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Providence #issue 5
Providence #5
Alan Moore's horror event of the year continues to push the limits of the comic book medium with an incredible ad-free 40 page fifth issue! Robert Black is discovering a hidden underbelly of mind snapping terror as he uncovers the layers of repressed horror around him. This work has been researched and developed by Moore and Burrows over the course of several years. The end result is an amazing tome of Lovecraftian influenced nightmares where Moore has written every cover, every single page, and every nuance of this work to create his most fully-realized vision to date. Fans of Moore's immersive style and meticulous grasp of storytelling will be thrilled to add this essential piece of comics history to their collections!
44 pages, Comixology
First published September 30, 2015
About the author
Alan Moore
1,679 books20.4k followersAlan Moore is an English writer most famous for his influential work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. He has also written a novel, Voice of the Fire, and performs "workings" (one-off performance art/spoken word pieces) with The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels, some of which have been released on CD.
As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.
As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 24, 2016
I think the plan is 12 issues. I read the first four collected in a special limited hardcover edition and reviewed it here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2.... I had thought to wait to read again until it was complete and all collected, but I was in a comic book shop yesterday, saw this, and couldn't resist. This is an Alan Moore horror comic, an homage to Lovecraft, both about Lovercraft and his town of Providence, R.I., and also densely referencing Lovecraft's works.
Providence is about a reporter who decides to write a novel and gradually experiences the paranormal. Better done than Lovecraft's own language and storytelling, but two things might give you pause before picking any of it up, even if you like Moore's work; 1) Moore can be crazy explosive and fast in his storytelling, but this is the slowest developing story he has done, almost austere, matched by the subtle and nuanced artwork of Jacen Burrows, and 2) at the same time, there are disturbing elements of it. It's horror, you expect to be upset in particular ways, but/so it is pretty disturbing. But I'm going to read all of it, without question. A master at work.
Providence is about a reporter who decides to write a novel and gradually experiences the paranormal. Better done than Lovecraft's own language and storytelling, but two things might give you pause before picking any of it up, even if you like Moore's work; 1) Moore can be crazy explosive and fast in his storytelling, but this is the slowest developing story he has done, almost austere, matched by the subtle and nuanced artwork of Jacen Burrows, and 2) at the same time, there are disturbing elements of it. It's horror, you expect to be upset in particular ways, but/so it is pretty disturbing. But I'm going to read all of it, without question. A master at work.
May 27, 2022
Review at the end of the series :)
August 18, 2021
⭐⭐⭐⭐½
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
No quinto volume de "Providence", "In the Walls", Robert vai até Manchester, New Hampshire, e visita a universidade Saint Anselm afim de encontrar um livro maldito guardado em sua biblioteca, o Kitab. É ali que ele conhece o professor Hector North (uma referência clara ao conto "Herbert West: Reanimator", de H. P. Lovecraft).
Buscando um lugar para se hospedar até poder ter acesso ao livro, Robert conhece uma garota de 13 anos, Elspeth, que recomenda a hospedaria da Senhora Macey.
Ainda seguindo as inspirações lovecraftianas, Alan Moore nos leva, junto com Robert, até a casa dela, onde ele se hospedará e terá horrrendos pesadelos, já que aqui veremos mais do conto de Lovecraft "Os Sonhos na Casa da Bruxa", em que determinados ângulos euclidianos impossíveis levam ao mundo extradimensional onde temos uma feiticeira, Keziah Mason ("Macey"), e seu fiel amigo, o rato Brown Jenkins.
Além de Robert se ver no meio desse horrível tormento que acha ser apenas sua imaginação, ele também tentará investigar um caso que aconteceu ali perto, em uma fazenda onde um meteorito caiu, trouxe consequências terríveis para a família que ali habitava, e simplesmente desapareceu. Nesse momento nos deparamos com mais uma trama lovecraftiana, "A Cor Que Caiu do Espaço".
É assim que é "Providence": rápida de ler, instigante e lotada de reviravoltas, mas extremamente difícil de se digerir, não apenas por tantas passagens insólitas e perturbadoras, mas pela quantidade de informações e referências que serão apresentadas ao leitor que conhece bem a obra de Lovecraft.
