A Short Lovecraft Comic from Heavy Metal Magazine

One of several brief Lovecraftian comics from the collectable H.P. Lovecraft issue of "Heavy Metal" (October, 1979) has surfaced. This three page story is not really a direct adaption of any particular Lovecraft piece, but attempts to carry the mood of the author's more fantasy-driven works. Think dreamlands. This sampling also highlights the skilled artists lined up for this installment of "Heavy Metal." The excellent art rallied for this issue is one of the prime reasons it retains collectability today. The likes of Richard Corben and Jeffrey K. Potter, who contributed to the stunning artwork, are well known in the circles of supernatural art today.

In the history of H.P. Lovecraft's drive into a more popular literary consciousness, it shouldn't be surprising that this "Heavy Metal" Lovecraft issue played a role. Comics, music, and eldritch horror...what could be more appealing to the magazine's young, alternative demographic who were largely introduced to HPL for the first time through it in the fall of 1979? The special issue was really another shot across the bow for Lovecraft. Readings of his works and their adaption to other mediums exploded in the 1980s, forming the critical mass for Lovecraftian popularity on the internet beginning in the next decade. "Heavy Metal's" Lovecraft magazine was on the tip of this revolution. And its quality art and articles should be examined as potential major influences on Lovecraftian growth throughout the 1980s.




-Grim Blogger