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Providence #5-8
Providence Act 2
The second arc of Providence is unveiled in this special hardcover-only edition. Robert Black came looking for a story but what he found is a world of misery and woe. He's becoming a broken man, only beginning to accept the horrors of the Lovecraftian world are real and hiding in plain sight. Alan Moore's quintessential horror series has set the standard for a terrifying reinvention of the works of H.P. Lovecraft. It is being universally hailed as one of Moore's most realized works in which the master scribe has controlled every iota of the story, art, and presentation. The result has been a masterpiece like no other and a true must-have addition to his essential works in the field. We present a collected Providence Act 2 Hard Cover edition that contains Providence issues #5-8, and all the back matter, in this one-time printing of this edition.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2017
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 - 30 of 156 reviews
April 28, 2017
“We may guess that in dreams life, matter, and vitality, as the earth knows such things, are not necessarily constant; and that time and space do not exist as our waking selves comprehend them. Sometimes I believe that this less material life is our truer life, and that our vain presence on the terraqueous globe is itself secondary or merely virtual phenomenon.”—HP Lovecraft, “Beynd the Wall of Sleep,” Spring 1919
“I never dreamed it could all turn to such a nightmare.” --Robert Black
I called Providence Book 1 the best comic I read last year. Now, with the second and final arc completed, I will continue to say this is a great comic, for my particular tastes, an event of the year. I just finished it by reading single issues, so the hardcover will be out later this year. I recommend you consider it, but it has two problems for the general reader:
1) It has lots of references to the work of Lovecraft. It will still creep you out if you know nothing about his work or worlds, but knowing more helps. I knew some, but not a lot. It’s erudite, multilayered with references to HPL fiction, to other Moore books in this world/mythos such as Neonomicon and The Courtyard, and hundreds of other writers and thinkers, such as Poe, Bierce, “decadent literature,” of the late 1890s, especially The Yellow Book by Robert Chambers. Dunsany’s Tales of Wonder (1916). Links are made for us to more contemporary work like Robert Bloch’s Psycho, Kerouac’s Dr. Sax, William Burroughs, Borges, David Lynch, and so on. What Moore is doing is creating the image of a web of literature that connects to the HPL mythos, to give this idea that there is this “underground” lit that is interconnected, sinister, possibly changing the world as it reveals it.
“Has that ever happened before, with any work of fiction?” an FBI/literary critic asks. He refers to Lovecraft’s Mythos forming this shared universe, one in which he encouraged others to borrow and expand upon. Fiction usually borrows from other fiction, and life, obviously, but in Providence you get a glimpse of an impressive, supernatural web of fiction (and sometimes non-fiction). I liked it because I am an English teacher, a literary sleuth, and I like that layered web of references.
And it’s not just literature, of course; it’s literature connected with the supernatural world, the occult, the world of dreams, operating with dream logic. Mythos is a narrative, we are led to believe, that is replacing the “real world” narrative that we know. It’s like an interspecies invasion that is taking over. Providence is so layered with literary and cultural references that it is impossible to understand it completely, and yet you get enough of a sense of things to feel the horror and strangeness even if you have never read Lovecraft. You get images of a horrible supernatural conspiracy that pretty convincingly frightens/disturbs you.
“If half of this is true, then Lovecraft and his stories were engineered to cause what’s happening now.”--FBI guy
“Dreams and our world are two extremes of a bi-polar reality, that can flip from one state to another.”—HPL
“No. You are dreamth that we were exthperienthing. You are part of uth.” – “No. You are dreams that we were experiencing. You are part of us.”—Johnny Carcosa
What is real? Are we dreaming? Are we hallucinating? Sometimes experiences seem like lucid dreaming.
2) A second problem for the general reader is that sometimes it can be visually disturbing. The art is terrific, but also successful as horror. Meaning that it can be disturbing. You have been warned or encouraged, depending on your need for horror. Some of these images are sexual, some involving severed limbs, stuff like that, just to warn you.
The second arc has former journalist and would-be novelist Robert Black still gathering materials for a story, writing everything down in a Commonplace book (or journal, and each issue concludes with pages from Black’s book), but increasingly horrified and in misery. He's becoming a broken man, now seeing that the horrors of the Lovecraftian world are real and hiding in plain sight. At one point Black meets Lovecraft Himself, shares with him his book, from which HPL crafts some of his own stories.
Images repeat throughout:
--The death of Black’s lover Lili/Jonathan and its effects wind their way through this
--“You Made Me Love You” (1913) by Al Jolson
--“Azathoth” is Lovecraft’s Daemon Sultan, the nuclear chaos at the heart of the universe. These creatures weave their way throughout, visual reminders of The Impossible.
You interested in at least checking this out? Well, I from time to time used a guide. You remember those three guys living in a trailer in the X-Files that were tuned into everything supernatural and political going on? The Providence equivalent is this website that analyzes every frame of the 12 issue series. It’s amazing, a little overwhelming, maybe too intimidating, but hey, I didn’t know a fraction of this stuff without it and I still loved the comic. This website helped me love it better.
https://factsprovidence.wordpress.com...
