Providence is a meditation on what true Horror is, not just jump-scares for fun. There are no jump-scares here, only an insidious reconfiguration of reality and how it will make the reader question reality after they finish reading. Reading the story at once instead of waiting for a new chapter every month is a more complete experience. Events and details that are introduced or foreshadowed early on become more apparent when they're paid off later. En toda mi vida como lector – y eventual divulgador– de comic pocas veces me he enfrentado a una tarea tan – deliciosamente– subyugante y compleja como la lectura de este volumen de Providence. Y creo que es la primera vez que he tenido esa mezcla de entre miedo y respeto a la hora de abordar una reseña. Y es que el material contenido en este tomo, consistente en “ El patio” (2003) la miniserie “ Neonomicon” (2010-11) y la maxiserie « Providence» (2015-2017) pese a haber distado tanto en el tiempo a la hora de ser publicadas y abordar tal variedad de formatos y temáticas forma un tríptico totalmente cohesionado que disfrutado por separado agrada, pero visto en conjunto, epata. Doctor Alvarez” is Providence‘s equivalent to Dr. Muñoz of Lovecraft’s story “ Cool Air“. If you haven’t read “Cool Air” ( text available in its entirety online, also in audiobook version) you should do so, as it forms the primary Lovecraft influence on Providence #1. Claude Guillot” is apparently a fictitious original author Moore invented. Guillot is perhaps a play on the word guillotine. La serie es valiente y cruda y no ahorra en momentos decididamente turbios o directamente explícitos. Algo que en su día le costó no pocas críticas a la editorial. El terror se basa más en lo físico que en lo sobrenatural, algo que sí que estaba presente en “ El Patio” y será el eje central de “ Providence”. No obstante, escenas como la de Carcosa en el mural pintado o la primera aparición de “ la criatura” son pura poesía del horror. Este “ neonomicon” queda entre dos tierras y funciona mejor como pieza suelta que como parte de un todo. Ya que es imposible mirar a la cara a “ Providence” y aguantar el tipo incluso para el propio Moore. La miniserie no baja del notable, esto quede claro, pero la traca final llegaría cuatro años después.

Gieben, Bram (1 September 2010). "Choose Your Reality: Alan Moore Unearthed". The Skinny . Retrieved 24 March 2011. Personally I didn't find the extreme gore and sex and other choices, often vividly presented in the excellent art, that hard to cope with; but they did make my eyes go wide in "oh no you didn't!" reactions sometimes. I have a strong stomach. Lovecraft would react otherwise! Fischer, Craig (February 3, 2016). "Providence: Lovecraft, Sexual Violence, and the Body of the Other". The Comics Journal.Hearst” is William Randolph Hearst, an American newspaper magnate renowned for his “yellow journalism,” marked by lurid ledes and exaggeration to grab the readers’ attention and sell papers instead of researched or unbiased reporting.

Providence and the earlier volume Neonomicon (read that first) are, together, a superb reinterpretation of Lovecraft's entire mythos. This review pertains to them both. Without spoiling too much, Moore goes where Lovecraft himself dared not. Lovecraft, famously, contented himself with allusions to "nameless horrors" and the "unspeakable" without getting into lurid descriptive depth. While a compelling narrative technique in itself (you might even say "that's the point") sometimes it feels a bit like Lovecraft was so overwhelmed by his own notions that he couldn't bring himself to vividly express them. Maybe this speaks to the conservatism of the man and/or his era? In any event, these ideas in Moore's hands are dynamite. The kind of horror that bothers you for days.If providence allows”– Possibly a pun on Moore’s part, referring in-character to divine providence, and out-of-character to the Providence series. Notably, H. P. Lovecraft himself never completed and published a novel during his lifetime (the closest being The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath), though he planned one or two. In March 2012 it became the first recipient of the newly created " Graphic Novel" category at the Bram Stoker Awards. [3] Plot [ edit ] Dropping hairpins” is gay slang for dropping hints that one is gay, perhaps as a precursor to flirting. The Bowery is an historic neighborhood in south Manhattan, somewhat associated with urban decline. Alvarez’s W 14th Street residence is not actually in the Bowery, so Posey may be generalizing – stereotyping immigrants as living in undesirable neighborhoods. Panel 4 reproduces the view of the suicide chamber shown on P5, panels 2-4. The light shows that it is later in the day. The white butterfly (or moth) that flew past on P5, is now dead on the ground on the left, apparently a victim of the deadly gases from the chamber.

I didn't know what to expect from this except that it would be pretty twisted. I was not disappointed. This is not a graphic novel compendium for kids-- it deserves just about every trigger warning one could need. Moore transgresses many taboos in re-inventing and synthesizing Lovecraft's (and his broader circle's) ideas from a modern, very very dark perspective. And in the process he takes a cold hard look at himself, and fandom, and its dark sides. This is a farewell critique of himself as well as an incredibly meticulously researched homage to Lovecraft et al. The Reviving of Cadavers” is a reference to Lovecraft’s “Herbert West—Reanimator” and similar stories, including perhaps the reanimated “y’m-bhi” of “The Mound.” As mentioned above (P3,p2) the pneumatic message tube system apparatus is visible between Dix and Turner. The automat is a now mostly defunct style of fast-food eatery. Meal items were located in slots in the wall, dishes and all, and were paid for using a coin slot.I’m reading your annotations as I read thought Providence for the first time, so thanks for putting these together, they’re really adding to my enjoyment of the book. The Jersey Devil” is an American folktale with obscure origins. It first achieved widespread popularity in the early 20th century, where hundreds of sightings were reported in newspapers in 1909. It takes hubris, or at least a cheeky sense of humor, to compare yourself to Shakespeare, but Moore makes his point: his Tempest will be his last comic, just as The Tempest was Shakespeare’s last play, though I personally wouldn’t object if Moore flipped in and out of retirement like Hayao Miyazaki. I think the covers-set-in-the-future idea is more plausible than a mistake, and presumably the same pattern will carry on throughout the series? (I’m only up to issue 3, so not sure). After you finish this journey, you might realize (like I did) that the experience was so epic that you want to ride the roller coaster again. If this happens to you, I recommend going through the graphic novels a second time with an in-depth guide which you can find here:

Note: some of this is obvious, but you never know who’s reading and what their exposure is. If there’s anything we missed or got wrong, let us know in comments. The intersection is 5th Avenue and 14th Street. The view is facing south. The building depicted is still there, visible on Google street view. Commenter Mr Nobody points out that red hair (which Alvarez has just commented upon) was associated with Jews in Medieval Spain. Providence is one of Alan Moore’s most ambitious final projects… a full-on deconstruction and metacommentary on the entirety of Lovecraft’s body of work and the subtexts of racism, gynophobia and paranoia. It’s like a kind of Unified Theory of Lovecraft Stories. And the incomparable Jacen Burrows’ precise line art charts all the creepy horror and crawling chaos with unflinching exactness. -Adi Tantimedh Doctor Alvarez is also in his housecoat – probably for the same reason as Mrs. Ortega – made clear below on P13,p2.At its most basic, the “vision quest” story in Promethea implicitly asserts two metaphysical truths: that the universe is, at its core, a beautiful and good place, and that exploring this universe can lead to ultimate knowledge and peace. After these revelations, Promethea has one more arc to go—a more traditional narrative about a battle between two Prometheas and the end of the world—but these issues are a little dull: it’s hard to build suspense when we already know, on the macro-Heavenly level, that we are all redeemed.