Alan Moore's The Courtyard
Encyclopedia
Alan Moore's The Courtyard is a 2-issue comic book
mini-series
adaptation of a 1994 prose story written by Alan Moore
, published in 2003 by Avatar Press
. It was adapted for comics by Antony Johnston
, with artwork by Jacen Burrows
, and Alan Moore as "consulting editor".
(Creation Books
, 1995, ISBN 1-871592-32-1).
The comic book adaptation was planned to appear in Alan Moore's Yuggoth Cultures and Other Growths
, but it was published as a limited series
by Avatar
in January and February 2003.
's Cthulhu Mythos
. The plot centres on an FBI agent who specialises in "anomaly theory," being assigned to investigate three seemingly unrelated murder cases in Red Hook
. When the investigation leads to a night club, and onto the apparent use of a drug
named Aklo
, the agent soon finds things are not at all as they seem.
in 2003, a second version (the Companion) was released in 2004, which contained annotations by Lovecraft scholar N. G. Christakos and reprinted Moore's original short story. A limited edition hardcover set of the two volumes was also released in 2004. In 2009 a full color version was released.
and the Cthulhu Mythos
including:
, the final issue of which was released by Avatar on March 23, 2011.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
mini-series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
adaptation of a 1994 prose story written by Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
, published in 2003 by Avatar Press
Avatar Press
Avatar Press is an independent American publisher of comic books, founded in 1996 by William A. Christensen, and based in Rantoul, Illinois.Avatar initially published only mini-series; however, they have since begun to branch out...
. It was adapted for comics by Antony Johnston
Antony Johnston
Antony Johnston is an award-winning British writer. He is known for the post apocalyptic comic series Wasteland, his graphic novel adaptations of Anthony Horowitz' Alex Rider novels, and his work with Alan Moore.-Career:...
, with artwork by Jacen Burrows
Jacen Burrows
Jacen Burrows is a San Diego born American artist best known for his work on various comic books from Avatar Press.-Biography:He graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 1996 with a degree in Sequential Art...
, and Alan Moore as "consulting editor".
Publication history
The original 1994 prose story had first appeared in an anthology The Starry Wisdom: A Tribute to H. P. LovecraftH. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
(Creation Books
Creation Books
Creation Books is a British publishing house specializing in experimental literature, surrealism, erotic and decadent literature. Creation also publish non-fiction, with books on magic, subcultures, and taboo topics such as suicide and serial killers. They are best known for publishing a number of...
, 1995, ISBN 1-871592-32-1).
The comic book adaptation was planned to appear in Alan Moore's Yuggoth Cultures and Other Growths
Alan Moore's Yuggoth Cultures and Other Growths
Alan Moore's Yuggoth Cultures and Other Growths is a collection of some of Alan Moore's previously unpublished work, as well as adaptations of his performance work by Antony Johnston. It was released in three parts by Avatar Press.-Publication:...
, but it was published as a limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
by Avatar
Avatar Press
Avatar Press is an independent American publisher of comic books, founded in 1996 by William A. Christensen, and based in Rantoul, Illinois.Avatar initially published only mini-series; however, they have since begun to branch out...
in January and February 2003.
Plot summary
Originally it began as a short story by Moore, as part of H. P. LovecraftH. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
's Cthulhu Mythos
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
. The plot centres on an FBI agent who specialises in "anomaly theory," being assigned to investigate three seemingly unrelated murder cases in Red Hook
Red Hook, Brooklyn
Red Hook is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 6. It is also the location where the transatlantic liner, the , docks in New York City.- History :...
. When the investigation leads to a night club, and onto the apparent use of a drug
Psychoactive drug
A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, or psychotropic is a chemical substance that crosses the blood–brain barrier and acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it affects brain function, resulting in changes in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, and behavior...
named Aklo
Aklo
Aklo is a fictional language.-Overview:Aklo is a secret language, possibly an artificial cipher or one used by a non-human race, associated with the writing of forbidden texts and evil cultists....
