Providence (Avatar Press)
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''Providence'' is a twelve-issue
comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
limited series In the field of comic books, and particularly in the United States, a limited series is a comics series with a predetermined number of issues. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is finite and determined ...
written by
Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
and illustrated by
Jacen Burrows Jacen Burrows (born September 11, 1972) is an American comic book artist best known for his work on various books from Avatar Press and Marvel Comics. Career Burrows graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design in 1996 with a degree in Seque ...
, published by American company
Avatar Press Avatar Press is an independent American comic book publisher founded in 1996 by William A. Christensen, and based in Rantoul, Illinois. It was originally known for publishing bad girl comics, such as ''Pandora'', ''Hellina'', ''Lookers'', ''The ...
from 2015 to 2017. The story is both a prequel and sequel to Moore's previous stories '' Neonomicon'' and ''
The Courtyard ''The Courtyard'' is a 1995 made-for-television thriller film that premiered on the Showtime network. Directed by Fred Walton, the movies uses a screenplay by Wendy Biller and Christopher Hawthorne. The work centers around a yuppie architect wh ...
'', and continues exploring
H. P. Lovecraft Howard Phillips Lovecraft (, ; August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American writer of Weird fiction, weird, Science fiction, science, fantasy, and horror fiction. He is best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos. Born in Provi ...
's
Cthulhu Mythos The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American Horror fiction, horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent and protégé of Lovecraft, t ...
.


Synopsis

The series is set in 1919 and centres on Robert Black, a homosexual
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
writer, initially working in New York as a reporter for the ''New York Herald''. Black takes a leave of absence from his journalism career, with the intention of writing a
Great American Novel The "Great American Novel" (sometimes abbreviated as GAN) is the term for a Western Canon, canonical novel that generally embodies and examines the essence and Culture of the United States, character of the United States. The term was coined b ...
using "the “Outsiders”, perhaps “occult Outsiders”—whom he is on the trail of across New England—as a metaphor for social outsiders".


Plot


I: The Yellow Sign

Robert Black, a reporter for the
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
''Herald'' and aspiring novelist, is sent by his editor, Mr. Posey, to " scare up" a story about an infamous book called ''Sous Le Monde'', which is rumoured to drive its readers insane. Robert visits one Doctor Alvarez, who once wrote an essay on the subject. Arriving at Alvarez's
tenement A tenement is a type of building shared by multiple dwellings, typically with flats or apartments on each floor and with shared entrance stairway access. They are common on the British Isles, particularly in Scotland. In the medieval Old Town, E ...
, the door is answered by his landlady and lover, Mrs. Ortega, who shows him upstairs. In Alvarez's heavily air-conditioned apartment, Robert learns that the book mentions "an early Arab alchemical text" known as ''Kitab Al-Hikmah Al-Najmiyya'' ("The Book of Starry Wisdom"), which describes methods of prolonging life. He also learns that Alvarez was provided with a transcript by a man called Suydam. Feeling inspired and intrigued by this story, Robert returns to his office, where he learns that his jilted gay lover, Jonathan, has committed suicide in one of New York's Lethal Chambers.


II: The Hook

Inspired to write his novel, Robert goes on sabbatical from the ''Herald'' and heads to
Flatbush Flatbush is a neighborhood in the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood consists of several subsections in central Brooklyn and is generally bounded by Prospect Park (Brooklyn), Prospect Park to the nort ...
in search of Suydam. Mr. Posey puts him in touch with Detective Tom Malone, who shows him the church where Suydam lectures on occult philosophy. As they stake out the churchyard where Suydam often walks, Malone makes it clear that he's attracted to Robert. Suydam appears, cutting their conversation short, and Robert introduces himself as an occult scholar. Suydam invites Robert to his home to sell him some of his
pamphlet A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a Hardcover, hard cover or Bookbinding, binding). Pamphlets may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, called a ''leaflet'' ...
s and tells him more about the ''Kitab'', a copy of which is held by his suppliers in
Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada * Salem, Ontario, various places Germany * Salem, Baden-Württemberg, a municipality in the Bodensee district ** Salem Abbey (Reichskloster Salem), a monastery * Salem, Schleswig-Holstein Israel * Salem (B ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
. When Suydam is called away, Robert sneaks into his basement and finds a vast
sea cave A sea cave, is also known as a littoral cave, a type of cave formed primarily by the wave action of the sea. The primary process involved is erosion. Sea caves are found throughout the world, actively forming along present coastlines and as re ...
containing a golden
totem A totem (from or ''doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage (anthropology), lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system. While the word ...
and human remains. He is attacked by a glowing female monster and flees, only to lose consciousness. Robert wakes up to find Suydam standing over him. He goes on his way, determined to investigate further.


