving this effect. It looks great, providing a refreshing appearance to a horribly spooky moment in the protagonist’s journey.

Readers will want to snap up the two preceding issues in order to make sense of the story’s context, but Fall of Cthulhu is a promising series with a lot of storytelling potential. It is currently steaming past its seventh issue release, so you may want to jump on before it’s too late.

7 / 10