“I never dreamed it could all turn to such a nightmare.” --Robert Black
I called Providence Book 1 the best comic I read last year. Now, with the second and final arc completed, I will continue to say this is a great comic, for my particular tastes, an event of the year. I just finished it by reading single issues, so the hardcover will be out later this year. I recommend you consider it, but it has two problems for the general reader:
1) It has lots of references to the work of Lovecraft. It will still creep you out if you know nothing about his work or worlds, but knowing more helps. I knew some, but not a lot. It’s erudite, multilayered with references to HPL fiction, to other Moore books in this world/mythos such as Neonomicon and The Courtyard, and hundreds of other writers and thinkers, such as Poe, Bierce, “decadent literature,” of the late 1890s, especially The Yellow Book by Robert Chambers. Dunsany’s Tales of Wonder (1916). Links are made for us to more contemporary work like Robert Bloch’s Psycho, Kerouac’s Dr. Sax, William Burroughs, Borges, David Lynch, and so on. What Moore is doing is creating the image of a web of literature that connects to the HPL mythos, to give this idea that there is this “underground” lit that is interconnected, sinister, possibly changing the world as it reveals it.
“Has that ever happened before, with any work of fiction?” an FBI/literary critic asks. He refers to Lovecraft’s Mythos forming this shared universe, one in which he encouraged others to borrow and expand upon. Fiction usually borrows from other fiction, and life, obviously, but in Providence you get a glimpse of an impressive, supernatural web of fiction (and sometimes non-fiction). I liked it because I am an English teacher, a literary sleuth, and I like that layered web of references.
And it’s not just literature, of course; it’s literature connected with the supernatural world, the occult, the world of dreams, operating with dream logic. Mythos is a narrative, we are led to believe, that is replacing the “real world” narrative that we know. It’s like an interspecies invasion that is taking over. Providence is so layered with literary and cultural references that it is impossible to understand it completely, and yet you get enough of a sense of things to feel the horror and strangeness even if you have never read Lovecraft. You get images of a horrible supernatural conspiracy that pretty convincingly frightens/disturbs you.
“If half of this is true, then Lovecraft and his stories were engineered to cause what’s happening now.”--FBI guy
“Dreams and our world are two extremes of a bi-polar reality, that can flip from one state to another.”—HPL
“No. You are dreamth that we were exthperienthing. You are part of uth.” – “No. You are dreams that we were experiencing. You are part of us.”—Johnny Carcosa
What is real? Are we dreaming? Are we hallucinating? Sometimes experiences seem like lucid dreaming.
2) A second problem for the general reader is that sometimes it can be visually disturbing. The art is terrific, but also successful as horror. Meaning that it can be disturbing. You have been warned or encouraged, depending on your need for horror. Some of these images are sexual, some involving severed limbs, stuff like that, just to warn you.
The second arc has former journalist and would-be novelist Robert Black still gathering materials for a story, writing everything down in a Commonplace book (or journal, and each issue concludes with pages from Black’s book), but increasingly horrified and in misery. He's becoming a broken man, now seeing that the horrors of the Lovecraftian world are real and hiding in plain sight. At one point Black meets Lovecraft Himself, shares with him his book, from which HPL crafts some of his own stories.
Images repeat throughout:
--The death of Black’s lover Lili/Jonathan and its effects wind their way through this
--“You Made Me Love You” (1913) by Al Jolson
--“Azathoth” is Lovecraft’s Daemon Sultan, the nuclear chaos at the heart of the universe. These creatures weave their way throughout, visual reminders of The Impossible.
You interested in at least checking this out? Well, I from time to time used a guide. You remember those three guys living in a trailer in the X-Files that were tuned into everything supernatural and political going on? The Providence equivalent is this website that analyzes every frame of the 12 issue series. It’s amazing, a little overwhelming, maybe too intimidating, but hey, I didn’t know a fraction of this stuff without it and I still loved the comic. This website helped me love it better.
https://factsprovidence.wordpress.com...
September 12, 2017
Bah, I knew a decent Alan Moore series wouldn’t last! The feted author disappointingly drops the ball in the second “Act” of Providence.
Robert Black is still tooling around New England researching his supernatural book and doing little else! That said, I did enjoy the nightmarish maze-like structure of the opening chapter set in Manchester which was very clever, eerie and interesting. The scene with the monster in the Boston basement was compelling in its bizarreness. Jacen Burrows’ art is still great and it really shines in the dream sequence with Black and Randall Carter.
The HP Lovecraft references remain in abundance (for example, the dream sequence and Randall Carter is a thinly veiled allusion to “The Statement of Randolph Carter” which Lovecraft wrote about one of his dreams) and the author himself even makes a cameo towards the end. I just wish there was more to this title besides Moore constantly making Lovecraft references!
There’s also a deeply unpleasant rape scene of a 13 year old girl. To be fair, it’s not as straightforward as it seems but it was still needlessly graphic – I get that Avatar Press like to be edgy and push the envelope of taste but this was one of those times when it was just plain gross.
Providence Act Two is basically more of the same stuff we saw in the first book which is unsatisfying as I’d hoped Moore would have developed his story further than he did, especially as there’s only one book left in the series! As it is, Act Two left me mostly bored with the feeling that Moore’s shock tactics are an attempt to mask the title’s lack of substance. It does elicit feelings of horror but not in the expected sense.