III: A Lurking Fear

Upon arriving in Salem, Robert checks in at the Hillman Hotel to locate Tobit Boggs, the man mentioned by Suydam. He walks to the Boggs Refinery and meets Boggs, who tells him about the occult group '' Stella Sapiente'' and that he obtained his transcript of the ''Kitab'' from one Garland Wheatley. He shows him a "rum run" tunnel leading to a chamber connected to the sea where Boggs' grandfather brought in fish people to Salem. That night at his hotel, Robert has a terrible nightmare involving his dead lover Jonathan, Tom Malone,
swastikas The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...
,
gas chamber A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. Poisonous agents used include hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide. History Donatie ...
s and fish people. He checks out the next day and leaves town by bus, noting that the other passengers all look like fish-human hybrids.


IV: White Apes

Robert gets his hair cut in Athol, and learns from his barber about Garland Wheatley, a local "
medicine man A medicine man (from Ojibwe ''mashkikiiwinini'') or medicine woman (from Ojibwe ''mashkikiiwininiikwe'') is a traditional healer and spiritual leader who serves a community of Indigenous people of the Americas. Each culture has its own name i ...
". He walks to the Wheatleys' farm and meets Wheatley himself, who informs him that he parted ways with the ''Stella Sapiente'' sect, but that there is a copy of the ''Kitab'' in the library at
Saint Anselm College Saint Anselm College is a private Benedictine liberal arts college in Goffstown, New Hampshire, United States. Founded in 1889, it is named after Saint Anselm of Canterbury. As of 2024, the college's enrollment was 2,094 students. History ...
. He introduces Robert to his
albino Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and reddish pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albinos. Varied use and interpretation of ...
daughter, Leticia, and semi-human grandson, Willard. Willard takes an instant dislike to Robert, having perceived that Robert is " aht uv a diff'run' story awlduhgethuh". He leaves Robert in his shed and, unbeknownst to Robert, intends to feed him to his invisible monster brother. Aware of Robert's danger, Wheatley sees him off the property and warns him not to cut across the fields on his way back to town.


V: In The Walls

Robert gets a ride with a Mr. Jenkins to
Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is the List of municipalities in New Hampshire, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Located on the banks of the Merrimack River, it had a population of 115,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Manches ...
, where he intends to visit Saint Anselm College to read its copy of the ''Kitab''. He's shown around the college by Father Walter Race, who tells him there are government agents in the area investigating a fallen meteorite. He also meets an assistant from the medical department, Hector North, who invites him to stay with him and his 'friend', James Montague, if he fails to find lodgings in Goffs Falls. On the way to find lodgings, Robert meets a precociously intelligent 13-year-old named Elspeth, who suggests he try Mrs. Macey's boarding house. Robert rents a room there, then visits Agent Frank Stubbs and his men, who are investigating where the meteorite came down. Going to bed that night, Robert experiences terrifying nightmares involving Mrs. Macey and a rat-like version of Mr. Jenkins. He packs his bags and goes to Hector North's house, unaware of his new danger.


VI: Out Of Time

Robert wakes from bad dreams, and James cooks breakfast for him and Hector. James and Hector argue over Hector's desire to kill Robert and reanimate him, but Robert mistakes their bickering for James being sexually jealous. Elspeth delivers a message from the college to their front door, which alarms James and Hector enough that they pack and leave town immediately. Elspeth walks Robert back to the college and suggests they meet again later. Father Race takes Robert to meet Dr. Henry Wantage, who guides him to the library and shows him a photograph of the members of ''Stella Sapiente'', which includes the late Edgar Wade, Elspeth's father. Robert reads the ''Kitab'', and his perception of time becomes distorted. He parts company with Wantage and finds Elspeth waiting for him. She takes him back to her lodgings, where the Being that possesses Elspeth swaps bodies with Robert and
rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...
s him in Elspeth's body. Afterward, the Being swaps bodies back again and "Elspeth" sends a traumatized Robert on his way. Running through the rain, a car passes Robert in which he can see Mr. Jenkins driving him into Manchester for the first time.