O traço de Jacen Burrows é simples, mas marcante, conseguindo expressar não apenas as emoções e intenções dos personagens, mas também a loucura real e o medo do desconhecido que permeia toda a história.
Da mesma forma, o enredo bem construído de Alan Moore não deixa nada a desejar quando nos presenteia com o interessante desenvolvimento do protagonista e tantas nuances e detalhes que são capazes de explodir a mente do fã de horror cósmico.
Mais resenhas no instagram literário @livre_em_livros e no canal do Youtube "Livre em Livros"!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
No quinto volume de "Providence", "In the Walls", Robert vai até Manchester, New Hampshire, e visita a universidade Saint Anselm afim de encontrar um livro maldito guardado em sua biblioteca, o Kitab. É ali que ele conhece o professor Hector North (uma referência clara ao conto "Herbert West: Reanimator", de H. P. Lovecraft).
Buscando um lugar para se hospedar até poder ter acesso ao livro, Robert conhece uma garota de 13 anos, Elspeth, que recomenda a hospedaria da Senhora Macey.
Ainda seguindo as inspirações lovecraftianas, Alan Moore nos leva, junto com Robert, até a casa dela, onde ele se hospedará e terá horrrendos pesadelos, já que aqui veremos mais do conto de Lovecraft "Os Sonhos na Casa da Bruxa", em que determinados ângulos euclidianos impossíveis levam ao mundo extradimensional onde temos uma feiticeira, Keziah Mason ("Macey"), e seu fiel amigo, o rato Brown Jenkins.
Além de Robert se ver no meio desse horrível tormento que acha ser apenas sua imaginação, ele também tentará investigar um caso que aconteceu ali perto, em uma fazenda onde um meteorito caiu, trouxe consequências terríveis para a família que ali habitava, e simplesmente desapareceu. Nesse momento nos deparamos com mais uma trama lovecraftiana, "A Cor Que Caiu do Espaço".
É assim que é "Providence": rápida de ler, instigante e lotada de reviravoltas, mas extremamente difícil de se digerir, não apenas por tantas passagens insólitas e perturbadoras, mas pela quantidade de informações e referências que serão apresentadas ao leitor que conhece bem a obra de Lovecraft.
O traço de Jacen Burrows é simples, mas marcante, conseguindo expressar não apenas as emoções e intenções dos personagens, mas também a loucura real e o medo do desconhecido que permeia toda a história.
Da mesma forma, o enredo bem construído de Alan Moore não deixa nada a desejar quando nos presenteia com o interessante desenvolvimento do protagonista e tantas nuances e detalhes que são capazes de explodir a mente do fã de horror cósmico.
Mais resenhas no instagram literário @livre_em_livros e no canal do Youtube "Livre em Livros"!
December 30, 2018
A rat.. in the walls.. A witch.. in the house.. A car.. on the roads.. Always.
October 17, 2020
“In the Walls” by Alan Moore has Robert Black finally stumbling upon something that has him running for safety, or out of the frying pan and into the fryer. The first page has Black arriving in Manchester after receiving a ride from Mr. Jenkins. The pair travel through an unexpected storm before arriving at the reporter’s destination: Saint Anselm.
Black is there to read a particular book, but the librarian is out and won’t return for a week. He’s tried to decipher the book, but “there’s an invented alphabet and vocabulary…Terms like ‘yr nhhngr’, which is apparently a tense denoting nested time.” Father Walter Race then recommends a local hotel and “If you’ve time to kill, I hear there are government people investigating the meteorite site, out past Sebbins Brook.” Black says he’ll do that. A man in the hall hears Black’s New York accent and strikes up a conversation with him. The man is Dr. Hector North, who tells him he’s not a man of the cloth. “If truth be told, I’m more of a revivalist.” Leaving this individual, Black encounters another famous Lovecraftian character whose words are much more mature than her actual appearance.
