Capitalizing on the success of humor in the Cthulhu Mythos, Kenneth Hite's new tome, Cliffourd the Big Red God, is one more illustrated oddity to add to a Lovecraftian collection. The book takes its name from the popular children's character, a big red dog, and adeptly parodies the concept. Humor and horror fall into the mix equally. The book is not quite as in depth or original as Hite's earlier work, Where the Deep Ones Are, but Lovecraft fans with a kick for Mythos laughs won't be disappointed.
The faux children's volume is right in line with the Cutethulhu phenomena too. For years, Kenneth Hite has been a leading observer and arguably an instigator of the Lovecraftian parody that tries to soften the Great Old Ones into Great Cartoons. With the popularity of similar art and fiction online, the Cutethulhu movement shows no signs of slowing.
Consider Cliffourd the Big Red God as the latest installment in Lovecraftiana's curious transition. Fortunately, these comedies turn out better when they are in capable hands like Hite's, and there's certainly more to appreciate in this book than in LOLthulhu like web memes.
Peter Cannon's well received book of Lovecraftian parodies is scheduled to make a return this August. Forever Azathoth has been out of print for years, after originally being released by Tartarus Press. Subterranean Press has taken the liberty of publishing the new edition. Cannon's sixteen story collection exemplifies well done Lovecraftian humor.
In fact, he seems to have made it a hallmark of his literary career in the Lovecraftian arena. Not long ago, Cannon published The Lovecraft Chronicles, an alternate history biography where HPL lives until the 1960s. Rather than resorting to campy pastiche, Cannon wields his extensive knowledge of Lovecraft and other writers to craft weird fiction that's thought provoking and funny.
Forever Azathoth contains several prime examples where Lovecraftian themes are successfully merged with those by other authors. Cannon's parodies are nearly as much a homage to Ramsey Campbell, T.E.D. Klein, William Faulkner, and more classic writers as they are a tribute to H.P. Lovecraft. With any luck, the collection will gain renewed attention as its new signed, limited edition begins hitting readers. Cannon's work is just the literary medicine needed to help flesh out Lovecraftian humor into a lively and meaningful practice, rather than a vapid one whose jokes rely upon face value observations and word play.
Any respectable H.P. Lovecraft biography mentions the Providence author's fondness for coffee. It's very possible the caffeinated brew fueled his daemonic muse to satisfaction, or rattled HPL's already deranged nightmares up another notch. He made no secret about his affinity (or addiction?). S.T. Joshi discusses Lovecraft's diet at length in H.P. Lovecraft: A Life (and again in I Am Providence: The Life and Times of H.P. Lovecraft), and the horror writer's gushing over sugar loaded cups of coffee is well documented. In a 1931 letter to J. Vernon Shea, he confesses, "I like coffee exceedingly, but relish its imitation Postum just as much."
The connections between Lovecraft and coffee run deeper, though, and perhaps breach the boundaries between life and death. Today, he can stake a legit claim to being one of the few authors who has inspired notable coffee related endeavors. The most interesting experiment is the now defunct Cthulhu Coffee. For a couple years, this enterprising group served up their own Cthulhuvian coffee beverages at various conventions, and attempted to launch a short lived direct order coffee. Alas, the project never really got off the ground.
While a truly Lovecraftian coffee remains elusive, there are more eldritch logos and parodies than lesser wordsmiths could ever hope to inspire. Looking on any search engine for Lovecraft related coffee cups will bring up a glut of products. Coffee turns up again in the Role Playing Gamer community. The Propnomicon Blog posted this design for a Lovecraft brand coffee container a couple years ago:
Even Chaosium managed to get in on the action with their own horrifying logo, which also carries the "Cthulhu Coffee" title:
Finally, there's the bizarre synchronicity recently unveiled by a traveler to Providence. It seems a Starbucks now rests on the old site of Lovecraft's childhood home, the Angell Street Mansion he never really got over losing, after his family was forced to abandon it due to financial duress.
Coincidence or the result of certain stars aligning? You decide. Maybe over an afternoon cup in one of the better Lovecraftian mugs.
A bolt of lightening is set to rattle the literary horror community and world politics simultaneously from an unlikely source: North Korea. It seems the reclusive "Dear Leader," Kim Jong Il, is due to release a weird fiction collection entitled, Midnight in Pyongyang and Other Trodden Stories. Details are sketchy, but a Workers' Party of Korea source tells me it will be a book of eight stories with one novella length piece. Here's the contents:
Starving Demons Beneath Juche Tower
Imaginary Murals in the Metro
King Tongmyong's Howling Resurrection
Binding the Tentacle: An Unpublished Fragment from the Great Leader's Personal Diary
A Shadow Engulfed Mount Paektu
Midnight in Pyongyang
The Sweeping Roar of Decay
The Final Re-Education of a Wayward Marionette
Unknown to many, Kim has been a lifelong collector of weird literature, particularly stories by H.P. Lovecraft. He reportedly came upon the genre in the late 1960s, when an envoy recently returned from Japan presented him with an Arkham House edition of Lovecraft's Dagon and Other Macabre Tales. Since then, he has rapidly expanded his library of macabre works by well known masters and contemporaries. The forthcoming stories were conceived over the last few decades and "revised to heavenly perfection."