VII: The Picture

Robert finds himself in the middle of a riot during the Boston Police Strike. An off-duty policeman, Eamon O'Brien, shows him to the home of artist and photographer, Ronald Underwood Pitman, who took the photograph of the members of ''Stella Sapiente'' at Saint Anselm College. O'Brien stays for a drink and Pitman puts up Robert for the night. The next day, Pitman reveals some of the identities of the people in the photograph to Robert. Robert catches a glimpse of one of Pitman's horrific paintings of
ghoul In folklore, a ghoul (from , ') is a demon-like being or monstrous humanoid, often associated with graveyards and the consumption of human flesh. In the legends or tales in which they appear, a ghoul is far more ill-mannered and foul than go ...
s attacking commuters on a subway, and Pitman offers to show him his "technique" in the hope it will make Robert better understand his perilous situation. He takes him down to his basement and introduces him to a ghoul called King George. Afterward, Robert convinces himself that Pitman has merely demonstrated the same form of
hypnotic suggestion Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychological ...
which he believes Elspeth must have used on him. Pitman realizes he's failed to make Robert understand the truth and suggests he visit local author Randall Carver, whom he hopes might do a better job. Robert bids him farewell and heads on his way. Pitman goes into his
dark room A darkroom is used to process photographic film, make prints and carry out other associated tasks. It is a room that can be made completely dark to allow the processing of light-sensitive photographic materials, including film and photographic ...
and develops a photograph of three ghouls posing with the dead body of O'Brien.


VIII: The Key

Robert has spent several weeks staying with Randall Carver discussing the relationship between
dreams A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5–20 minutes, althou ...
and
art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...
. He has also discovered, in an amateur publication called ''Pine Cones'', a writer of
weird fiction Weird fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction originating in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Weird fiction either eschews or radically reinterprets traditional antagonists of supernatural horror fiction, such as ghosts, vampires, ...
he particularly admires named
H. P. Lovecraft Howard Phillips Lovecraft (, ; August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American writer of Weird fiction, weird, Science fiction, science, fantasy, and horror fiction. He is best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos. Born in Provi ...
. Carver demonstrates to Robert the power of dreams by taking him into the Dreamlands, where they meet a group of cats who carry them up towards the Moon before they are snatched and dropped by a flock of
Nightgaunt ''The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath'' is a horror novella by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Begun probably in the autumn of 1926, the draft was completed on January 22, 1927, and it remained unrevised and unpublished in his lifetime. It is b ...
s. On waking, Carver takes Robert to attend a literary event with
Lord Dunsany Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany (; 24 July 1878 – 25 October 1957), commonly known as Lord Dunsany, was an Anglo-Irish writer and dramatist. He published more than 90 books during his lifetime, and his output consist ...
as its guest speaker. To Robert's delight, one of the other attendees is none other than Lovecraft himself. The unwitting Robert introduces himself to Lovecraft, and it becomes ominously apparent that their meeting has been pre-ordained by dark forces.


IX: Outsiders

Robert arrives in
Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
to meet Henry Annesley, a scientist who has developed a pair of spectacles through which he can see extra-dimensional organisms which overlap our plane of reality. Annesley, a member of ''Stella Sapiente'', tells Robert some of the group's history, and introduces him to Howard Charles, a young genealogist. Annesley observes that Robert and Howard Charles are attracted to each other, and suggests Howard show Robert some of the local landmarks associated with the "Stell Saps". Howard takes Robert to St. John's Church, where occult meetings were once held in the steeple. They go inside and discover a shining trapezohedron in a box, in fact the very same meteorite that fell to Earth in Manchester. Howard seduces Robert, and they have sex while looking into the alien stone. Afterwards, Robert calls on Lovecraft at his home. Lovecraft helps Robert find lodgings, and then Robert accompanies him to visit his mother in the mental hospital. Robert waits while Lovecraft sees his mother and pretends not to overhear their exchange. Lovecraft rejoins him and they depart. Lovecraft's mother looks on after them and sees the same weird creatures in the air that Annesley does through his spectacles.