Robert Black is still tooling around New England researching his supernatural book and doing little else! That said, I did enjoy the nightmarish maze-like structure of the opening chapter set in Manchester which was very clever, eerie and interesting. The scene with the monster in the Boston basement was compelling in its bizarreness. Jacen Burrows’ art is still great and it really shines in the dream sequence with Black and Randall Carter.
The HP Lovecraft references remain in abundance (for example, the dream sequence and Randall Carter is a thinly veiled allusion to “The Statement of Randolph Carter” which Lovecraft wrote about one of his dreams) and the author himself even makes a cameo towards the end. I just wish there was more to this title besides Moore constantly making Lovecraft references!
There’s also a deeply unpleasant rape scene of a 13 year old girl. To be fair, it’s not as straightforward as it seems but it was still needlessly graphic – I get that Avatar Press like to be edgy and push the envelope of taste but this was one of those times when it was just plain gross.
Providence Act Two is basically more of the same stuff we saw in the first book which is unsatisfying as I’d hoped Moore would have developed his story further than he did, especially as there’s only one book left in the series! As it is, Act Two left me mostly bored with the feeling that Moore’s shock tactics are an attempt to mask the title’s lack of substance. It does elicit feelings of horror but not in the expected sense.
September 5, 2017
Most of the works of Alan Moore are exemplary in the graphic literature world, and Providence just keeps on crawling up to be his most elegant written and well-researched comics. Providence, I admit has been a psychological mindf*ck for me as the story keeps on giving you more and more surprises as each chapter gets creepier. A horror material in its core, Providence does not rely on cheap jump scares (well these are panel surprises lurking at the next page) but instead Act 2 makes the reader go with Robert Black as he uncovers the mystery of the occult and subterranean denizens of the dreaming world.
Jacen Burrows' art is as usual outstanding, as the visual tone really complements the story. The subdued and "quiet" actions of his art and great framing makes the book even more enticing to read. I find Providence best to be read very slow. With English not my native language, I find this extra time in understanding the dialogues enjoyable as I also appreciate the art.
The uhm, dreamworld. You can put it that way.
For someone who has little knowledge with H.P. Lovecraft themes, Providence is still a very good literary piece to experience. Just don't expect fast-paced, gory and gruesome horror (oh you'll find Moore and Burrows' other work, Neonomicon very engaging). Providence is a slow-burning delight you have to relish bite per bite.
Jacen Burrows' art is as usual outstanding, as the visual tone really complements the story. The subdued and "quiet" actions of his art and great framing makes the book even more enticing to read. I find Providence best to be read very slow. With English not my native language, I find this extra time in understanding the dialogues enjoyable as I also appreciate the art.
The uhm, dreamworld. You can put it that way.For someone who has little knowledge with H.P. Lovecraft themes, Providence is still a very good literary piece to experience. Just don't expect fast-paced, gory and gruesome horror (oh you'll find Moore and Burrows' other work, Neonomicon very engaging). Providence is a slow-burning delight you have to relish bite per bite.
July 16, 2018
This alternates between a snoozefest and a snoozefest with uncomfortable sexual images including an f'd up rape scene. There's a ton of references to HP Lovecraft including a cameo by the author himself, but most will pass you by without a PHD in Lovecraft. Other reviews have described this as the Watchmen of horror. However, Watchmen actually had superheroes in it. This is completely devoid of Lovecraft's horror. Jacen Burrows does do a fantastic job of bringing the rare fantastical elements to life. To me this is just another example of Alan Moore being so in love with his own words that he can't see this completely lacks a story.
December 21, 2022
There is one scene mid-way through Act 2 of Alan Moore’s until-that-point-excellent graphic novel horror series Providence that is gratuitous and vile enough to warn readers about, spoiler or not. It involves the graphic rape of a 13-year-old girl. ‘Nuff said, really.
I honestly don’t know why it is included in the story. It basically stops the entire flow of the rest of the story, much like a record-scratch in a movie. It takes a lot to offend me, but this offended me.
Anyway, that said, if you can try and forget this scene and carry on, the rest of the story is decent.
Moore tells a meandering and slow-paced narrative about a man named Robert Black, a journalist who travels through New England looking for an ancient book of the occult, one that notoriously contains incantations for raising demons. Along the way, he encounters strange characters and events that are, somehow, all inter-connected in a secret history of the United States. Black is a thinly-veiled H.P. Lovecraft, and the story is a fictional look at the history of modern horror.
To thoroughly enjoy this graphic novel series one must first be familiar with Lovecraft’s work. If you’ve never read a Lovecraft story or don’t know who Lovecraft is, don’t bother reading this. Seriously.
It’s also not for readers of graphic novels who like when things actually happen. Much of the novel is simply Black walking down streets or talking to people. Indeed, much of the graphic novel is actually “excerpts” of Black’s journals: literally pages and pages of unillustrated text which reads exactly what one would expect from a writer’s journal of stream-of-consciousness blather. I happen to enjoy shit like this, but I realize it’s not for everyone.
Also, that rape scene. Jesus fuckin’ Christ, Moore. I would have given this five stars had it not been for that scene.
I honestly don’t know why it is included in the story. It basically stops the entire flow of the rest of the story, much like a record-scratch in a movie. It takes a lot to offend me, but this offended me.