Midnight in Pyongyang hopes to communicate the "legendary terrors and triumphs which test the Juche idea." Judging by the brief summaries provided, one also wonders if the inner fears and secrets of the evasive head of state will leak, coiling up from the pages like the enormous Ryugyong Hotel. For instance, "Imaginary Murals in the Metro," offers a look at what happens when emaciated, hellish paintings begin inexplicably appearing next to the well known Socialist realist art in Pyongyang's metro. "The Sweeping Roar of Decay" chronicles the fevered dreams of a soldier who lives in two DPRKs: one filled with unimagined affluence, marvelous technologies, and golden tributes to the Party towering into the sky. The other is a broken place consumed with tears, deserted buildings, shabby denizens, and moldering monuments to Juche accomplishments everyone seems to have forgotten.
"Binding the Tentacle," which purports to be an unseen page from Kim Il Sung's diary, takes readers back to the elder Kim's days as a guerrilla leader during World War II. His warrior band aims to destroy a mysterious book bringing unspeakable terror to Koreans occupied by forces under a Japanese general with the "Innsmouth Look." This is clearly a Lovecraftian horror tale. "Midnight in Pyongyang" is the book's longest tale, and begins when a nameless successor to the Kim dynasty awakens in a pitch black capital to sounds of war. Thinking the "imperialists" have attacked, the Juche Prince rushes outside with his staff, but finds an impenetrable haze blanketing Pyongyang and a curious Buddhist temple no one has ever seen before.
The book's exact purpose and where it will appear are unknowns at this point. Is it a product of Kim's obsessions, ready to pour onto a Korean society that may struggle with strange concepts they have never before encountered? It's hard to see Midnight in Pyongyang gaining a large Western distribution either. Despite fascination with the introverted DPRK regime, Kim Jong Il is reviled by Westerners, by far the largest weird fiction audience. Still, the collection should gain serious interest when it does appear, barring a change of heart by the ailing Kim or his successors, if only due to its bizarre origins.
-Grim Blogger
Kim Jong Il Set to Publish Weird Horror Collection
When I saw the latest images from Charlie Sheen's mental digression, I couldn't help but wonder if he had peeked into the Necronomicon. Or, perhaps, he'd picked up Simon's Necronomicon while seeking a terrible enlightenment, and found to his dismay that he would have to turn elsewhere for truly arcane wonders.
Come to think of it, this particular Sheen mask holds an uncanny resemblance to the first edition cover of Thomas Ligotti's Grimscribe. With less hair and some sedatives, the Hollywood actor may be on the fast track to uncovering two and a half conspiracies against the human race - an intellectual step up from his earlier pursuits of 9/11 mysteries. But he'll need a few more than that to fully catapult his brain out of that withered face and into the merciful blackness.
Yahoo Answers has never ceased to create wildly ridiculous Q & A sessions. Now, the well known vapidness of some posters has touched Lovecraft. No, the anonymous poster wasn't referring to The Call of Cthulhu film, or even Jason Cottle's Cthulhu, when this question was brought up several weeks ago:
Cthulhu must have been a hell of a movie? I mean come on, did people actually create a cult after watching it? I heard that they did but it just doesn't seem right. (Yahoo Answers)
It seems this is one case where H.P. Lovecraft's own creation has escaped its literary identity and creator. Luckily, other users were quick to tidy up the record on Cthulhu's origins. Funny as it may be, knowing Cthulhu without recognizing who made it is likely to become more common. The tentacled entity has become a viral icon in His own right, removing a great deal of literary context and history for those who can't be bothered to look it up - or don't know where to turn.
From those archaic illustrations showing how to put on a tie properly comes this delicious parody. The Lovecraft style knot is sure to set a new height in class and comfort. Whoever said elegant, well mannered, and eldritch can't mix?
For a suitably eldritch design to practice on, check out this stylized necktie that looks like it sports an imprint from the fabled Necronomicon. More casual options, including a Cthulhu-Dr. Seuss shirt, are also ripe for showing pride in R'lyeh's dreaming overlord.