X: The Haunted Palace

Robert and Lovecraft discuss how Lord Dunsany and
Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...
influenced Lovecraft's early work, and Lovecraft admits that reading about Robert's strange experiences in his
commonplace book Commonplace books (or commonplaces) are a way to compile knowledge, usually by writing information into blank books. They have been kept from antiquity, and were kept particularly during the Renaissance and in the nineteenth century. Such book ...
has inspired him further. Robert's liking for Lovecraft evaporates when he expresses both his
homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...
and
antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
, and soon realizes that the unwitting Lovecraft's father, Winfield Scott Lovecraft, and maternal grandfather, Whipple Van Buren Phillips, were both members of ''Stella Sapiente''. Believing that Lovecraft has been ordained by the occult group to be their 'Redeemer', Robert panics and returns to his lodgings. He writes a letter to Tom Malone, in which he warns him about everything he has discovered on his travels, unaware that the steeple window of St. John's Church appears to be getting nearer and nearer his own. Suddenly, Johnny Carcosa (an
avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...
of
Nyarlathotep Nyarlathotep is a fictional character created by H. P. Lovecraft. The character is a malign deity in the Cthulhu Mythos, a shared universe. First appearing in Lovecraft's 1920 prose poem " Nyarlathotep", he was later mentioned in other works by L ...
) appears in the room and confirms that Robert has helped to fulfill a
prophecy In religion, mythology, and fiction, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain di ...
in which Lovecraft's stories will bring about the
apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre originating in Judaism in the centuries following the Babylonian exile (597–587 BCE) but persisting in Christianity and Islam. In apocalypse, a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a ...
. In gratitude, Carcosa kneels before Robert and fellates him.


XI: The Unnameable

Robert takes the train back to New York and mails the letter to Malone before going to commit suicide in the same Lethal Chamber as his former lover, Jonathan. Lovecraft's career gains momentum and all his stories merge with reality: Malone goes mad after the events of ''
The Horror at Red Hook "The Horror at Red Hook" is a short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft, written on August 1–2, 1925. "Red Hook" is a transitional tale, situated between the author's earlier work and the later Cthulhu Mythos. Although the story depicts a ...
''; Lovecraft marries; the events of ''
The Dunwich Horror "The Dunwich Horror" is a cosmic horror novella by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in 1928, it was first published in the April 1929 issue of ''Weird Tales'' (pp. 481–508). It takes place in Dunwich, a fictional town in Massa ...
'', ''
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward ''The Case of Charles Dexter Ward'' is a short horror novel (51,500 words) by American writer H. P. Lovecraft, written in early 1927, but not published during the author's lifetime. Set in Lovecraft's hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, Prov ...
'', ''
The Thing on the Doorstep "The Thing on the Doorstep" is a horror short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft, part of the Cthulhu Mythos universe. It was written in August 1933 and first published in the January 1937 issue of '' Weird Tales''. Inspiration The idea ...
'' and ''
The Shadow Over Innsmouth ''The Shadow over Innsmouth'' is a Horror fiction, horror novella by American author H. P. Lovecraft, written in November – December 1931 in literature, 1931. It forms part of the Cthulhu Mythos, using its motif of a malign undersea civilizatio ...
'' play out; Lovecraft makes the acquaintance of
August Derleth August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an American writer and anthologist. He was the first book publisher of the writings of H. P. Lovecraft. He made contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos and the Lovecraftian horror, cosmi ...
;
Robert E. Howard Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906 – June 11, 1936) was an American writer who wrote pulp magazine, pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He created the character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sor ...
shoots himself; Lovecraft dies and Derleth becomes his
executor An executor is someone who is responsible for executing, or following through on, an assigned task or duty. The feminine form, executrix, is sometimes used. Executor of will An executor is a legal term referring to a person named by the maker o ...
rather than Robert Barlow; in the 1970s,
hippies A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...
discover Lovecraft's work; the ''Kitab'' is marketed as the "real" ''Necronomicon''; belief in the
occult The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mysti ...
power of the ''Necronomicon'' spreads;
Cthulhu Cthulhu is a fictional cosmic entity created by writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was introduced in his short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published by the American pulp magazine ''Weird Tales'' in 1928. Considered a Great Old One within the pantheon ...
plushies A stuffed toy is a toy with an outer fabric sewn from a textile and stuffed with flexible material. They are known by many names, such as plush toys, plushies, lovies and stuffies; in Britain and Australia, they may also be called soft toys ...
go on sale. Then the events of ''
The Courtyard ''The Courtyard'' is a 1995 made-for-television thriller film that premiered on the Showtime network. Directed by Fred Walton, the movies uses a screenplay by Wendy Biller and Christopher Hawthorne. The work centers around a yuppie architect wh ...
'' and '' Neonomicon'' come to pass... and then the Cthulian apocalypse begins.


