H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness

H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness #1-4

by Gou Tanabe, Zack Davisson (translator)

En 1931, une expédition de sauvetage découvre le campement en ruines du Pr Lake, parti explorer l'Antarctique quelques mois plus tôt. Son équipe de scientifiques avait envoyé un message annonçant une découverte extraordinaire avant de sombrer dans le silence...

Sur place, des squelettes humains dépouillés de leur chair laissent imaginer les scènes d'horreur qui ont pu se dérouler. Plus perturbantes encore : les immenses montagnes noires aux pics acérés au pied desquelles le Pr Lake et ses compagnons ont rendu l'âme... Ces terres désolées semblent cacher de terribles secrets. Gare aux imprudents qui oseraient s'y aventurer !

Avec un trait sombre et réaliste, Gou Tanabe met en images les pires cauchemars imaginés par H. P. Lovecraft, le maître du fantastique et de l'horreur. Aux confins des terres inexplorées, la joie de la découverte laisse place à une lutte sans espoir contre la terreur et la folie !

Genres: Manga, Horror, Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Cthulhu Mythos, Lovecraftian

626 pages, Hardcover

First published October 24, 2016

About the author

Gou Tanabe is a Japanese creator of Manga.

Also known as 田辺 剛.

(Some prefer the spelling Gō Tanabe, but Gou Tanabe is used on his published books so far.)

Reviews

[Mizuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review for the Shadow Out of Time manga adaptation and At the Mountains of Madness by the same author.

Rating: endless burning stars to fill the whole fucking universe until it explodes!

Take my words, Gou Tanabe is the messiah for all the Lovecraft fans out there. XD

I must confess, some of H. P. Lovecraft's short stories are one hell of a bitch to get through...and At the Mountains of Madness is one of those 'difficult to read' tales.

I mean, when I was reading the English version of this novella, I feel like I'm painfully crawling my way through a fucking endless icy wasteland, and I'm not kidding.

Therefore what a delight it truly is to go through Lovecraft's ill-fated Antarctica exploration again in this much easier way, in the form of that extremely fine-crafted, 'one of a kind' manga adaptation! The manga-ka, the talented Gou Tanabe had done a great job (some would probably say he had done the impossible) of handling all the hard labor for us by translating Lovecraft's epic, massive tale of cosmical horror into page after page of stunning visual artwork filling four full volumes of this exquisite graphic novel! Just so you can experience, with your very eyes, the depth of Lovecraft's imagination, and the inescapable sense of dread he created through the story telling!

If you are a newbie to the Lovecraftian stuff, do try this one out!

Updated@26/02/2022:

I guess the reason why Lovecraft is so intriguing and up-to-date/timeless is that he just pointblank tell you humanity is doomed and the future is hopeless.

Give the current state the world is in, I can only say he is right.

#StandWithUkraine

[Jim Reddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gou Tanabe’s artwork brings Lovecraft’s story to the next level. His style fits perfectly and his pacing, use of panels, and use of stunning two-page spreads all work together to draw the reader into Lovecraft’s world of cosmic dread.

[B.J. Swann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rare and remarkable achievement in the medium of graphic storytelling. Feels like an organic extension of the original novella.

[Абрахам Хосебр · Rating 5 out of 5]

Робота Танабе переважає працю Кулбарда перш за все об'ємом. Комікс займає 128 сторінок, манґа - аж 626! Далі - гіперреалізм. Пейзажі, кораблі, характерні риси кожного учасника експедиції і що найголовніше - вдало передана атмосфера Арктики, крижин і велетенських гір.
В одній з перших панелей Танабе відразу відкриває перед читачем циклопічні масштаби гір, три різні розгортки і остання - вигляд з космосу! Так,цей художник аж ніяк не боїться показати яких масштабів буде його розповідь.
З цікавого - в обох адаптаціях Даєр має бороду,але як і інші персонажі в Танабе він краще розкритий (а що ж ви хотіли від опусу в 600 сторінок). Більше того, Танабе йде далі Лавкрафта і додає динаміки в сцени досліджень. Наприклад падіння при переході мостом в якому калічаться два пси, а переповнений пристрастю дослідника, Лейк, лишає їх помирати. Ще краще розкритий конфлікт між молодим Лейком і старшим Даєром.
Але найбільшим досягненням Ґо Танабе є розділи в яких він змальовує прибуття Древніх на Землю їх колонізацію, історію та створення перших живих організмів. Масштаби, буквально космічні - прибуття з відкритого космосу, метеоритні бомбардування інкапсульованими тілами в первісний всюдисущий океан доісторичної безживної землі. Побудова міст з допомогою лазерів та контролю над гравітацією.
Апофеозу ця арка досягає в сценах війн між Древніми, расою Ктулху, Мі-Ґо і шоґґотами. Я не побоюсь цього слова, але тут Танабе зробив щось подібне до ілюстрацій Доре для Біблії. Ці ілюстрації на стільки потужні, що інколи перевершують письмове першоджерело!
Ешерівсько-піранезійна архітектура, скульптури та мозаїки чужорідної раси виконані настільки майстерно, що закрадається думка про приналежність автора до Древніх)
Загалом, я часто закидаю манзі відсутність деталізації, але в даному випадку - все навпаки і робота Ґо Танабе є не просто доповненням Лавкрафта, а якісно новим поглядом з скрупульозною уважністю до всіх деталей.
Тепер хочу ознайомитися з іншими роботами Ґо в цьому всесвіті.