Eventually, Black arrives at Mrs. Macey’s house where he takes a room and then goes off to see what the government has discovered where a meteorite fell. Several tales from Lovecraft cross paths in this tale, with the protagonist finally bearing witness to something that has him realizing he’s over his head. Credit must be given to Moore for creating a situation that is not graphic, but horrendously unsettling. There are also several neat twists with the setting involving Mr. Jenkins. The final three pages left me fearing for Black’s safety as his supposed respite is a much more dangerous place. The links are starting to come together for Black and he’d be much happier if they didn’t.
Artist Jacen Burrows continues to show himself to be an outstanding illustrator by rendering superior looking characters, settings, and other “things”. The first page is a masterful frozen shot of the interior of Jenkins’ cars as it makes its way to Saint Anselm. Though the dashboard and windows are frozen, creating an excellent point of view, the exteriors are not, as the countryside changes, the level of rain hitting the car changes, and the hands of the occupants within the car move: it’s like a movie on a page.
The second pages establishes the protagonist and his movement through the halls of the college. During the characters’ conversations Burrows moves his “camera” around to show distance between characters and highlight architecture: Pages 3 – 5 are an incredibly smooth visual experience. If one were to not read the dialogue (But, c’mon, this is Alan Moore!), a reader would be able to easily comprehend the interplay between the characters based on their locations, emotions, and stances. Pages 6 and 7 introduce a new character and setting. As with the previous pages, the visuals add much to the story, with actions and a pulling away from the characters revealing much.
Mrs. Macey’s house is the expected creaking old structure, but there is one panel that’s repeated that creates immediate tension: a view from outside the house looking in, which features small tree branches looking like tendrils swarming the wall, trying to capture those within. It’s fantastic! Jenkins is a deviant character, who has an excellent surprise if one is paying attention to the bottom of panels. 18 – 20 contain the most disturbing scene of this series yet, with it being Black’s first realisation that all’s not right. If only he had seen what was happening on the final page, he might have realised his error in seeking shelter. This is realistic artwork combined with the wrong, and it’s oh so right.
If you’ve ever been driving in the rain on the east coast, Burrows nails the visual and Juan Rodriguez hits it out of the park with his colouring. I really like the slow brightening of colours after the rain has ceased — and check out the interior of the car: he’s lightened things with the improvement in the weather. This is a slick, subtle, smart job. The interiors of Saint Anselm contain all the tans and browns one would expect from a learning institution, which better serves to highlight the colours of certain character’s attire.
When North reveals his name, he and Black are outside and Rodriguez gives him a powder blue background to frame his bust, giving him an aura of rebirth. The brightest pages are 6 and 7, though the colours make things seem overly grey, as if something was not understood entirely. Brown Jenkins is naturally clothed in brown clothes, though one aspect of his character is a sickly grey. An interior sequence of three pages take place in the dark, but Rodriguez makes everything visible by using an eerie aqua-grey. I’ve never said this in a review before, but if he had wanted to darken the scene so I didn’t have to see all of “that”, I would have been more than happy. This book clearly demonstrates how colours can be used to influence a story’s tone.
Dialogue and narration (the same font) and story’s title are Kurt Hathaway’s contributions to this issue. With text this dense, which is necessary to tell this tale, and demanding visuals that contain clues to other events, which is, again, absolutely necessary, Hathaway has quite the job to insert text without diminishing the visuals. He does so expertly, including having words in italics to allow the reader tp better “hear” each character’s voice. An excellent job.
Pages from Black’s journal are included, recounting his misadventures this issue. Readers should not skip these pages because Black reveals what happens after the visual portion of this issue has ended and he includes a first draft of the beginning of his book that he’s researching. These pages add further dimension to Robert and give some clues to his mental state, especially on the final page.
Robert Black’s quest has revealed something disturbing, and he continues to fall to destruction. If readers aren’t careful, they’ll fall with him. Highest possible recommendation.
Black is there to read a particular book, but the librarian is out and won’t return for a week. He’s tried to decipher the book, but “there’s an invented alphabet and vocabulary…Terms like ‘yr nhhngr’, which is apparently a tense denoting nested time.” Father Walter Race then recommends a local hotel and “If you’ve time to kill, I hear there are government people investigating the meteorite site, out past Sebbins Brook.” Black says he’ll do that. A man in the hall hears Black’s New York accent and strikes up a conversation with him. The man is Dr. Hector North, who tells him he’s not a man of the cloth. “If truth be told, I’m more of a revivalist.” Leaving this individual, Black encounters another famous Lovecraftian character whose words are much more mature than her actual appearance.