XII: The Book

At the
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
, Carl Perlman concludes that all Lovecraft's fiction, its
criticism Criticism is the construction of a judgement about the negative or positive qualities of someone or something. Criticism can range from impromptu comments to a written detailed response. , ''the act of giving your opinion or judgment about the ...
and Robert's testament have acted as the conduit through which an outside force has taken purchase on humanity's
collective unconscious In psychology, the collective unconsciousness () is a term coined by Carl Jung, which is the belief that the unconscious mind comprises the instincts of Jungian archetypes—innate symbols understood from birth in all humans. Jung considered th ...
to a point where it can change reality. Word has reached the FBI that a pregnant-looking Merril Brears has sprung Aldo Sax from his asylum, and Perlman wonders if they might find them at Saint Anselm College. He drives to Manchester but instead finds himself in '
Lovecraft Country Lovecraft Country is a term coined for the New England setting used by H. P. Lovecraft in many of his weird fiction stories, which combines real and fictitious locations. This setting has been elaborated on by other writers working in the Cthulh ...
'. At
Miskatonic University Arkham () is a fictional city situated in Massachusetts, United States. An integral part of the Lovecraft Country setting created by H. P. Lovecraft, Arkham is featured in many of his stories and those of other Cthulhu Mythos writers. Arkham ...
, he learns that Brears and Sax have been and gone, and taken the ''Kitab'' with them. Continuing on foot to
Arkham Arkham () is a fictional city situated in Massachusetts, United States. An integral part of the Lovecraft Country setting created by H. P. Lovecraft, Arkham is featured in many of his stories and those of other Cthulhu Mythos writers. Arkham ...
, he finds a delegation waiting which includes Brears, Sax, some
Mi-Go Mi-Go are a fictional race of extraterrestrials created by H. P. Lovecraft and used by others in the Cthulhu Mythos setting. The aliens are fungus-based lifeforms which are extremely varied due to their prodigious surgical, biological, chemical, ...
, a woman 'housing' a member of the
Great Race of Yith The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent and protégé of Lovecraft, to identify the ...
and Lovecraftian scholar
S. T. Joshi Sunand Tryambak Joshi (born June 22, 1958) is an American literary critic whose work has largely focused on weird and fantastic fiction, especially the life and work of H. P. Lovecraft and associated writers. Career His literary critic ...
. In the sky above them floats
Azathoth Azathoth is a deity in the Cthulhu Mythos and Dream Cycle stories of writer H. P. Lovecraft and other authors. He is the supreme deity of the Cthulhu Mythos and the ruler of the Cthulhu Mythos deities#Outer Gods, Outer Gods, and may also be see ...
. Carcosa appears, and Brears goes into labour, giving birth to the infant
Cthulhu Cthulhu is a fictional cosmic entity created by writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was introduced in his short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published by the American pulp magazine ''Weird Tales'' in 1928. Considered a Great Old One within the pantheon ...
. Carcosa sets the babe into the river as Brears, Perlman and Joshi look on from the bridge. Perlman wonders if there's anything in Robert's commonplace book that might help them reverse the situation, but Brears and Joshi are skeptical. As
Shub-Niggurath Shub-Niggurath is a deity created by H. P. Lovecraft. She is often associated with the phrase "The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young". The only other name by which Lovecraft referred to her was "Lord of the Wood" in his story ''The W ...
glides slowly towards the place where they're standing, Perlman rips the book in half and scatters its pages into the water.  


