The House on the Borderland

by Simon Revelstroke, Richard Corben

This adaptation of William Hope Hodgson's timeless 1908 horror classic gains new depth and realism through its graphic storytelling in the comic book genre. In this tale of fantasy, science fiction, and occult horror, two backpackers discover the decaying diary of an elderly man in the ruins of an old Irish manor. As they read aloud from the manuscript, they witness Byron Gault's haunting adventures in a hidden cavern beneath his house. Battling cloven-hoofed half-humans and journeying to a parallel reality, Gault, along with his sister and faithful canine, lead a life of horrific supernatural occurrences and eternal terror. SUGGESTED FOR MATURE READERS

Genres: Comics, Horror, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Fantasy, Classics, Weird Fiction

96 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2003

Reviews

[Oscar · Rating 1 out of 5]

No puedo ser magnánimo con una obra que dice ser una adaptación de la obra del genial e imprescindible William Hope Hodgson, ‘La casa en el confín de la Tierra’ (The House on the Borderland, 1908), y se queda únicamente en lo superficial y escabroso, en lo más llamativo de la obra original, el acoso y ataque de los hombres-cerdo. Más que una adaptación, diría que se trata de un homenaje. El dibujo está bien, pero la historia es muy floja.

La trama comienza en 1952, cuando dos amigos se encuentran de viaje en tierras irlandesas. Al llegar a una aldea, se meten en problemas, y en su huida dan con unas ruinas al borde de un acantilado. En estas, encontrarán un antiguo diario del propietario de la mansión en cuyas páginas se narran los extraños sucesos que le sucedieron tanto a él como a su hermana.

Personalmente, no me ha gustado nada. Son apenas 90 páginas, y se me ha hecho largo.

[Eddie B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, Richard Corben presents a very fine - yet quite forgotten - piece of weird fiction. William Hope Hodgson's The Houser on the Borderland was written in 1908. Even before Lovecraft. The language is rather old, even in the comic adaptation, but it seems Fear is a cosmic language easily understood, especially through art like Corben's.

[Orrin Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I'm a big fan of William Hope Hodgson, this is actually my first direct exposure to his most famous work. I've got a copy of the actual novel coming to me as well, but this one got here first.

I've seen a lot of people mark this one down, but I thought it delivered beautifully. Richard Corben, as I've said before, is an artist who works better in some instances than others, and I think this is a pretty nearly perfect venue for his particular style. The crumbling ruins, the clutching brambles, the swine-things, and, perhaps most of all, the towering cloud-monster, all are rendered absolutely perfectly.

I'll probably have to revisit some of the story's actual contents once I've read the original novel, but for now, I think this is a perfect crossover of classic weird fiction and Corben's weird art.

[Ed Erwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike most other reviewers here, I have read the original novel. So, I can say this is very different! There is a whole lot more action in this. In the original, the majority of the time it is just this guy describing his visions of the far future where the sun and maybe the universe itself is dying. Yes, there are pig creatures in it, but they disappear after a few chapters.

Some of the things in here that were not in the original: the two English guys get into a fight in the Irish pub; Mary gets almost raped and then bitten by a pig creature; Mary becomes a sex-starved zombie with the hots for her brother; Mary and her brother had been lovers in the past; the guys from the pub get killed by the pig creatures; the surviving English goes insane and is put in an asylum..

In other words, almost everything in this adaptation was not in the original. But since the original is pretty darn boring, that is an improvement!

[Maxoel Costa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eu li o livro original na adolescência e lembro que era bem chatinho. Literalmente era o relato de um sujeito vendo o tempo passar até o fim do universo (talvez lendo hoje eu tivesse outra opinião. Ou talvez continuasse preferindo a versão Milliways, em "O Restaurante no Fim do Universo").
Aqui, é literalmente uma adaptação, já que situam a história na Irlanda do Norte após o ato de 1920 (O livro é de 1908), que resultou em vários conflitos e um aumento nas rivalidades entre católicos e protestantes (na prática, entre irlandeses e ingleses).
A história aqui começa com dois jovens ingleses arrumando altas confusões em um bar irlandês. Para fugir de uma surra, se embrenham no meio do mato e encontram as ruínas da casa do título. Um diário conta as circunstâncias vividas pelo seu senhorio e sua irmã (que tem um papel bem maior que no livro, mas assumindo aquele velho e ultrapassado clichê de ser usada como vítima de estupro e, depois, de sedutora sexy). Os homens porco tem um papel bem maior que no livro, algo que dá um pouco mais de ação na narrativa.