Anyway, that said, if you can try and forget this scene and carry on, the rest of the story is decent.
Moore tells a meandering and slow-paced narrative about a man named Robert Black, a journalist who travels through New England looking for an ancient book of the occult, one that notoriously contains incantations for raising demons. Along the way, he encounters strange characters and events that are, somehow, all inter-connected in a secret history of the United States. Black is a thinly-veiled H.P. Lovecraft, and the story is a fictional look at the history of modern horror.
To thoroughly enjoy this graphic novel series one must first be familiar with Lovecraft’s work. If you’ve never read a Lovecraft story or don’t know who Lovecraft is, don’t bother reading this. Seriously.
It’s also not for readers of graphic novels who like when things actually happen. Much of the novel is simply Black walking down streets or talking to people. Indeed, much of the graphic novel is actually “excerpts” of Black’s journals: literally pages and pages of unillustrated text which reads exactly what one would expect from a writer’s journal of stream-of-consciousness blather. I happen to enjoy shit like this, but I realize it’s not for everyone.
Also, that rape scene. Jesus fuckin’ Christ, Moore. I would have given this five stars had it not been for that scene.
September 14, 2016
Un'opera decisamente non per tutti, ma gli appassionati del Solitario di Providence, del ciclo letterario dei Miti di Cthulhu ed i fan di Alan Moore non devono assolutamente lasciarsi sfuggire questo capolavoro a fumetti, un incredibile tributo alle opere di Lovecraft, una rivisitazione piena di citazioni e simbolismi a tratti allucinante.. i finali degli episodi 5, 6 e 7 sono quanto di più malato e disturbante sia mai stato pubblicato in una graphic novel. E l'apparizione di Lovecraft in persona nell'ottavo episodio fa intuire abbastanza dove Moore andrà a parare nel prossimo volume: secondo me il povero Robert Black farà una fine orrenda ed H.P.L. userà il suo diario come spunto per "L'Orrore di Dunwich", "La Maschera di Innsmouth", "L'Orrore a Red Hook", "La casa delle streghe", "Il modello di Pickman", "La dichiarazione di Randolph Carter" e tutti gli altri racconti lovecraftiani citati in questi due volumi e chissà quali nel prossimo... ma visto che quel geniaccio di Moore ha messo il padre ed il nonno di H.P.L. tra i membri della setta della Stella Sapiente (tradurre Star Wisdom "Saggezza Stellare" come l'omonima antologia di racconti dei Miti contenente "Il cortile" dello stesso Moore era evidentemente chiedere troppo...) mi aspetto qualcosa di ancora più sconvolgente ed inaspettato.
intanto dopo aver letto questo secondo volume di Providence avrò come minimo una o più lunghe notti di incubi davanti a me, ma ne è valsa davvero la pena.
November 10, 2020
Me ha gustado más que el primer volumen, aunque me resisto todavía a las 5 estrellas. Me gusta mucho como está tejiendo las conexiones entre todas las historias de Lovecraft. Cada vez tengo más claro que un lector que desconozca la obra de Lovecraft no lo puede disfrutar como interpreto que Moore pretende que se disfrute. A por el tercero.
January 14, 2018
In that moment, I was pierced by...I don't know. A sensation, an impression, an idea that was so overpowering that it went beyond fear. It felt as if all of my life, all of my mind, all of the universe were irrecoverably destroyed right there and then, all of the continuities of sense and cause and reason that there are in the world suddenly snapped like cotton threads to reveal a screaming, senseless blizzard of a billion unconnected facts that I knew to be the awful truth of human existence, the meaningless noise and chaos that forever churns beneath our desperate attempts to impose a sane and reasonable narrative.
On the one hand, props to Moore for actually giving his protagonist an experience that bears the weight of his epiphany. And I am deeply sympathetic to what he is trying to do here, even up to his determination to leave his readers with something they wish they could unsee in every one of these volumes. On the other hand, let's face it, that thing is going to be a penis. A horrible, no good, very bad penis. And that's just not the same as cosmic horror, now is it? Still, the advent of a certain writer keeps this yarn on the interesting side, and I will continue on with it into the next volume.
On the one hand, props to Moore for actually giving his protagonist an experience that bears the weight of his epiphany. And I am deeply sympathetic to what he is trying to do here, even up to his determination to leave his readers with something they wish they could unsee in every one of these volumes. On the other hand, let's face it, that thing is going to be a penis. A horrible, no good, very bad penis. And that's just not the same as cosmic horror, now is it? Still, the advent of a certain writer keeps this yarn on the interesting side, and I will continue on with it into the next volume.
July 19, 2017
Torn. Good writing, characters...normally I'm not a fan of Moore's text inserts in graphic formats, but they work well here, exposing an unreliable narrator beautifully. But, on the other hand, the plot is basically, "a tour of creepy New England." And the big plot twist at the end had me rolling my eyes. Still horrific, still nicely richly layered with different levels of reality--but it's a little too easy to see the man behind the curtain in this book, in a way that didn't happen to me in Neonomicon. So I have quibbles...
January 1, 2018
Boooooooring.