[Karen Spera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sono molto combattuta, premetto che non sono per nulla un'amante dei racconti Lovecraftiani, il suo horror non mi colpisce perché ho una sensibilità diversa, preferisco l'horror psicologico di Poe.
Per quanto riguardo il fumetto/manga: da un lato i disegni li trovo spettacolari e suscitano l'inquietudine e la paura che dovrebbero suscitare, grandi distese dettagliatissime di città perdute, vette nere sconfinate immerse nei paesaggi dell'Antartico, torri gigantesche di un antico passato, è tutto molto evocativo. Dall'altro lato però i personaggi sono insulsi, nel senso che sono intercambiabili e uno vale l'altro, sono "carne da macello" (cit) , la storia non è così interessante da leggere, i dialoghi sono una semplice descrizione di ciò che succede, tediosi e didascalici, i personaggi soltanto osservando da lontano capiscono tutto. Non so se la colpa sia di chi li ha scritti o del fatto che Lovecraft non sia my cup of tea. La parte migliore rimane infatti quella finale, dove non ci sono dialoghi ma solo descrizioni e dove le illustrazioni di creature e paesaggi ancestrali ne fanno da padrone. Però vorrei tantissimo godere ancora delle illustrazioni di Gou Tanabe e quindi proverò con un altro fumetto sempre ispirato a Lovecraft.

[W.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

我一直對克蘇魯很無感，但在看《地疤》時真的忍不住，那個根源或靈感的可能來源真的太明顯，明顯到就是不能說那個跟克蘇魯是完全斷絕的概念XD
所以就想說既然《黃衣國王》看不下去，不然就看個漫畫版好了，欸其實挺好看呢，雖然我還是無法理解可怕之處（真的是，不懂……），但這個漫畫的處理我覺得很有吸引人看下去的魅力，是好看的。
稍微鼓舞了我再去試試小說（咦）

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Per questo non posso fare a meno di porre una domanda a coloro che sono sicuri che la razza umana sia la massima espressione della vita sulla terra. C'è qualcuno di voi in grado di dirmi con certezza se, ancora oggi nell'abisso sotterraneo scavato dal fiume fra le viscere della terra, dove luce e uomo non sono mai penetrati, sopravvivano o meno delle creature sconosciute venute dallo spazio in epoche antiche? Perché tuttora quel folle verso risuona costantemente nella mia mente. Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!"

Bellissima questa edizione Jpop del caposaldo dell'orrore cosmico di Lovecraft, interpretato dai disegni mozzafiato di Gou Tanabe. Ho letto ancora poco di Lovecraft per avere una sua conoscenza ferrata e completa, ma alcuni punti mi hanno entusiasmato molto, ad esempio la scoperta degli "Antichi", di cui ho letto qualche breve racconto, della megalopoli e degli Shoggoth... Tanabe è riuscito a rendere in forma grafica il profondo senso di inquietudine delle pagine lovecraftiane, in cui l'autore prende spunto da un altro maestro come Poe, e instilla il suo personale tratto immaginifico, per raccapricciare il lettore. Un'opera da tenere nella propria biblioteca, davvero un bellissimo lavoro.

[Rumi Bossche · Rating 5 out of 5]

At The Mountains of Madness by Gou Tanabe.

Let me start with saying this. This is the best adaptation of a work from Lovecraft i have ever read in any medium. This is among my favorite reads of this year. It was nothing short of spectacular,  and i enjoyed every minute of it.

At The Mountains of Madness was writen in 1931 and rejected at first by Weird Tales. It finally found a publisher in 1936 with Astounding Stories. The story is one of Lovecrafts most beloved and tells the story of a disasterous expedition in the Antartic. Lovecraft himself was very interested by Antarctic exploration, the continent was not yet fully explored in the 1930s, Lovecrafts borrows heavily from Edgar Allen Poe's The Narrative of Arthur Golden Pym of Nantucket. But giving it his own spin. This is Lovecraftian in any way as it is at it contains Cosmic horror, Eldritch and even Cthulhu and Shoggoth, even the Necronomicon is mentioned. Gou Tanabe is a master with his visuals and his panels and pacing especially is of the chain. I know that Guilermo Del Toro wants to make a Madness Movie for years, and if its half as good as this one i am happy. If you dig Lovecraft, this is a serious no brainer. Cant wait to revisit this one in the future.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars.

