"PREY" - the most secret Lovecraftian comic ever
We have learned to depend on Google and content on the web, to answer our every question, but what happens when there is no answer there??
Well, that makes me think that I own a really rare comic! If there is no analysis of every panel, no biography of its writer/artist, not even a mention of it on the web, maybe that means that my comic does not really exist, and it is just a figment of my imagination? NO! I hold it right here in my hands, and have read it through and through several times, its corrupted story and pictures etched on my mind, infesting it. Here is a photo, proof of its existence:
It contains an adaptation of "Wentworth's Day" a story by Lovecraft & Derleth, in which a lonely traveller gets lost in the rural area near Dunwich, and seeks refuge in an old cottage. The over-aged hermit who lives there seems weird and detached, his cabin is full of curios and occult items. Later that night the traveler, intrigued by the mystical essence of the cabin, decides to look around, or better, to stick his nose where he should not.
He discovers a book, "The Seventh Book of Moses," and the graphic novel changes art style, showing the psychedelic surrealistic illustrations of a deranged mind, things that should never be seen by humans or be shown to them. I will not spoil anything more about the contents, it is a unique comic and maybe I will share more in future posts.
There is no mention of writer(s?) or artist(s?), only the publisher: "FantaCo Publishing" an obscure company, specializing in horror b&w comics. But on its wikipedia page's list of publications, there is no mention of PREY!!
I have found just one entry here, but there is absolutely no further information about the comic, except its title and cover.
I'll just leave the back cover here, to give you an idea of the full-page art inside the graphic novel, but still there is nothing to prepare you for the mind-shattering illustrations in there...
Your photo is way better than the scan they are using on ComicsPriceGuide.com, where it is listed as a one-shot from 1993
On MyComicShop.com Fantaco only has four things listed, for some reason they do not list "Prey" but they do have a different book called "Prey For Us Sinners"
https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?pl=Fantaco%20Enterprises
ComicBookDB.com has a lot more issues from the publisher, but still no Prey
http://www.comicbookdb.com/publisher.php?ID=3231
However from their list, you an at least find other books around that 1993 time frame and pick up those books too if they might be similar nightmarish comics.
What an awesome random get.
Thank you for you comment, you cite some great resources. It is so weird to be unable to find any info about this book, not even its writer & artist! In some illustrations there is a "St Denis" signature, with dates from 1989-1991 but could not trace it to a specific artist.
Outside the world of the Marvel and DCs, plus to a lesser extent Dark Horse, Image, etc. Indie stuff pre-90s can sometimes be hard to find good info on. Then you get the older Whitman Gold Key stuff all over the place, Disney stuff, some Archie and Harvey and other cartoon books went by uncredited. Kids or even adults didn't care who did the stuff, and I'm sure the companies back then didn't want to lose their talent so why advertise their names. I feel Image Comics was a big part of helping changing the game in that regards.
Just out of curiosity, would you be able to take a picture of some art that has the artists signature showing (St Denis?), and also any insides of the book that include the small print/copyright stuff.
I just did a search by ISBN, which was the obvious thing to do all along, and the result cites HP Lovecraft as the author (!). But in the links provided, there are some credits, citing Thomas Skulas (the head of Fantaco), Oliver Morissette & Jim St. Dennis.
I'll post some pics tomorrow, to get good photos in sunlight. Thanks for your concern.
I just posted some photos from inside the book, you can check it out here
So secrets actually still exists!
Seventh Day of Moses? Sounds like a clue to something, or even some grimoire. Nice find - I see it's around $10 on Amazon right now, would you recommend spending the money for it? Thanks again for the share
If the name seems like a clue to something, wait until you see what's inside... I'll post as soon as I can take some good photos. And yes, I definitely recommend this book, I have dozens of graphic novels, but this is something unique, both in publication style and content. And for just $10, DO IT NOW! :)
Awesome, I'll order it today - thanks for the feedback. I'll have to run some questions by you once I read it. thanks!
Here are some photos from the book: https://busy.org/@nyarlathotep/prey-the-most-secret-lovecraft-comic-part-ii-a-hidden-message
wow, thanks for those. They look sort of like a surrealist/dada type of images, with some hints of masonic angles. Crazy - I did order one off of Amazon too. I'll definitely get back to you with some thoughts -
Quick side question : what is that busy.org site? I haven't heard of that one before. thanks again!
busy.org is another site presenting the steem blockchain, similar to steemit.com. I find it more convenient than steemit.com and it also allows you to give a percentage of your vote each time, not the full 100% vote.
thanks, I'll check it out. There is so much going on with blockchain, it's hard to keep up with everything. thanks again
This sounds good. I'm gonna have to pick it up now. Thanks
I did a check to see if it has been put in a torrent - but no luck. Only saw 2 other series of Fantaco - but there are peeps trying to download, but no seeds...as usual nowadays
Told you, this is a book that may have never existed! Fantaco seems a bit niche publisher, no wonder there are no seeds for its books.
I'm trying to download Fantaco: Alien Encounters, from 1981
I may not get it, but sometimes good things happen
:)