October 17, 2018
Foi por causa da leitura do primeiro volume de Providence (que eu achei espetacular) que me aproximei mais das escrita de H. P. Lovecraft. E é incrível como Alan Moore utiliza bem os conceitos e histórias criadas pelo mestre do horror cósmico. Este segundo volume não é tão sensacional quanto o primeiro, mas é muito bom também. É nesse volume que a gente percebe a importância das declarações escritas nos diários de Robert Black, que compõe um anexo ao melhor estilo Watchmen para a leitura de Providence. Eles dão uma nova dimensão á leitura. Enquanto os quadrinhos mostram o acontecido em terceira pessoas, os textos mostram em primeira pessoa e num narrador não-confiável a história em quadrinhos através da prosa. Assim, os pontos ilusórios do quadrinho e do diário acabam confrontando um contra o outro e disso, depreendemos um terceiro sentido. vale destacar, claro, a arte imersa em detalhes de Jacen Burrows, que faz um trabalho competentíssimo. Neste volume percebemos que Moore não está se baseando somente na mitologia Lovecraftiana, mas também bos contos de Edagar Alan Poe, Lorde Dunsany e Randall Carver, autor do livro O Rei de Amarelo. Muito bom, e que venha a terceira parte!
August 22, 2017
So this series was billed at one point as "the Watchmen of horror" which I was somewhat dismissive of in my first review. However, I did some research later and that may be more accurate than I thought. The little nuances Moore has thrown into this are numerous. I recognize most of the blatant Lovecraft references but several (and I do mean several) of the more obscure references I missed.
So continuing in the tradition of the first volume, this one includes references to Pickman's Model, the Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath, Beyond the Wall of Sleep and others. We also see Randall Carter and Lord Dunsany show up, and yes, even HP Lovecraft himself is in this volume.
Very original and entertaining series, although the long letters after each chapter can seem tedious. Still, this is a really good series for fans with any interest at all in the work of HP Lovecraft.
So continuing in the tradition of the first volume, this one includes references to Pickman's Model, the Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath, Beyond the Wall of Sleep and others. We also see Randall Carter and Lord Dunsany show up, and yes, even HP Lovecraft himself is in this volume.
Very original and entertaining series, although the long letters after each chapter can seem tedious. Still, this is a really good series for fans with any interest at all in the work of HP Lovecraft.
February 26, 2020
Para mi el mejor de los 3 tomos, fascinante.
January 16, 2019
Ista meta isto odstojanje....Mur dooobar, Barouz mi i dalje ne lezi...
July 11, 2017
This is a 4.5 due to my liking it slightly less than the first part.
Are you a fan of "Twin Peaks"? If so, you might want to be reading Alan Moore's "Providence" series since the similarities are startling: a fourth dimension influencing life from behind a curtain, memory loss and the question of the self, dreams having as much import as real-life, the uncanny in the ordinary . . . really, the list goes on. But the two works are also nothing alike.
"Providence Act 2," brings us closer to Providence while furthering Lovecraft's world and philosophy and even introducing the man himself as a bit player (so is Lord Dunsany). Moore's grasp of Lovecraft's writings and his impeccable research combine with some of Mr. Moore's best writing in a long while. Musings about magick, the occult, other dimensions, and if the self exists at all, blinding the reader brilliantly with narrative tricks to make the first 3/4's of this story an almost absolute mind-fuck -and is it ever a fun read.
Getting lost in the world of "Providence" is aided by beautiful colouring, panel design, and unusual and unsettling angles as we go from the material world to the dream world, flying high up, being raped by man-bat type creatures, and back to the real world - throughout all the narrative's crazy departures and main events, the artwork remains magnificent.
Each issue ends with a handwritten summary of the preceding events, while also adding more to the backstories, themes, and most impressively, the slipping mind of our protagonist. These may seem superfluous but they are pivotal to understanding the world Moore has created.
"Providence Act 2," like the first collection, is a dark, joyous journey into worlds that may have been covered before but never with this skill. When this book soars, it really takes off, but being the second part in a trilogy, the imagery here isn't as constantly alluring as part one, yet it's always engaging.
One request, though, maybe part 3 could include all the individual covers for each issue and store them in the back of the book?
Are you a fan of "Twin Peaks"? If so, you might want to be reading Alan Moore's "Providence" series since the similarities are startling: a fourth dimension influencing life from behind a curtain, memory loss and the question of the self, dreams having as much import as real-life, the uncanny in the ordinary . . . really, the list goes on. But the two works are also nothing alike.
"Providence Act 2," brings us closer to Providence while furthering Lovecraft's world and philosophy and even introducing the man himself as a bit player (so is Lord Dunsany). Moore's grasp of Lovecraft's writings and his impeccable research combine with some of Mr. Moore's best writing in a long while. Musings about magick, the occult, other dimensions, and if the self exists at all, blinding the reader brilliantly with narrative tricks to make the first 3/4's of this story an almost absolute mind-fuck -and is it ever a fun read.
Getting lost in the world of "Providence" is aided by beautiful colouring, panel design, and unusual and unsettling angles as we go from the material world to the dream world, flying high up, being raped by man-bat type creatures, and back to the real world - throughout all the narrative's crazy departures and main events, the artwork remains magnificent.
Each issue ends with a handwritten summary of the preceding events, while also adding more to the backstories, themes, and most impressively, the slipping mind of our protagonist. These may seem superfluous but they are pivotal to understanding the world Moore has created.