Dark Sky Films has announced that their horror comedy The Last Lovecraft will be released to the world on February 15, 2011. The movie has been in the works for the last few years, and it made the rounds at a number of film festivals in 2010, picking up favorable reviews along the way. Dark Sky's latest production fully embraces Lovecraftian horror's funny side, beginning with an unlikely premise and a slapstick adventure:
Jeff, a down on his luck office worker finds out he is the last living relative of horror novelist H.P. Lovecraft. What he doesn't know is that Lovecraft's monsters are real and will soon threaten the very existence of mankind. Jeff and his best friend Charlie are forced to embark on a perilous adventure and they enlist the help of high school acquaintance, Paul, a self proclaimed Lovecraft specialist. Together the three unlikely heroes must protect an alien relic and prevent the release of an ancient evil, known as Cthulhu.
This is the latest in a series of plots that blend Lovecraft's infamous Mythos with realistic settings and characters. As a product of HPL's newer fan circles, it will surely appeal to that base, but its humor may also touch broader fandoms not necessarily into Lovecraft. The Last Lovecraft is already available for pre-order from Amazon. Reserve your DVD before stock runs dry and a second run is required.
The cutethulhu-izing depictions of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft's most famous creation, have exploded since the first Cthulhu plushie doll appeared several years ago. In fact, it seems that a small cottage industry of sewn, crafted, stuffed, and woolly horrors now exists, offering Lovecraftians with a soft side almost any endearing Cthulhu imaginable. R'lyeh's dreamer serves up more warm comfort than terror these days, a twist which remains curious, but has been around long enough to the point where it's starting to seem like the new "normal" in Lovecraftiana.
Just when you thought Cthulhu couldn't get friendlier, enter Squishable Cthulhu (by the makers of other Squishables). Besides being larger than other Cthulhuvian dolls that have appeared in recent years, Squishable Cthulhu is also the fattest. One wonders how this wild turkey shaped Cthulhu is able to evacuate R'lyeh, even if the stars are right.
Joking aside, this portly nightmare is a significant herald in the onset of H.P. Lovecraft's more mainstream popularity. As I've mentioned before, many Lovecraft followers will wonder, some to their horror, if this is the way forward. Others, perhaps the majority, are happy to embrace anything that spreads HPL's dark gospel. In the coming years, Squishable Cthulhu has the potential to evolve into a symbolic football for those seeking to define Lovecraft's 21st century legacy. Plush Cthulhu dolls will hardly be alone either, as Lovecraftian foods, bedding, and toiletries may stir further controversy. But, whatever else, at least Squishable Cthulhu is the right shape to be easily tossed about in fitful debates.
This image seems an appropriate compliment to a holiday dedicated to feasting on the delicious nightmare of another species. Also, the myriad old yarns about animal ghosts are well known to most everyone, but I'll bet few have ever thought about a ghostly afterlife extending to turkeys.
Although the Zalgo front has been relatively quiet in the last few months, the Lovecraftian meme is not dead, but dreaming. Today, mid-term elections are being held for federal and statewide offices across the United States. Whatever the result, few will notice the conspiratorial blackness seething around the angelic faces of America's leaders.
While the best paranoid researchers are off blaming oil tycoons, Masons, and Reptoids for infiltrating government, it seems that H.P. Lovecraft and his most ubiquitous digital emissary to date are ignored. You can't blame them, though. Who would think to look back at the Necronomicon rather than, say, Project Paperclip or Bilderberg Group documents for nefarious corruption? And would anyone seriously forego following the latest money trails from BP and Halliburton to examine the black tendrils trailing from the $1000 sleeves of Democratic and Republican leaders?
Change is coming again, but it won't be issuing from Obama or Tea Party stalwarts this time. There is only one phenomenon that can seize on the quasi-apocalyptic mood settling over early 21st century politics. It is a bipartisan and otherworldly enterprise called Zalgo, and it will happily consume our hopes and horrors, immeasurably better than any party or politician could dream of doing.
In another signal of H.P. Lovecraft's surge into mainstream culture, the latest Scooby-Doo incarnation recently aired a Lovecraftian episode. "The Shrieking Madness" appeared on Cartoon Network as part of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, and centers around a villain named H.P. Hatecraft. Besides the hilariously named Hatecraft, we're shown a cartoon Harlan Ellison, Mythos names, Cthulhu symbolism galore, and scenery extracted right from Lovecraft's fiction.
The makers of this episode have certainly done their homework. Unlike the usual Lovecraftian adaptation that throws in a few garbled, multi-syllabic names and tentacled monsters, there are inside jokes that dig into HPL's legacy. Perhaps the funniest moment is when the cartoon Harlan Ellison berates Lovecraft as "a literary fraud," echoing the weird writer's vicious assessment at the hands of critics like Edmund Wilson.
