Acclaimed
Japanese artist Gou Tanabe has been awarded the Bram
Stoker Award in the category of Best Achievement in a Graphic
Novel for his manga adaptation of Call of Cthulhu, the
iconic work of American writer H.P. Lovecraft.
The
announcement was made on June 14 during the StokerCon ceremony,
held in Connecticut, United States. Zack Davisson, who is the
translator of the manga into English, was the one who shared the news through
his social networks.
Cosmic
horror arrives in manga with great recognition
Published
in July 2024 by Dark Horse Comics, this adaptation
offers a haunting visual experience true to Lovecraft's spirit. The story
connects secret cults in the Arctic and Louisiana, united by the
same forbidden chant: "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl
fhtagn." Through the character of Francis Thurston,
the reader enters an investigation that leads him to the limits of
sanity and the awakening of the supreme terror: the sunken city
of R'lyeh.
This
edition includes eight color pages and a special page with
silver ink.
A Career
of Lovecraftian Adaptations
Gou Tanabe
began this adaptation in Kadokawa's Monthly Comic Beam magazine
in May 2019 and concluded in November of the same year. This work joins a long
list of adaptations of Lovecraft's stories made by Tanabe, including:
- The Hound and Other Stories (2017), which includes
"The Hound," "The Temple," and "The Nameless
City."
- At the Mountains of Madness (2019), nominated at the
Angoulême Comic Festival.
- The Shadow Over Innsmouth, published in a single volume
by Dark Horse.
- The Colour Out of Space, available from 1 July
2025.
- Other works such as The
Outsider, The Dunwich Horror, The Haunter of the
Dark and The Shadow Out of Time.
Lovecraft
in Manga: An Expanding Legacy
In November
2023, Tanabe also started Short Stories about Dreamlands,
based on Lovecraft's dream cycle, which concluded in April 2024. Most recently,
he published Lovecraft no Genei (Lovecraft's Ghost),
between June and December 2024.
With this
award, Gou Tanabe reaffirms his position as one of the best
adaptors of the Lovecraft universe to manga, combining detailed art with an
atmosphere of psychological horror that has won over fans of both manga and
classic horror.