Outra mudança é o final, onde os dois viajantes, ao lerem o diário, despertam novamente o mal que se abateu sobre a casa. Os perseguidores são mortos pelos homens porco, junto com um dos jovens. Como é característico nesse tipo de narrativa, o sobrevivente perde a sanidade e tem um destino pior do que a morte.

Enfim, acaba sendo uma boa adaptação, mesmo que o texto às vezes seja maçante. A arte do Richard Corben é sempre um deleite e aqui ele está em excelente forma.

[Rodrigo Tello · Rating 3 out of 5]

La adaptación no estuvo a la altura, pero Corben se marca algunas viñetas memorables.

[José Nebreda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una versión bastante libre de una novela maravillosa de Hodgson. Pero Corben es Corben y siempre será Corben.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This graphic novel adaptation of a classic cosmic horror story channels H.P. Lovecraft’s brand of existential dread—where otherworldly entities threaten your sanity far more than your body (though grotesque creatures still slither in). While the original book relies heavily on slow-burn psychological terror, this version amps up the action and physical danger. That’s not necessarily a bad trade-off; many readers cite the novel’s slow pace as a drawback. That said, I mainly picked this up for Bernie Wrightson's artwork. Wrightson’s style is instantly recognizable: heavy, expressive linework, use of deep shadows and moody color, and wildly exaggerated features that make every face and monster feel frighteningly alive. His artwork doesn’t just support the story, it is the story. I’ll read anything he illustrates.
4-star story, 5-star art.

[Sooraya Evans · Rating 1 out of 5]

A pointless graphic novel.
Even with color, the lousy artwork is a pain to decipher.
Hard to follow what's going on most of the time.

[Cail Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Corben doing his thing and nailing it, once again. A surprisingly deep and accessible adaptation of this classic (so says Alan Moore) weird fiction novel.

[Stefan Garland · Rating 1 out of 5]

Da mi je neko rekao da postoje (pre)naporne grafičke novele, ne bih mu verovao...

[Devero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Corben illustra con grande effetto e catturando bene le atmosfere e le suggestioni del capolavoro di Hodgson La casa sull'abisso.
Una gran bella lettura.
5 stelle

[Elfo-oscuro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ir descubriendo autores es lo que tiene, te pueden gustar… o no. Richard Corben me da que no va a ser de mi estilo. Un dibujo de otra epoca pasada en un comic que si pretende ser de terror miedo no da, la verdad es que tenia mas ganas de que terminase que de otra cosa

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird fiction. Wasn't a fan of the art. But may have to check out this author.
https://youtu.be/l54RHz_R8S0

[Uri Xaubet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Història meh, dibuix: Richard Corben

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite things about this adaptation is the artwork - the style reminds me quite a lot of old EC Comics (The Vault of Horror, Tales from the Crypt, and so on). I read those comics frequently as a kid, having been given subscriptions to them from my uncle; I must say, for all my dislike of said uncle and his family (this being my dad's ex-wife's family), this was one gift that I really appreciated. Reading excerpted adaptations from classics like The Martian Chronicles was a profoundly formative experience for me, I think, and made a big impression on my artistic preferences to the current day. I have a deep love and respect for the horror genre, and works like The House on the Borderland clearly demonstrate that the genre is worthy of literary acclaim. Too often is horror overlooked as being trite and lacking in artistic merit - unfortunately, horror has evolved in such a way that such criticisms are largely accurate and true. Whenever I stumble across something different and exceptional, like this very adaptation, it's something of a window in to what horror could and should be.

Also note that Alan Moore's introduction, in this edition, is fantastic - while I am a fan of Watchmen and Swamp Thing, I'm always a little bit surprised whenever I see another glimpse in to the depth and breadth of the man's intelligence and influence. He's obviously a very well-read guy, and offers some interesting insight in to the reasons why horror and sci-fi/fantasy from the 19th and 20th centuries is largely absent today, at least in wider circulation. Very interesting, to say the least - the perception in the literary world of horror as being shallow and pointless seems to be an enduring one. As is obvious, I find this to be quite unfortunate.

Regardless: if you enjoy a bit of Lovecraft, you may love House on the Borderland. If you enjoy any kind of horror, you might also love it. I liked it quite a bit and do recommend it.

[Tiffany Lynn Kramer · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a long standing fan of horror I feel that it is only right to make an effort to read the classics. Often times I find them to be overdramatic and so choked on flowerly language that I give up. Hodgson's short novel definitely walked a fine line at times but something kept me interested enough to push through and finish it. By the end The House on the Borderland had made a place for itself among my favorite novels and even after so many years and hundreds of books later my mind still wonders back to that story.
Remembering how I felt after finishing the original work it is a shame that I didn't enjoy this take. Even having my memory of the story dulled by time I feel that far to much of it was omitted, leaving this take to feel rushed and confusing.
As for the art no matter how often I see it Corben's style will never be to my taste. His long faces and sharp lines simply do not work for me and I personally felt the main charters where drawn far younger than they should have been.
I also found the inclusion of implied incest totally unnecessary. Again I know I've forgotten a good deal of the story but I don't recall ever getting that impression from the siblings relationship. Honestly I can't help but feel like it was used as an excuse to draw the stories only female character nude.
The only positive I can find that allows me to give this more than one star is the desire it has awoken in me to finally revisit the original story.

[Lucy Batson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This adaptation of William Hope Hodgson's cult classic by Simon Revelstroke and Richard Corben is a bit of a head scratcher. On one hand, I can understand the need to forgo long, spacey, experimental sequences if they're not moving a plot along. On the other hand, this adaptation overcorrects by recasting the story in a more modern horror vein, what appears to be one person implication of what was really going on behind the scenes and making that front and center. So ultimately what we're left with storywise is something that feels like a Clive Barker story, but nowhere near as good as it would have been if Barker himself had wrote it. It's too bad because in some of the sequences where Corben tackles the more cosmic or spacier aspects he really shines, and that's a tricky thing to pull off visually. So the rating here is mostly for the art, but unless you come across this at your local library don't have to pay for it, I wouldn't bother.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, let me explain that the reason I read the graphic novel version is because that is what my library network had. The story is great - I would bet that the original novel is 5 stars. The graphic version is a bit tough to follow in places, and I'm not crazy about some of the artwork, particularly how the main characters are drawn. I feel like the artist is fantastic at drawing the monsters and beasts, but not so much the people. I'll definitely be hunting down the original novel.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Revelstroke and Corben's graphic novel version of The House on the Borderland tries to remedy the narrative problems with William Hope Hodgson's prose original by significantly re-working the story, but ultimately it's only a small improvement. Richard Corben's artwork is (as always) vigorous and dynamic, but as good as Corben is, he can't completely overcome the limitations of the source material.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good reason to be wary of extremely cheap real estate. The neighbors are mutant killers! Includes the hoary trope of "the Found Manuscript". Decent art based on a horror classic, it might be better than the original.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Corben's artwork and was looking forward to this, but the storytelling was largely incoherent. I hope the Hodgson book is clearer than this (if I ever get around to reading it some day).

[Leila Anani · Rating 3 out of 5]

The House on the Borderland is one of my favourite novels and I really didn't feel this graphic interpretation captured the cosmic dread. I didn't feel thet time travel element or the scale of the visions - this one really focuses on the pig men and the action sequences. It changes the ambiguous relationship of the two men who find the journal, making them lads out on the town in Ireland fresh from Oxford. I can see where this is coming from I think - evil gets in through the repressed violence of Colin - When the Irish men from the pub come often them it makes you question whether the pig men killed them or whether these were a manifestation of the lad's on murderous instinct.

I also thought this nicely explored the incest idea with our protagonist and his sister Mary. You can read the swine monsters as a personification of the hero's unnatural lust for his sister: He's constantly in battle with the swine monsters which he encounters at the bottom of a pit - metaphor for the darkness at the heart of the human soul? Mary gets attacked by a swine monster "I saw the brute advance on her/it's intent hideously clear" - And indeed after a fierce battle he finds his bleeding sister on the ground ' the hateful moon glared down upon her violated body" - Interesting use of the word violated here. metaphor for rape? Mary is then changed and at one point she, completely naked, tries to seduce him "like a succubus she murmered her desire" and he locks her away for the sake of both their souls - He encounters her again as part of a writhing monstrous mass - "She whom I loved: Mary... My Mary, defiled by the kiss of the swine folk!" and she tries to seduce him to join her "Come brother! Embrace me and free yourself!" It's far more explicit than the novel where the relationship is far more abiguous - and the 'she' who the hero loved could be some other past love.

So I really liked that aspect, as it coincided with my interpretation of the novel and I like the way this tries to show the monsters as metaphors. However in so doing the story loses some of its magic and I also didn't feel the gruesome and very busy artwork didn't do house on the borderland justice. It feels like something that should illustrate Poe rather than cosmic horror.

I'm glad this exists and it propbably introduced House on the Borderland to a far wider audience, but if you've read this and not the novel, my advice is go read the original and see what you're missing.

