Providence

Providence is the city where H.P. Lovecraft was born. Alan Moore once again examines the famous horror-story writer, after his acclaimed Neonomicon, in a book with a title that already points to the many aspects of the author’s life and not just his works. Moore takes us back to America as it was in the first half of the twentieth century. An America with ancient mysteries and secrets that give one the shivers. Providence brings to life some aspects that were never fully explained in the tales told by Lovecraft, who describes horrors that are always only hinted at, shrouded in a mist that leaves plenty of room for the imagination. Robert Black, the protagonist, sets off in search of a mysterious book, Sous le monde (inspired by The King in Yellow, by Chambers, which was also a source of inspiration for Lovecraft), embarking on what becomes a mystery tale full of literary references, and leading him to discover an underground society with a wealth of hidden mysteries. A dreamlike, liminal journey, in which reality merges into dreams and hallucinations. Jacen Burrows’s stunning plates alternate with “appendices” from the pages of Black’s diary, which put the spotlight on aspects that have remained in the shadows in the stories and that help give greater weight to its narrative structure. Providence vol.1 Alan Moore – Jacen Burrows Panini comics, 2019