Eventually, Black arrives at Mrs. Macey’s house where he takes a room and then goes off to see what the government has discovered where a meteorite fell. Several tales from Lovecraft cross paths in this tale, with the protagonist finally bearing witness to something that has him realizing he’s over his head. Credit must be given to Moore for creating a situation that is not graphic, but horrendously unsettling. There are also several neat twists with the setting involving Mr. Jenkins. The final three pages left me fearing for Black’s safety as his supposed respite is a much more dangerous place. The links are starting to come together for Black and he’d be much happier if they didn’t.
Artist Jacen Burrows continues to show himself to be an outstanding illustrator by rendering superior looking characters, settings, and other “things”. The first page is a masterful frozen shot of the interior of Jenkins’ cars as it makes its way to Saint Anselm. Though the dashboard and windows are frozen, creating an excellent point of view, the exteriors are not, as the countryside changes, the level of rain hitting the car changes, and the hands of the occupants within the car move: it’s like a movie on a page.
The second pages establishes the protagonist and his movement through the halls of the college. During the characters’ conversations Burrows moves his “camera” around to show distance between characters and highlight architecture: Pages 3 – 5 are an incredibly smooth visual experience. If one were to not read the dialogue (But, c’mon, this is Alan Moore!), a reader would be able to easily comprehend the interplay between the characters based on their locations, emotions, and stances. Pages 6 and 7 introduce a new character and setting. As with the previous pages, the visuals add much to the story, with actions and a pulling away from the characters revealing much.
Mrs. Macey’s house is the expected creaking old structure, but there is one panel that’s repeated that creates immediate tension: a view from outside the house looking in, which features small tree branches looking like tendrils swarming the wall, trying to capture those within. It’s fantastic! Jenkins is a deviant character, who has an excellent surprise if one is paying attention to the bottom of panels. 18 – 20 contain the most disturbing scene of this series yet, with it being Black’s first realisation that all’s not right. If only he had seen what was happening on the final page, he might have realised his error in seeking shelter. This is realistic artwork combined with the wrong, and it’s oh so right.
If you’ve ever been driving in the rain on the east coast, Burrows nails the visual and Juan Rodriguez hits it out of the park with his colouring. I really like the slow brightening of colours after the rain has ceased — and check out the interior of the car: he’s lightened things with the improvement in the weather. This is a slick, subtle, smart job. The interiors of Saint Anselm contain all the tans and browns one would expect from a learning institution, which better serves to highlight the colours of certain character’s attire.
When North reveals his name, he and Black are outside and Rodriguez gives him a powder blue background to frame his bust, giving him an aura of rebirth. The brightest pages are 6 and 7, though the colours make things seem overly grey, as if something was not understood entirely. Brown Jenkins is naturally clothed in brown clothes, though one aspect of his character is a sickly grey. An interior sequence of three pages take place in the dark, but Rodriguez makes everything visible by using an eerie aqua-grey. I’ve never said this in a review before, but if he had wanted to darken the scene so I didn’t have to see all of “that”, I would have been more than happy. This book clearly demonstrates how colours can be used to influence a story’s tone.
Dialogue and narration (the same font) and story’s title are Kurt Hathaway’s contributions to this issue. With text this dense, which is necessary to tell this tale, and demanding visuals that contain clues to other events, which is, again, absolutely necessary, Hathaway has quite the job to insert text without diminishing the visuals. He does so expertly, including having words in italics to allow the reader tp better “hear” each character’s voice. An excellent job.
Pages from Black’s journal are included, recounting his misadventures this issue. Readers should not skip these pages because Black reveals what happens after the visual portion of this issue has ended and he includes a first draft of the beginning of his book that he’s researching. These pages add further dimension to Robert and give some clues to his mental state, especially on the final page.
Robert Black’s quest has revealed something disturbing, and he continues to fall to destruction. If readers aren’t careful, they’ll fall with him. Highest possible recommendation.