[Dávid Novotný · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing 600+ pages of detailed art that really set the atmosphere of unknown, discovery and what if... If you like dark adventure stories about lost and forgotten civilizations this one is for you. Only downside is, that in some parts art becomes little bit confusing and chaotic. Nothing serious though...
4.5*

[Przemysław Skoczyński · Rating 3 out of 5]

Opasłe tomisko, które być może niewiele nowego wnosi, jako kolejne odczytanie dzieła Lovecrafta, ale prezentuje je w bardzo strawnej i dynamicznej formie. Dodatkowo rzecz ciekawa graficznie. Bez zobowiązań, w ramach popołudniowej rozrywki

[John Watts · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dark sci-fi / adventure story, of a group of explorers travelling to Antarctica, who happen upon mysterious signs of ancient life. The artwork almost seems from another world, so detailed and intricate it’s difficult to imagine someone actually creating it. It reminded me at times of ‘Uzumaki’ (Junji Ito) because of the swirling patterns and the unease the artwork and story telling evoked in me as I read it. I have to say the constant stern looks of consternation on pretty much all of the characters, all the time, got a little tiresome towards the end. Still, enjoyable none the less.

[Tommaso Beneforti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nei primi del '900, il Polo Sud è ancora un luogo inesplorato e un gruppo di scienziati organizza una spedizione. Lì trovano una catena montuosa nascosta nella quale rinvengono un'antica e terribile civiltà risalente a prima della nascita della vita sulla terra. Quegli esseri sono perfettamente conservati e, forse, pronti a svegliarsi per riportare un antico male.

Non è più possibile contare le trasposizioni di Lovecraft: tra fumetti, film, videogiochi, giochi da tavolo... l'autore è stato trasposto in ogni media e in ogni modo. Eppure Gou Tanabe riesce a rendere quelli che sono gli aspetti più viscerali dello scrittore, portandoci, con un realismo inquietante, all'interno dell'ambientazione. Questo manga ha un ritmo coinvolgente e oscuro, con tante tavole che si concentrano sul paesaggio, sulle misteriose montagne nascoste. Particolare attenzione è anche sugli aspetti umani, sul terrore, sulle reazioni di chi queste cose le vede e le vive (la caratteristica anche di Lovecraft).

Per chi già ama Lovecraft e per chi lo vuole scoprire, le pagine scivolano una dopo l'altra e non si può fare a meno di girarle per scendere sempre più nelle profondità degli abissi del mistero.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's sort of a well-known cliche that Lovecraft is hard to adapt, as his cosmic horror is so often about terrors that defy depiction and comprehension. The presentation of this promises to be this epic, definitive adaptation of Lovecraft's only novel, which left me a tad underwhelmed. While it shows off a lot of huge, impressive splash pages, the panel-to-panel storytelling felt weak. Lots of faces upturned in disbelieving terror, as one would expect, but it's often hard to get a cohesive feel for where these characters are in relation to one another and their environments. True, this can have a disorienting effect that fits the exploration of Eldritch labyrinths, but the fact that it pervades the whole book makes it less effective and feel less intentional.

[Devin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately didn’t dig this book. Its right in my wheelhouse too since I’m a huge horror media fan,

The art was A+ most of the time. I just wasn’t a fan of the story. It just felt like nothing was happening for the entire book. Too slow for me

[Kostas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent edition, amazing adaptation, I hope Dark Horse does more deluxe editions of Gou Tanabe's HPL adaptations!

The art style is towards the realistic end, if anyone is afraid of more stylized manga styles

[Cecilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fino ad ora, la migliore trasposizione di Gou Tanabe. Ho una particolare affezione per Le montagne della follia e questa edizione mi ha letteralmente fatto impazzire. Il racconto non passa solo dai dialoghi, ma il linguaggio visivo crea le tensioni che caratterizzano questo romanzo.

[Anthony D'Elia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tante "piccole" cose di tecnica fumettistica da correggere, ma per il resto è assolutamente fantastico! Meriterebbe 4 stelle e mezzo, arrotondiamo!

[Sean Lassiter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterclass in adaptation.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genuinely beautiful and eerie depictions of the story, just adapted for the medium. Pretty cool accompaniment if reading or listening.