"Providence Act 2," like the first collection, is a dark, joyous journey into worlds that may have been covered before but never with this skill. When this book soars, it really takes off, but being the second part in a trilogy, the imagery here isn't as constantly alluring as part one, yet it's always engaging.
One request, though, maybe part 3 could include all the individual covers for each issue and store them in the back of the book?
June 23, 2017
Whoa. I'm so enjoying this. (Even though, typically for Alan Moore, it's teeming with images again that are very hard to bear. At least they make sense in the context of the concept of this series.) Now I can't wait to see what happens when "the herald" meets "the messiah" at the end of his journey.
I'm also under the impression that the title can be read in two ways: the obvious one, Providence being the birthplace and home of HPL and somehow central to much of his fiction and literary career - and a more metaphorical one, with the protagonist, our "black messenger", seeing and experiencing much of HPL's fiction, allegedly before it is ever written down by HPL (presumably with the names of people and places slightly changed). I don't know how it is going to take place, but my guess is that the book project will never be written by Black. Instead, one way or another, the notes and ideas will be passed on to HPL (which may imply that the commonplace book will somehow end up to be / become his own).
I'm also under the impression that the title can be read in two ways: the obvious one, Providence being the birthplace and home of HPL and somehow central to much of his fiction and literary career - and a more metaphorical one, with the protagonist, our "black messenger", seeing and experiencing much of HPL's fiction, allegedly before it is ever written down by HPL (presumably with the names of people and places slightly changed). I don't know how it is going to take place, but my guess is that the book project will never be written by Black. Instead, one way or another, the notes and ideas will be passed on to HPL (which may imply that the commonplace book will somehow end up to be / become his own).
November 27, 2017
After a very slow start in Act 1, the weirdness starts to ratchet up here, and that is immensely pleasing. However, the punishing slog of reading through the wholly-unnecessary diary entries remains, and I'm knocking off a star for a gratuitous rape scene that contributed nothing whatsoever to the plot (and almost blew a hole in the fabric of same), in addition to reeking of homophobia.
December 23, 2017
This series is definitely a slow burner but I’m really intrigued. Also hi HP Lovecraft cameo.
August 30, 2021
TW: przemoc seksualna.
"Sny w domu wiedźmy" i "Kolor z przestworzy", moje dwa ulubione teksty HPLa. Miodzio.
"Sny w domu wiedźmy" i "Kolor z przestworzy", moje dwa ulubione teksty HPLa. Miodzio.
April 21, 2020
Pues nada, que sigue siendo una maravilla.
August 24, 2021
how much denser can this get? 6 full pages of footnotes per chapter in addition to ≈ 12 pages of ‘handwritten’ diary in this ugly ass font that is hard to read, MY GOD. 😵💫
October 12, 2017
Pretty much Act 2 of the same deeply disappointing story found in act 1.
Once more we get a variety of Lovecraftian walk-ins. In fact, they've grown more numerous, with major references including: #5 (The Colour Out of Space, Dreams in the Witch-House), #6 (The Thing on the Doorstep, references to The Shadow Out of Time), #7 (Pickman's Model), and #8 (The Silver Key, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath). There's a certain joy to seeing Moore draw the connections between these stories, and in the first couple of issues, when Black is at Miskatonic, it looks for a moment like a coherent setting is being created ... but that rapidly passes.
Instead we continue with our road trip through Lovecraft's America, and it continues to be episodic, without meaningful deconstruction or meaningful commentary. Black does get a little more involved in the weird happenings in this volume, and that makes things a little more interesting ... but there's still ultimately no there there.
There also continue to be the horrible textual infodumps at the end of each issue, but I've long ago stopped reading them, so they're just a waste of space at this point.
(With all that said there's some interesting bits in this volume that remind us of Moore's greatness, like timey-wimeyness in issue #6 and dream-dreamyness in issue #8, but it's not enough to carry the dull story.)
Once more we get a variety of Lovecraftian walk-ins. In fact, they've grown more numerous, with major references including: #5 (The Colour Out of Space, Dreams in the Witch-House), #6 (The Thing on the Doorstep, references to The Shadow Out of Time), #7 (Pickman's Model), and #8 (The Silver Key, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath). There's a certain joy to seeing Moore draw the connections between these stories, and in the first couple of issues, when Black is at Miskatonic, it looks for a moment like a coherent setting is being created ... but that rapidly passes.
Instead we continue with our road trip through Lovecraft's America, and it continues to be episodic, without meaningful deconstruction or meaningful commentary. Black does get a little more involved in the weird happenings in this volume, and that makes things a little more interesting ... but there's still ultimately no there there.
There also continue to be the horrible textual infodumps at the end of each issue, but I've long ago stopped reading them, so they're just a waste of space at this point.
(With all that said there's some interesting bits in this volume that remind us of Moore's greatness, like timey-wimeyness in issue #6 and dream-dreamyness in issue #8, but it's not enough to carry the dull story.)