December 15, 2018
Okay, I.N. (Intrepid Narrator) is finally starting to get into things he's having trouble rationalizing away. He spends a(?) night in the Witch House, riddled with unsettling dreams in which he repeatedly awakes and tries to escape, and then he flees to the Reanimator's house (I finally made the connection between "North" and "West", and then there's the formaldehyde smell due to "taxidermy experiments"). I.N. thought he'd spoken to North just that day, but North's reaction suggests I.N. was gone considerably longer than a day (looking forward to him figuring that out in the next installment). Strong hint that North wanted to use I.N. as a fresh body to experiment on, but was stopped by his more moralistic partner.
I'm not sure what story the precocious 13-year-old who directed I.N. to the Witch House is from. Possibly something I have not read. I rather liked her, but I can't help but wonder why she would direct I.N. to the Witch House...
I'm not sure what story the precocious 13-year-old who directed I.N. to the Witch House is from. Possibly something I have not read. I rather liked her, but I can't help but wonder why she would direct I.N. to the Witch House...
January 16, 2022
Still good, but the story seems all over the place, perhaps combining too many Lovecraft stories into one. Still, perhaps my criticism is unfair, as this issue provides true horror as good as anything in previous issues. Disturbing images wrapped up in possible dreams for the protagonist. The journal entries start to become inconsequential, and often they seem to merely summarize the events of the issue's sequential segment. Still, this series delivers true horror, and it is still recommended for fans of horror, H.P. Lovecraft, and Alan Moore.
September 16, 2023
Queer in every sense of the word. Walk through HP Lovecraft's Providence and his walking tours through New England and New York. See the evolution of his fiction, his involvement with a huge body of correspondence. See the world originally through the eyes of a drunken and queer newspaper writer. See how HP Lovecraft affects both the past and the future. What is real? What is fiction? What is a dream and a dream world?
Incredible narrative and incredible graphic art work.
Highly recommended!
Incredible narrative and incredible graphic art work.
Highly recommended!
January 8, 2023
Do tej pory to najlepsza część tej historii, bawi się motywami Koloru z przestworzy, ale umiejętnie łączy go z motywami snu, urojenia itd. co owocuje genialnym doświadczeniem grozy, iście lovecraftowski tomik!
May 13, 2017
Oh wow, getting some serious 'The Colour of Outer Space' vibes from the scenery. Thank God for the sensible&studied couple saving the night.
February 28, 2018
This is just an excellent series by a genius storyteller. The art adds to the story and the dense prose at the end is well worth the read, even if it takes a bit of time.
July 28, 2020
Αχ, αυτός ο Μπράουν Τζένκινς...
September 16, 2023
Now it has become frightening! If only Black's journal could have been more succinct in expressing his thoughts...
But that's how a frightened mind rambles on.
Recommended. And for the next one.
But that's how a frightened mind rambles on.
Recommended. And for the next one.
February 22, 2017
Los horrores fantásticos, grotescos y misteriosos de Providence, la deconstrucción de los mitos lovecraftianos.
January 22, 2016
Can't say enough about Moore's brilliance. So many thoughts come as I read that I can't get them down when it comes to review. Again, the interplay between comic and prose is brilliant. I looked back again at the comic after sections of the commonplace book. It's like Moore is often guiding the reader through a deeper form of reading. I don't see how any of my curriculum gurus could call this dumbed-down reading if they truly read this. I could use this for some real critical thought if I were allowed to do so.
In any case, this will be worth reading again. I am thrilled that Moore packs so much into a comic and I don't feel cheated spending $5 for a single comic. I'm afraid I will be done issue #6 before the release of issue #7 in February.
In any case, this will be worth reading again. I am thrilled that Moore packs so much into a comic and I don't feel cheated spending $5 for a single comic. I'm afraid I will be done issue #6 before the release of issue #7 in February.
May 15, 2016
Wow. The first four issues of Providence saw our protagonist having some pretty disturbing encounters, but in this issue (and the next), things get seriously weird and horrible. An excellent read, one that is bound to leave you slightly shaken afterwards.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews