Len Wein vs. Howard Phillips Lovecraft

[SW3D]

AKA... Swamp Thing vs. M'Nagalah

 

No... this isn't really a Celebrity Grudge Match... nor is this a fantasy comparison of each author's works to determine literary superiority... No!... this is simply a look back to when Len Wein's creation, the Swamp Thing, took on an HP Lovecraft inspired Great Old One.

 

Many of you already know I am a big fan of Swamp Thing. I've recently posted a journal entry (see "Cornering the Market"), espousing my love for the classic first volume. But I'm also a huge fan of the legendary horror writer HP Lovecraft... and after recently purchasing a CGC 9.8 copy of Swamp Thing Volume 1, Number 8 (see pic), I thought I'd share with you why this issue is not only one of my favorites of that storied run, but how I believe was inspired by the works of Lovecraft.

 

39 years ago... way back in 1974, 19 years before Mike Mignola's Hellboy was battling otherworldly nasties inspired by the late great Lovecraft, the genius of Len Wein gave us a preview of things to come. Len Wein no doubt found his muse for this particular issue in Lovecraft's 1928 novella, The Dunwich Horror, and the inferior 1970 movie adaptation of the same name (well... probably not from the movie since... how do I put this?... it really sucked!). The Dunwich Horror, in an nutshell, concerns the diabolical machinations of Wilbur Whateley, described as a tall, dark, goat-like being (the hybrid spawn of the union between an albino witch and a Satanic entity)... the last heir of the Whateley's... a grotesque inbred family of dubious origins....through the practice of the Black Arts, summons and unleashes an invisible otherworldly creature on the back-water people of Dunwich (a fictional hamlet set in New England). And for you Batman fans, if you read the Dunwich Horror, you'll be quickly introduced to the fictional neighboring city known as Arkham... a name which later resurfaced as the infamous holding pen for Batman's Rogues Gallery... Arkham Asylum. And of further pop culture interest to note, Arkham is the home to the equally fictitious Miskatonic University... that fabled educational institution on par with Harvard, and the one time resting place of the dreaded tome, The Necromicon, written by the "Mad Arab" Abdul Alhazred. The Necromicon was the blatant inspiration for director Sam Raimi's Evil Dead Trilogy.

 

Do you begin to see the scope of HP Lovecraft's mystical storytelling influence?... The Evil Dead, Batman's Arkham Asylum, Swamp Thing, Hellboy, and a multitude of fictional works, can trace an aspect of their terrifying roots to Lovecraft. But it doesn't just end there...

 

...In fact, If any of you have read House of Secrets 92, the Bronze Age debut of the "first" Swamp Thing (Alex Olsen), you should know that story was partly inspired by HP Lovecraft's 1921 short story "The Outsider". Don't believe me? Read it for yourself and you'll discover the similarities. That story along with Theodore Sturgeon's "It!", inspired the likes of not only Swamp Thing, but Solomon Grundy, Hillman Comics The Heap, and Marvel's Man-Thing. I could even see a vague and subtle influence on Harlan Ellison's first published work from 1956, "Glowworm", about a "green glowing" survivor of a nuclear holocaust.

 

As for Swamp Thing Volume 1, No. 8... after escaping Gotham City and the clutches of the Dark Knight, the Swamp Thing finds himself lost in the Appalachian's, and chances upon a mysterious village called Perdition, where its townsfolk are harboring a horrific being named M'Nagalah, brought into the world from another dimension by Arcane Arts... a being who is every bit on the level of Lovecraft's legendary Great Old One's and the "invisible" otherworldly creature from Ambrose Bierce's classic 1893 short story "The Damned Thing" (which no doubt inspired Lovecraft's fevered imagination).

 

Now, in no way am I implying Len Wein is a copy-cat or rip-off artist... no, on the contrary! The Dunwich Horror and ST8 differ greatly to make them unique stand-alone literary creations in their own rights. What I am hoping to convey is how influential one author can be to actually inspire the great works of others! Len Wein has produced some of Comicdom's greatest creations (Swamp Thing, Wolverine, 2nd Generation X-Men, etc.), and deserves membership in the pantheon of the greatest fiction writers and literary creators the world has come to know... His works have equally inspired, much like Lovecraft's, and can therefore be considered canon!

 

If you haven't read ST8 it is available in various reprint formats... or... I'm sure you can obtain a decent reading copy at a fair price.

 

As for Lovecraft... if you haven't read any of his classic short stories, then I urge you to seek out his collected works at your local bookstore, library, in digital formats on your Kindle or Nook, or even in the classic pulp pages of Weird Tales where many of them first appeared (if your lucky enough to find them).

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Feedback, opinions, and comments always welcomed.

 

Happy Collecting!

 

SW3D

 

See more journals by screenwriter3d

[Brandon Shepherd]

Nothing like starting the day off by reading a well put together journal, where I learn about new characters, artists and story lines. Because of your journals, I'm now more curious about about Swamp Thing and "Him". Thanks for sharing and keep up the good work!

[webeloobie]

You can read Lovecraft's entire catalog right online here: Lovecraft I personally prefer reading the old pulps, but that can be cost prohibitive looking for originals from the 1920s-30s.

[SW3D]

Hey Brandon,

 

The formula is simple: you keep reading... I keep writing!