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pair of individuals uncover a strange manuscript in the ruins of an old house in Ireland, written in scratchy handwriting that smells of moldy water. The manuscript recounts the bizarre experiences of a crazed old recluse that once lived there, describing swine-like devils that emerged from the cavernous pit beneath the house and his hallucinatory trips into other dimensions that defied time, reality and the boundaries of human imagination.

A lovecraftian horror novel written before Lovecraft even began his career. It has all the makings of the genre. A lone recluse uncovering ancient secrets, being driven mad by things that should never be seen, coming face to face with eldritch beings that have been lurking beyond the threshold of dimensions unknown to man. The first half of the novel is more survival horror, following an intense series of encounters with the swine-like creatures that want to devour the inhabitants of the lonesome old home. The second half goes full-on acid trip cosmic weirdness. It was interesting at first, but it really dragged and got boring after a while.

A great study of the origins of the cosmic horror genre, Lovecraft has even cited it as a big inspiration behind his own work. But the archaic writing and messy structure definitely shows its age.

[Mark Richard · Rating 1 out of 5]

The title is intriguing.
The Description sounds great.
The cover art looks amazing.
Its all a bit like the first time you meet your in-laws. Everything looks good but you soon find out, well, no, its not good, not good at all...

We meet these guys who find this old diary and they give it a read (forget about people privacy). Its been written by this man who has this strange underground cavern that he visits and is soon terrorised by these big monster swine things.... fair enough. This goes on for a while until we take a big turn and are going through space and time to see the death of the Earth and the Sun and visit the centre of the Universe! - That sounds like the dreams I have when I eat too much Rum Cake.....

Then we are back just in time for some more attacks by the big Swine things...

I could see how the story would have been more exciting back in the days when it was published, what with life being so dull and all, but now it doesnt really do much - well, it didnt for me at least..... Now, where's that Rum Cake

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Richard Corben's illustrations. I remember at first being put off with his style in Hellblazer: Hard Time, thinking it a bit too cartoonish, but now I think his brilliance is that he can go from cartoonish to stunningly realistic and anywhere in between. His style is well-suited to horror, especially from source material that can get as abstract as William Hope Hodgson's does. It's not my favourite work of Corben's, but it is good.

[Chiara Reba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recensione de “La casa sull’abisso” di William H. Hodgson edito Newton Compton Editori

Immaginate di trovare un taccuino con la cronistoria di eventi tanto fantastici quanto terrificanti. Vi lascereste suggestionare? Ci credereste? Riuscireste ad avvicinarvi ai luoghi descritti o scappereste senza voltarvi indietro?

Il romanzo ha uno stile incalzante che ti avvolge fino a farti perdere la cognizione del tempo. Lo stile dell’autore ti permette di immedesimarti completamente nel protagonista facendoti vivere tutte le sue emozioni, anche il terrore.

Un piccolo gioiello da avere in libreria

Da leggere!

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really worth reading for the Corben artwork, since otherwise I would recommend William Hope Hodgson's original work. The story follows two men who uncover an old diary belonging to an elderly man in the ruins of a decripit mansion in Ireland. The diary reveals some pretty horrifying stuff hidden far below the manor which spins into a story of nightmarish quality. This adaptation spruces up the narrative by injecting some action, though I'll say it probably wasn't needed. Corben can turn the mundane into the magestic easily, and I'd have been happy with a 1:1 adaptation. Still a worthwhile read though.

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible adaptation of a great book. Read the William Hope Hodgson original--It's a fantastic book. It's short but epic. It has unforgettable moments. And all the best parts have been stripped out in this for reasons I can't imagine. And then the parts they added in--make the sister possessed and horny? A dumb bar fight and long epilogue with the guy who found the manuscript? Take out the best of the psychedelic visions, the multiple visits by the swine beats, the crazy 2001 ending vision? What the hell? I can't imagine a more aggressively destructive adaptation to everything good about the source material. And the art is ugly. Boo! Read the original and never, ever look at this.

[Sotofunkdamental · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adaptación a cómic de La Casa en el confín de la Tierra (obra maestra de William Hope Hodgson), llevada a cabo por Simon Revelstroke y Richard Corben. Una lectura muy aconsejable para quienes busquen terror sobrenatural de tipo "lovecraftiano". El relato es interesante y cuenta con el carismático dibujo de Richard Corben, que siempre es un plus añadido. Quizá su narrativa le pueda sentar algo recargada/densa a algunos lectores, pero os aseguro que si sois fans del género esta adaptación no os decepcionará.