[handsfeetlegs · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH. MY. GOD.
I can say, with absolute certainty, that Gou Tanabe's work, is definitely, unequivocally, the best adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's work to ever exist.
I'll start with a hot take confession: I don't think At the Mountains of Madness was Lovecraft's best work. while I don't argue that it's one of his most important stories (in terms of lore, world building, and overall mythos), I don't think that it's particularly strong in terms of his writing style. long story short, the original story is written in the POV of a scientist who uses very long and less interesting descriptions of visuals compared to a typical Lovecraft protagonist who uses much more interesting and flowery language in their descriptions (which, in my opinion, is Lovecraft's strength). this adaptation fixes what I disliked about the original story via its medium, and it does it in the most exceptional way I couldn't have possibly even imagined. Tanabe's art is the first time where I looked at a piece of Lovecraft inspired visual art and felt that it was truly Lovecraftian.
to keep it short: it's beautiful. it's gorgeous. it's JAW DROPPINGLY STUNNING. my limited vocabulary cannot express just how absolutely INCREDIBLE this looks. I am in the camp that believes that Lovecraft's works shouldn't [and were never meant to be] adapted into a visual medium, as I think Lovecraft's prose and literary style is what makes his works so amazing, yet I think Tanabe's work supercedes that.
Tanabe's art is on par with Lovecraft's writing.
need I say anything else? a perfect 10/10

[Sheena · Rating 3 out of 5]

About 40% of the art was difficult to make out. Therefore, a lot of panels seemed pointless and the action was usually stilted. I'm glad I read this, as I now have a better understanding of some of the Lovecraft mythos. I probably won't pick up the original version anytime soon, though.

[Krystalle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent adaption of the novella. When you have to illustrate the undescribable horrors, how do you build back suspense? Build it back with harsh, bold scenery of a desolate wasteland and character expressions and reactions that bring back that anxiety and fear. Excellent adaptation of a story I really love.

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

[2.9]
A team of explorers aim to uncover what hides deep in the heart of yet unexplored Antarctica.

I haven't read the original, but this seems like a good adaptation. Descriptions of the surroundings are made by pen and ink while dialogue make out the text. The art is good but never astonishing. Though the environment is barren (it's Antarctica after all), I like the landscapes and the two page spreads. Though, many times I have a hard time making out what the images are trying to convey.

It's a very quick and smooth read, despite the 600 some pages, and I appreciate that. There are passages that piques the interest. Besides that, however, the story feels more and more like it's moving to an inevitablility that I'm just waiting for. Like a slow walk to that destination. Not a whole lot happens along that way, but we put all the trust in the premise. It feels like the purpose is to create an ever greater sense of claustrophobia, horror and wonder, but this adaptation only partly manages to achieve that.

I have read some shorts from E. A. Poe (that inspired H. P. Lovecraft), and I find some of that in his writing. But in his stories the scene seldomly changes very much, and the purpose isn't a grand adventure. Instead, the story is kept very tightly in a specific environment and builds the horror by extending that small environment with imagination.
Some of that can be found in this version of At the Mountains of Madness, and those are the parts I enjoyed the most.

[Michael June · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it - but I found the characters to be a bit dull, amazing artwork from Gou Tanabe though ✨

[cal · Rating 4 out of 5]

一直想睇 Lovecraft 的 Cthulhu 系列作品，但看過些少中譯真的有點提不起勁，更遑論英文原著。所以這 中譯漫畫版對我來說是福音。

故事不錯，有點 <漂流教室> 的感覺，不知道楳圖一雄是否也有看 Lovecraft 作品。但整體而言沒有什麼驚喜，可能因為 Lovecraft 作品本身就是定義宇宙科學驚慄類型的源頭，有很多近代同類型作品都以它為參考，感覺就變得有點熟悉。

作畫可以用瘋狂來形容。圖中封面那種仔細到視覺疲勞的畫面貫徹整套作品 (市場中不少封面跟內容貨不對辦者)。缺乏了肢體活動的表現和聲音的氣氛營造，要在定格的漫畫表現怪物的恐怖感很困難，很容易變得攪笑或者可愛，淪為 Poke'mon。想在平面製造恐怖感很多時需要運用密密麻麻的複雜線條，作者在這方面算是交足功課。

如果喜歡 Prometheus 應該也會喜歡這作品。

[Sortilèges Et Tasse De Thé · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une mise en image vraiment incroyable. La précision des traits des personnages, de leurs expressions hallucinées est assez bluffante. Le dessin monochrome accentue encore l’atmosphère sombre du récit.
La tension est palpable, de plus en plus intenable. Cela retranscrit parfaitement l’ambiance des écrits de Lovecraft.
Un vrai coup de cœur 🖤

[Dennis Wong · Rating 5 out of 5]

《瘋狂山脈》是 H. P. Lovecraft ＂At the Mountains of Madness＂的漫畫版。作者的畫風很精細，分鏡亦很緊湊，我不知不覺就一口氣把四本漫畫看完了。

[Chiara (booksandtravels_clem) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bellissima trasposizione a fumetti del capolavoro del maestro dell'orrore. La storia viene rese al meglio grazie ai disegni spettacolari.

[Emile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good but being able to see the monsters goes against the ineffable part of it