Maybe you should read Lovecraft instead

I had my doubts when I picked up Fall of Cthulhu: The Gathering at the public library. Maybe there was something I missed, another volume that I could've read before picking up The Gathering. Truth is, I only picked up the trade because of name recognition. I'm a fan of Lovecraft's work, and this graphic novel was obviously inspired by the mythos, extending from the Cthulhu mythos and touching down upon the Dreamlands.

However, Michael Alan Nelson's story left me wondering if he really was inspired by the mythos, or if he just read about it and then decided to go on his own to see if anyone would realize it. Maybe it's just me. I'm a fan of graphic novels, but it seems in my attempts to read horror comics, I always feel like I'm being cheated out some of something essential.

Nelson split his story up into five parts with the last two merged together. Each has a different artist, with the except of the last two. The art work various from contemporary comic book fashion, to the nitty gritty old style often found in horror comics, to cartoonish depictions. The last two parts of the book, covered by Pablo E. Quiligotti, are my favorite. While the story didn't capture my attention, Quiligotti's work reminded me of better graphic novels with better stories - Sandman comes to mind.

Read it if you must - mostly because it's a boring day and there's nothing else for you to do. But trust me, if you're a fan of the mythos, you'll probably wind up hating yourself for even bothering to pick this up.