Several clips from the episode are embedded below, and it can be watched in full as well. Altogether, this is a strong indicator of Lovecraft's rising visibility. It may also turn on a new generation of readers in another decade or so, when children seeing this today pick up a Lovecraft book as adolescents and experience that "A-ha!" moment, connecting a parody seen in childhood to a severe literary presence.
-Grim Blogger
Scooby-Doo! and the Shrieking Madness with H.P. Hatecraft
Twithulhu, a design based off Twitter's iconic bird that's been circulating around the web since summer, is the latest symbol of Lovecraftian kitsch spawned by online culture. The Twithulhu logo, which shows a sleek and defanged Cthulhu snoring in his ethereal slumber, is now available on coffee mugs, mouse pads, shirts, and other wares. This creation is notable for being a perfect representation of the whole Cutethulhu phenomena. Cthulhu's transformation into a cuddly companion started online, so Twithulhu is an appropriate evolutionary advancement, linking Lovecraft's most famous entity with a top social networking platform.
A humorous step-by-step piece on Brain Harvest details how to make your own Lovecraftian chowder. There are soups man was never meant to taste. Incidentally, H.P. Lovecraft himself was said to have an extreme aversion to seafood in his native New England. Even the master's stomach would churn at the thought of this spellbound recipe.
Andrew W. Jones' film Frank DanCoolo: Paranormal Drug Dealer is a humorous, adventure-packed departure from most standard science fiction fare. It's notable here because it contains, among other things, some definite Lovecraftian elements. Jones, who previously made a Lovecraftian short called The Book Dealers (which is also available to view on his website), summarizes his latest quirky film this way:
In the annoyingly sparkly future-scape of Neo-Mega-Ultra Tokyo, reporter Holly Malone tracks a murderous urban legend.
She discovers that a chain of drug related killings leads down a super natural trail. A trail that ends with no average pill pusher, but FRANK DANCOOLO: PARANORMAL DRUG DEALER!
A comedy featuring a goofy blend of computer generated overkill, cartoon physics and stop-motion monsters.
It's clearest Lovecraftian source of inspiration appears to be HPL's story "From Beyond." DanCoolo's psychic drugs shatter the veil between his fictional steampunk human reality, and one where nameless horrors lurk. Jones' design for the creatures that DanCoolo and reporter Malone ultimately encounter is also clearly Lovecraftian. These are rigidly Cthulhuvian terrors, complete with tentacles and all.
Although Jones' new project is not a purely Lovecraftian one, it effectively highlights the versatile ways Lovecraft's themes and designs can be worked into narratives in other genres. His film does not push the boundaries too far into new territory, but then there is little need to. Frank DanCoolo is a graphically intense and delightfully silly short with an added Lovecraftian flair that will please fans of the Providence writer, without referencing deeper Cthulhuvian lore which may confuse viewers unfamiliar with Lovecraft. Jones's real virtue with this film is a balancing act resulting in a smooth mixture of sub-genres and sources.
Ghoulzone.com is musing on what a Lovecraftian cookbook might have looked like had it been written by H.P. Lovecraft himself. The 50 Delicious Gourmet Recipes of Unknown Kadath tells of concoctions man was never meant to consume, and may shed light on Lovecraft's malignant digestive problems. With Lovecraft based humor covering almost everything under the sun, maybe a book of Lovecraftian cuisine wouldn't be so outlandish after all.
The worldwide fame this internet meme has reached in the last few weeks seems like a sinister run up to everything represented by today. If Azathoth's cosmic court jester had his laughter translated to the human plane, it would sound something like this.
Word from Dreadcentral.com is that Henry Saine's cinematic contribution to Lovecraftiana, The Last Lovecraft: The Relic of Cthulhu, will see wide scale distribution later this year. The humorous story follows a group of Lovecraft "geeks" as they attempt to use an ancient relic and the Lovecraft bloodline to keep various Mythos horrors at bay. The movie has already premiered at several film festivals. In fourth quarter 2010, it will reportedly enjoy a limited theatrical release, and then a DVD distribution.
Here's an advertisement that promotes a different type of "Good Book" for modern living. H.P. Lovecraft's Necronomicon appears in standard imagined form: heavy leather binding, crabbed text, and hideous illustrations. The actors and the commercial look of the piece show it's the same group responsible for the Elder Sign spoof.
As the years pass and H.P. Lovecraft gains increased notoriety online, the armada of Lovecraft themed holiday trinkets swells. It's not completely far fetched to imagine real Lovecraft Valentine's Day cards being passed around one day. Until then, enjoy these digital creations. Note that all of these are Innsmouth inspired.