, the agent soon finds things are not at all as they seem.
Collected editions
The series was collected in a trade paperbackTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
in 2003, a second version (the Companion) was released in 2004, which contained annotations by Lovecraft scholar N. G. Christakos and reprinted Moore's original short story. A limited edition hardcover set of the two volumes was also released in 2004. In 2009 a full color version was released.
- Alan Moore's The Courtyard (Avatar PressAvatar PressAvatar Press is an independent American publisher of comic books, founded in 1996 by William A. Christensen, and based in Rantoul, Illinois.Avatar initially published only mini-series; however, they have since begun to branch out...
, sofcover, 56 pages, 2004, ISBN 1-59291-015-7) - Alan Moore's The Courtyard Companion (Avatar Press, softcover, 72 pages, 2004, ISBN 1-59291-016-5)
- Alan Moore's The Courtyard Deluxe Hardcover Set (Avatar Press, hardcover, 128 pages, 2004, ISBN 1-59291-017-3)
- Alan Moore's The Courtyard (Color Edition) (Avatar Press, 56 pages, Mar 11 2009, ISBN 1-59291-060-2)
H. P. Lovecraft and Cthulhu Mythos connections
The tale is filled with references to the works of H. P. LovecraftH. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
and the Cthulhu Mythos
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
including:
- The setting is Red HookRed Hook, BrooklynRed Hook is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 6. It is also the location where the transatlantic liner, the , docks in New York City.- History :...
. This area is the scene (one of Lovecraft's few exclusively urban settings) for most of the action in "The Horror at Red HookThe Horror at Red Hook"The Horror at Red Hook" is a short story written by H. P. Lovecraft. Written on August 1–2, 1925, it was first published in the January 1927 issue of Weird Tales.-Inspiration:...
". The Club ZothiqueZothiqueZothique is an imagined future continent featured in a series of short stories by Clark Ashton Smith. Zothique is also the title of the cycle of tales which take place there. In terms of number and extent, the Zothique cycle is the largest collection of stories written by Smith...
, itself named for the creation of Lovecraft correspondent and original Cthulhu Mythos author Clark Ashton SmithClark Ashton SmithClark Ashton Smith was a self-educated American poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories. He achieved early local recognition, largely through the enthusiasm of George Sterling, for traditional verse in the vein of Swinburne...
, is in the same former church mentioned as a centre of cult activity in Lovecraft's story.
- Aklo is mentioned several times in Lovecraft's work (for example, "The Dunwich HorrorThe Dunwich Horror"The Dunwich Horror" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft. Written in 1928, it was first published in the April 1929 issue of Weird Tales . It takes place in Dunwich, a fictional town in Massachusetts...
") as a language, although it is actually a borrowing from the earlier works of Arthur MachenArthur MachenArthur Machen was a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. His novella The Great God Pan has garnered a reputation as a classic of horror...
.
- The bands that play at Club Zothique are the Yellow SignYellow SignThe Yellow Sign is a fictional symbol or glyph, first described in Robert Chambers' book of horror short stories The King in Yellow .-The King in Yellow:The King in Yellow never fully describes the shape and purpose of the Yellow Sign...
and the Ulthar Cats, fronted by the female singer Randolph Carter. Lovecraft wrote an early fairytale style story, "The Cats of UltharThe Cats of Ulthar"The Cats of Ulthar" is a short story written by American fantasy author H. P. Lovecraft in June 1920. In the tale, an unnamed narrator relates the story of how a law forbidding the killing of cats came to be in a town called Ulthar. As the narrative goes, the city is home to an old couple who...
," a place visited by his recurring self-projecting character Randolph CarterRandolph CarterRandolph Carter is a recurring protagonist in H. P. Lovecraft'sfiction and a thinly disguised alter ego of Lovecraft himself. The first tale in which Carter appears--"The Statement of Randolph Carter" --is based on one of Lovecraft's dreams....