October 1, 2017
Some of Moore's recent Lovecraftian stuff has been really creepy and unsettling (Neonomicon and The Courtyard), but Providence just hasn't filled the bill. Other than making constant allusions to Lovecraft's work (here, we have Ronald Pitman, standing in for "Pickman" and Randall Carver taking the place of Lovecraft's Randall "Carter") and the occasional creepy moment, this comic is kind of dull, to say the least. And at least half of it is script, written in a fairly hard to read cursive that goes on and on. I'm sure I'm missing out on at least half the experience when I skip over these sections, but I'm not going to risk a headache trying to parse out the handwriting. The first act of Providence was pretty good, but this second volume is falling into a bit of a rut. I'll read the 3rd act, hoping for more, but have to say I'm a bit disappointed in this right now.
December 31, 2016
En realidad es un tomo que aúna cuatro entregas de la cinco a la ocho de un total de doce. Las ultimas cuatro no están disponibles en español todavía (y creo que falta la doce por publicar).
Continúa la revisión de los mundos de HP Lovecraft. Para ser un cómic creo que abusa de la narración de los pensamientos del protagonista a través de su diario y peca de falta de acción en la parte dibujada.
Continúa la revisión de los mundos de HP Lovecraft. Para ser un cómic creo que abusa de la narración de los pensamientos del protagonista a través de su diario y peca de falta de acción en la parte dibujada.
January 17, 2021
our hero has unpleasant Dreams In The Witch House, no doubt influenced by the radioactive Colour Out Of Space next door and only encouraged by a sweet young miss who may be some terrible sort of Thing On The Doorstep. fortunately, the sexy Herbert West: Re-Animator shall provide succor, and so shall the notable artist Pickman and his mouth-breathing Model.
full review of the series here.
full review of the series here.
June 5, 2021
Re-read, 06/2021: Moore’s use of Lovecraft’s work to build a universe (which also includes Lovecraft himself) remains astoundingly good the second time around.
The way in which Moore weaves the vast tableau of Lovecraft’s fictional world into the story he is telling is extremely well done, putting a new spin on a much-used universe. I can’t wait to see how this all wraps up.
The way in which Moore weaves the vast tableau of Lovecraft’s fictional world into the story he is telling is extremely well done, putting a new spin on a much-used universe. I can’t wait to see how this all wraps up.
June 26, 2017
I maybe loved this second volume even more than the first one, which I adored. After fun times wandering around endless basements and creepy farms, our clueless would-be novelist follows the information to Manchester, home of the college, meteorite site, and where The Wisdom of The Stars book is kept. One week becomes three or less as time and dreaming lose all meaning.
He also tracks down the photographer and has another underground experience, which was surprisingly hilarious for how truly scary it was (and the photo at the end of that section was amazing). The photographer leads to another author that has more leads for him--such as HP Lovecraft himself. Now, onto Providence! It's going to be really hard to wait until next volume comes out.
Also, the descriptive blurb for this on Goodreads is almost totally wrong:
"Robert Black came looking for a story but what he found is a world of misery and woe. He's becoming a broken man, only beginning to accept the horrors of the Lovecraftian world are real and hiding in plain sight."
Very little of that applies to this book, except for like 2 pages--he disliked the first bed and breakfast (shudder), but his lodgings for the rest of the book are fancy hotel, various "friendly" hosts, elaborately beautiful libraries, etc.--not so much misery and woe. He encounters unexplained fathomless WEIRD, but not misery. He's definitely freaked the hell out after that one time with Elspeth and questions his sanity, but he's not broken. If anything, it's creepy how happy and upbeat he is (except for that one admission) and that he is finally over all the Lily stuff from the past. And I think he's still in total denial of all that's happening around him--he's seeing the big picture for the book, but missing most of the small stuff or discounting it as dreams or hallucinations or hypnotism.
He also tracks down the photographer and has another underground experience, which was surprisingly hilarious for how truly scary it was (and the photo at the end of that section was amazing). The photographer leads to another author that has more leads for him--such as HP Lovecraft himself. Now, onto Providence! It's going to be really hard to wait until next volume comes out.
Also, the descriptive blurb for this on Goodreads is almost totally wrong:
"Robert Black came looking for a story but what he found is a world of misery and woe. He's becoming a broken man, only beginning to accept the horrors of the Lovecraftian world are real and hiding in plain sight."
Very little of that applies to this book, except for like 2 pages--he disliked the first bed and breakfast (shudder), but his lodgings for the rest of the book are fancy hotel, various "friendly" hosts, elaborately beautiful libraries, etc.--not so much misery and woe. He encounters unexplained fathomless WEIRD, but not misery. He's definitely freaked the hell out after that one time with Elspeth and questions his sanity, but he's not broken. If anything, it's creepy how happy and upbeat he is (except for that one admission) and that he is finally over all the Lily stuff from the past. And I think he's still in total denial of all that's happening around him--he's seeing the big picture for the book, but missing most of the small stuff or discounting it as dreams or hallucinations or hypnotism.
