FALL OF CTHULHU: THE GATHERING

Volumes of Boom! Studios’ Fall of Cthulhu series can’t come out fast enough for me. I just got Volume 2, Fall of Cthulhu: The Gathering in the mail this week and have already devoured it. The stories are well written and a tribute to Lovecraft’s Mythos. Volume 3, is too far off. I just don’t want to have to wait to buy it.

The Gathering picks up where volume 1, FALL OF CTHULHU: THE FUGUE, leaves off, except that instead of revisiting Cy, who is in one of the Harlot’s boxes, the story returns to Mr. Arkham. Mr. Arkham is gathering his version of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Each of the five comics in this volume tell the story of one of horrors that join Mr. Arkham around the table in the last few pages.

They are Sysyphyx, the scourge of Atlantis; Gnruk of Vol’Kunast, devourer of the royal corpse of Thuln; The Masked Mute, sister of the lost Abyss; Gith, Father of Pestilence, champion of damnation.

These stories are frightening and full of pain. Gith’s story is the one that had me most on edge. In order to bring Gith into the world, many steps had to be taken. The result was that Mr. Arkhem’s assistant, Connor, wearer of masks, must become host and anchor: a long process that gave me the chills.

What I like most about this series is that it seems to be building up a war between Cthulhu and the gods of the dreamlands. I’m interested to see where it goes. I know that Mr. Arkham is the main character; the story keeps coming back to him. I just really liked Connor and was kind of sad to see him go. I wanted to know more about him. I wanted to find out more of his back-story: how he came to terms with working in the occult for Mr. Arkham and at the hotel. However, it wouldn’t be mythos without a few casualties.

If you are a fan, you need to read these.

Fall of Cthulhu: The Gathering. Story: Michael Alan Nelson. Art: Greg Scott, Patrick McEvoy, Pablo Quiligotti, Marco Rudy, Tim Hamilton, Michel Fiffe. Colors: Joel Seguin, Marc Rudea, Pablo Quiligotti. Managing Ed. Marshall Dillon. Asst. Ed. Joyce El Hayek. Las Angles: Boom! Studios, 2008.