. The Yellow SignYellow SignThe Yellow Sign is a fictional symbol or glyph, first described in Robert Chambers' book of horror short stories The King in Yellow .-The King in Yellow:The King in Yellow never fully describes the shape and purpose of the Yellow Sign...
was created by Robert W. ChambersRobert W. ChambersRobert William Chambers was an American artist and writer.-Biography:He was born in Brooklyn, New York, to William P. Chambers , a famous lawyer, and Caroline Chambers , a direct descendant of Roger Williams, the founder of Providence, Rhode Island...
. It was used once by Lovecraft in The Whisperer in DarknessThe Whisperer in Darkness"The Whisperer in Darkness" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft. Written February–September 1930, it was first published in Weird Tales, August 1931. Similar to "The Colour Out of Space" , it is a blend of horror and science fiction...
and more commonly by other members of the Cthulhu Mythos. In a Lovecraftian in-joke, the Ulthar Cats' support band The Yellow Sign are derided as "pussies" for not using Aklo.
- The Yellow Sign's encore song is called "LengLengLeng is a fictional cold arid plateau in the Cthulhu Mythos, whose location seems to vary entirely from story to story. The Plateau of Tsang, referenced by H. P...
", a place frequently referenced by Lovecraft, most notably in The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath and At the Mountains of MadnessAt the Mountains of MadnessAt the Mountains of Madness is a novella by horror writer H. P. Lovecraft, written in February/March 1931 and rejected that year by Weird Tales editor Farnsworth Wright on the grounds of its length. It was originally serialized in the February, March and April 1936 issues of Astounding Stories...
.
- One of the Ulthar Cats' songs is "Zann's Variations", a reference to "The Music of Erich ZannThe Music of Erich Zann"The Music of Erich Zann" is a short story by American author H. P. Lovecraft. Written in December 1921, it was first published in National Amateur, March 1922.-Synopsis:...
," and the lyrics specifically mention his address, the Rue d’Auseil.
- The Aklo dealer offers to sell the protagonist a cock ring from InnsmouthInnsmouthInnsmouth is a fictional town in the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, part of the Lovecraft Country setting of the Cthulhu Mythos.Lovecraft first used the name "Innsmouth" in his 1920 short story "Celephaïs" , where it refers to a fictional town in New England...
and some of Pickman's Necroticia. The seaport of Innsmouth recurs frequently in Lovecraft's work and the artist Pickman appears in both "Pickman's ModelPickman's Model"Pickman's Model" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft, written in September 1926 and first published in the October 1927 issue of Weird Tales...
" and "The Dream-Quest of Unknown KadathThe Dream-Quest of Unknown KadathThe Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is a novella by H. P. Lovecraft. It was completed in 1927 and was unpublished in his lifetime. It is both the longest of the stories that comprise his Dream Cycle and the longest to feature protagonist Randolph Carter, and can thus be considered a culminating...
."
- The blacked-out information faxed to the protagonist from the FBI corresponds to the events of "The Shadow Over InnsmouthThe Shadow Over InnsmouthThe Shadow Over Innsmouth is a novella by H. P. Lovecraft. Written in November-December 1931, the story was first published in April 1936; this was the only fiction of Lovecraft's published during his lifetime that did not appear in a periodical....
."
- The blatant racism of the protagonist mimics the inherent racism of Lovecraft's original "Red Hook" tale.
Sequel
Alan Moore has written a 4-part sequel to The Courtyard called NeonomiconNeonomicon
Neonomicon is a four-issue comic book limited series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Jacen Burrows, published by Avatar Press in 2010...
, the final issue of which was released by Avatar on March 23, 2011.
External links
- The Courtyard page at Avatar PressAvatar PressAvatar Press is an independent American publisher of comic books, founded in 1996 by William A. Christensen, and based in Rantoul, Illinois.Avatar initially published only mini-series; however, they have since begun to branch out...