 

But seriously... glad you find my journals interesting... and I'm delighed to know that my interests somehow spark the interests of other collectors.

 

Swampy and Him are just a few... I can't wait to talk up a dozen more.

 

But hey... I'm also interested in reading about your favs... post some journals when you can.

 

SW3D

 

 

 

[SW3D]

Hey Web,

 

Free stuff is always cool... thanks for sharing.

 

About a year ago, I downloaded The Complete Works of HP Lovecraft for 99 cents onto my Nook. And now I have it stored on the cloud to read at my leisure.

 

I still have four heavily read soft cover books published by Del Rey's in the 90's covering most of Lovecraft's works... with wonderful covers by the master: Michael Whelan.

 

But Weird Tales is where its at!... but like you said... who can afford them?

 

Just curious... Do you happen to own any?

 

If I had the money, I would collect them all and also pursue Robert E. Howard's Conan, Kull, Solomon Kane, and other horrors he first wrote for WT.

 

SW3D

[Shivabali]

Thanks SW3D for furthering my Lovecraftian comic erudition. I'm pretty much a Marvel collector, but perhaps I'll have to make some exceptions now...

 

Lovecraft is a genius. I was first introduced to him as a young teenager who loved Dungeons & Dragons. In the classic D&D book "Fiend Folio" there is a chapter on the creatures from the Cthulu mythos. Creatures (Yog Sothoth) that would drive you insane by a look (negative charisma) or a 600 foot tall "Old One" who could appear suddenly and destroy you if you spoke its name (Hastur) and the Necronomicon of course. Once I started reading his "real" work, I couldn't stop. I have always been into horror and fantasy, so it was no surprise that I became beguiled by Lovecraft's unique ( though Poe inspired) Gothic style matched with a superb intellect and manic imagination. I'm always searching out comics inspired or based on his stories (along with a couple of his contemporaries: Robert E. Howard and Robert Bloch). Regarding some Lovecraft adaptations that I either own or am trying to procure: Chamber of Darkness #5 is an adaptation of "The Music of Erich Zann"...a terrific tale. Plus Kirby had his hand in the scripts, art and cover! Another is Journey into Mystery v2 #4. Actually all of the Journey into Mystery v2's are based on either Howard, Bloch or Lovecraft stories.

 

If anyone knows other Lovecraft-inspired comics, please post.

 

PS: There is a terrific 2009 documentary on Lovecraft called "Lovecraft Fear of the Unknown". John Carpenter, Guillermo Del Toro, Neil Gaiman, Peter Straub and others are interviewed and speak of Lovecraft's influence and genius. It is really well done, though you should be familiar with his work since they cite many of his stories as topic points and assume the viewer knows the stories as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SW3D]

Hey Shivabali,

 

I think you should post in the journals the wonderful quatrains you've written... I especially like the Lovecraft themed ones... nicely done!

 

I remember TSR's D&D was huge in the early 80's and I saw the TV movie based on the craze, "Mazes and Monsters" starring Tom Hanks and Chris Makepeace... but to be honest I never played the RPG... really didn't care for it. Sometime in the late 90's I got into PC RPG's like Diablo, Myth, Starfleet Academy and the such... but these are nothing like the classic Role Playing Games.

 

There are so many comics adapting Lovecraft, Poe, RE Howard that it could take a lifetime to collect them all... but if you're out there putting it together... you're on your way to amassing an amazing collection!

 

Here's one you may wish to purchase... Warren's Eerie #62 featured an awesome adaptation of Lovecrafts' "Cool Air" and can be seen in reprint in the hardcover collection by Dark Horse: Creepy Presents Bernie Wrightson.

 

I've seen the doc you're talking about and been meaning to obtain a copy for my video library.

 

Don't you agree?... but not one Hollywood filmmaker has done justice to any of Lovecraft's works! It's really a crying shame and I just hope one day it happens. But all those 70's, 80's, 90's, 00's schlock horror adaptations really p*ss me off!

 

Actually the HP Lovecraft Historical Society has done some amazing and faithful B&W adaptations. You should check them out at: http://www.cthulhulives.org/

 

But back to Hollywood... Please Mr. Del Toro!... please! Make a great Lovecraft movie!.. "The Dunwich Horror" or "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" or something!

 

SW3D

[Shivabali]

You're probably the only person who has read that far into my bio Thanks and glad you liked the 'trains.

 

As far as that genre of comics, I'd probably need to stick to just Marvel titles to be realistic...esp. since Lovecraft/Howard/horror is not my only focus. I love super-heroes too!

 

Thanks for the heads up on the Eerie 62...I'll put that on my "list". And also the Historical Society link...got caught up in there...will have to spend some meaningful time combing through that. Sweet!

 

And YES, totally agree with Hollywood's lack of anything substantive when it comes to Lovecraft. I did enjoy the "Re-animater", though the tongue-in-cheek approach didn't do justice to "Herbert West-Re-animater"...now that is a truly masterful horror story. And there is so much great stock to choose from. I agree that Del Toro could do something stellar; he's a true visionary. How about an epic like "At the Mountains of Madness" or "Shadow out of Time"? Special effects could do it justice nowadays. I agree with you that "The Dunwich Horror" could make such a great movie if done right. Again, there is so much to choose from.

 

Thanks for all your insightful and entertaining journals. You are a fine and careful writer which is always welcome!

 

Shivabali