August 5, 2023
(Zero spoiler review) 3.5/5
I mentioned ratcheting tension in my first review, and the hope that the uncomfortable sense of anxiety and the slowly lifting veil would continue into act two. I'm a little disappointed to say this hasn't exactly happened. It really feels like so much more wheel spinning going on in this one. The formula of 'find a new person, talk to them, uncover a little bit more' started to wear a little thin here. With Moore's occasional penchant for navel gazing dragging this one down slightly. There were some excellent moments sprinkled throughout that reengaged me. Reinvigorating my somewhat diminishing interest, but then it was more talking, and more talking, and more talking. And by the end of the issue, you don't feel a hell of a lot more apprised of anything then when you started. I get that is the point to some degree, and Moore's dialogue, although ponderous, is still executed far more commendably than most, but this really could have bene two issues, if I'm being honest. Even this finishes on a high, all this build up with little pay off certainly won't make me want to come back and re-read this. And I'm not even reading the journal entries which intersect each issue. I started out doing so, although upon realising they added little to the story itself, and really, REALLY messed with the pacing, I ditched them and stuck with the comic portion of the story. Maybe I'm missing something spectacular, but I don't think that I am. Re-read or not, I do hope this starts paying off pretty quickly. It would be such a shame if this peters out and ends in disappointment. 3.5/5
OmniBen.
I mentioned ratcheting tension in my first review, and the hope that the uncomfortable sense of anxiety and the slowly lifting veil would continue into act two. I'm a little disappointed to say this hasn't exactly happened. It really feels like so much more wheel spinning going on in this one. The formula of 'find a new person, talk to them, uncover a little bit more' started to wear a little thin here. With Moore's occasional penchant for navel gazing dragging this one down slightly. There were some excellent moments sprinkled throughout that reengaged me. Reinvigorating my somewhat diminishing interest, but then it was more talking, and more talking, and more talking. And by the end of the issue, you don't feel a hell of a lot more apprised of anything then when you started. I get that is the point to some degree, and Moore's dialogue, although ponderous, is still executed far more commendably than most, but this really could have bene two issues, if I'm being honest. Even this finishes on a high, all this build up with little pay off certainly won't make me want to come back and re-read this. And I'm not even reading the journal entries which intersect each issue. I started out doing so, although upon realising they added little to the story itself, and really, REALLY messed with the pacing, I ditched them and stuck with the comic portion of the story. Maybe I'm missing something spectacular, but I don't think that I am. Re-read or not, I do hope this starts paying off pretty quickly. It would be such a shame if this peters out and ends in disappointment. 3.5/5
OmniBen.
July 31, 2020
Ciąg dalszy przygód Alana Moore z mitami. Wszystkie moje nadzieje po pierwszej części legły w gruzach. Początkowo nieśpieszna fabuła poprzedniej książki sugerułowała powolne narastanie atmosfery. Niestety nic z tych rzeczy. Podobnie jak wcześniej komiks sklada sie ze scenek gdy protagonista odwiedza kolejne postacie z opowiadań Lovecrafta (z lekko zmienionymi imionami np. Zamiast Herbert West jest Hector North) i sobie urząda z nimi sielankowa pogawędkę która NIC NIE WNOSI. Na dodatek (początkowo uznałem to za fajny zabieg) wszystko to co sie dzieje jest powtórzone w dzienniku pisanym przez głównego bohatera który jest załączony w postaci 10 stronnicowej prozy. Czytamy de facto dwa razy to samo. Finalnie składa się to na to ze komiks jest ZAJEBISCIE nudny. Autor nie wnosi od siebie NIC do mitów. Plansze są źle skonstruowane. Czasem tak chaotycznie że niewiadomo o co chodzi. Kilka razy musiałem się cofnąć o kilka stron bo jakiś irytujący szczegół mi umknął. Główny bohater początkowo nijaki teraz wydaje się super wkurzającym półgłowkiem. Ciężko mi tutaj doszukać się pozytywów. Zazwyczaj komiksy traktuje jako jednorazowe posiedzenie i przeczytanie, tutaj ciągnę się od wczoraj co jakiś czas trawiąc kilka stron. Najbardziej przerażające w tej historii jest to że czeka mnie jeszcze jeden zeszyt aby to zakończyć. Możliwe że Moore sie zreflektuje i jakoś epicko zakończy ta powieść, choć wątpię.
NIE POLECAM NAWET FANOM LOVECRAFTA
NIE POLECAM NAWET FANOM LOVECRAFTA
September 20, 2018
Yikers. People *really* like this series. And, I mean, it is cool. All that exploration into Lovecraft and his brand of horror and the reality of it.
But it's also a fucking slog. Like straight up, these comics are hard to get through. I think my biggest pet peeve are the pages and pages and pages of exposition, written as diary entries, that are in nearly illegible script. But more than that, they literally just repeat what just happened in the comic section. Almost like you're watching a movie and reading a book at the same time.
It's weird.
The content is weird too, as I'd expect it to be because it's Lovecraft. But it's just weird. And while part of me understands what Moore is trying to do, it doesn't make it less weird.
Maybe fascinating is a better word for it.
I dunno.
But it's also a fucking slog. Like straight up, these comics are hard to get through. I think my biggest pet peeve are the pages and pages and pages of exposition, written as diary entries, that are in nearly illegible script. But more than that, they literally just repeat what just happened in the comic section. Almost like you're watching a movie and reading a book at the same time.
It's weird.
The content is weird too, as I'd expect it to be because it's Lovecraft. But it's just weird. And while part of me understands what Moore is trying to do, it doesn't make it less weird.
Maybe fascinating is a better word for it.
I dunno.
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