Production


Background

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
is widely regarded as the most influential writer in
American comics American comics may refer to: * History of American comics *American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form ori ...
from the 1980s to the 2000s, known for deconstructing established genres to present new perspectives. His disillusionment with major comic book publishers during the period led him to work for
Avatar Press Avatar Press is an independent American comic book publisher founded in 1996 by William A. Christensen, and based in Rantoul, Illinois. It was originally known for publishing bad girl comics, such as ''Pandora'', ''Hellina'', ''Lookers'', ''The ...
, a niche publisher specializing in bad girl and splatter horror comics, writing several series based on works of
H. P. Lovecraft Howard Phillips Lovecraft (, ; August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American writer of Weird fiction, weird, Science fiction, science, fantasy, and horror fiction. He is best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos. Born in Provi ...
. Moore has had an interest in Lovecraftian mythos since childhood, occasionally paying tribute in his works including ''
Swamp Thing Swamp Thing is a superhero and antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several different incarnations throughout his publication. The ch ...
'' (1985) and more recent ''
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Leagues (band), ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer ...
'' (1999-2019). In the 1990s, Moore conceived of '' Yuggoth Cultures'', a series of prose pieces based on Lovecraft's poem cycle, ''
Fungi from Yuggoth ''Fungi from Yuggoth'' is a sequence of 36 sonnets by cosmic horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. Most of the sonnets were written between 27 December 1929 – 4 January 1930; thereafter individual sonnets appeared in ''Weird Tales'' and other genre ...
''. The series was never completed due to accidental loss of the manuscript, but a remaining part was published as "
The Courtyard ''The Courtyard'' is a 1995 made-for-television thriller film that premiered on the Showtime network. Directed by Fred Walton, the movies uses a screenplay by Wendy Biller and Christopher Hawthorne. The work centers around a yuppie architect wh ...
" (1994). This short story featured a contemporary setting to avoid falling into a pseudo-classical imitation, and critically addressed the racism and misogyny of Lovecraft. Comfortable with this approach, Moore further explored these themes after ''The Courtyard'' was adapted as a comic by Avatar in 2003. Its sequel '' Neonomicon'' was published in 2010 as a four-issue miniseries, in which the cosmic entity
Cthulhu Cthulhu is a fictional cosmic entity created by writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was introduced in his short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published by the American pulp magazine ''Weird Tales'' in 1928. Considered a Great Old One within the pantheon ...
, prophesied by Lovecraft through his stories, would be born on modern-day Earth through the rape and pregnancy of the main female character. Moore later realized that the mystery of why Lovecraft, a materialist, had visions of a supernatural world remained unexplained. In ''Providence'', the final installment of Moore's Cthulhu cycle, he went back in time to explore Lovecraft's human nature and creative process.


Lovecraft Scholarship

Lovecraft has significantly impacted later generations as the founder of the "
Cthulhu Mythos The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American Horror fiction, horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent and protégé of Lovecraft, t ...
," despite initially being marginalized by mainstream literary circles. Over time, his work has been reevaluated, and by the 2000s, he became a popular subject of
cultural studies Cultural studies is an academic field that explores the dynamics of contemporary culture (including the politics of popular culture) and its social and historical foundations. Cultural studies researchers investigate how cultural practices rel ...
. Moore spent several years reading as many research books on Lovecraft as he could find before writing ''Providence''. For Moore, a self-taught high school dropout, this was his first experience recognizing the value of literary research. Notable sources of inspiration for him included Graham Harman's ''Weird Realism: Lovecraft and Philosophy'' (2012), which applies the philosophy of speculative realism to Lovecraft, and
S. T. Joshi Sunand Tryambak Joshi (born June 22, 1958) is an American literary critic whose work has largely focused on weird and fantastic fiction, especially the life and work of H. P. Lovecraft and associated writers. Career His literary critic ...
's critical biography ''Lovecraft and the Decline of the West'' (1990). Conversely,
Michel Houellebecq Michel Houellebecq (; born Michel Thomas on 26 February 1956) is a French author of novels, poems, and essays, as well as an occasional actor, filmmaker, and singer. His first book was a biographical essay on the horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. H ...
's biography '' H. P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life'' (1991) did not align with Moore's perspective. While Houellebecq emphasized Lovecraft's
misanthropy Misanthropy is the general hatred, dislike, or distrust of the human species, human behavior, or human nature. A misanthrope or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings. Misanthropy involves a negative evaluative attitude t ...
and
pessimism Pessimism is a mental attitude in which an undesirable outcome is anticipated from a given situation. Pessimists tend to focus on the negatives of life in general. A common question asked to test for pessimism is "Is the glass half empty or half ...
, Moore viewed Lovecraft as a warm man who loved his hometown and friends, only exaggerating his own neuroses. Moore believed that contemporary Lovecraftian fiction was based on an outdated view of the subject, and he set out to create "ultimate Lovecraft story" based on the latest literary insights. He is also critical of the Mythos incorporated in mainstream popular culture as parodies and merchandise, and insisted that it is necessary to "refocus the readership’s attention upon the things that are genuinely frightening or disturbing about Lovecraft’s writing." According to him, Lovecraft's works were about how scientific progress had made the world too complex for the traditional worldview to grasp, and about the urge to escape from that complexity, as symbolized by the opening sentence of ''
The Call of Cthulhu "The Call of Cthulhu" is a cosmic horror short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in the summer of 1926, it was first published in the pulp magazine ''Weird Tales'' in February 1928. The story is a founding document of the Cthul ...
''. He believed this theme was prescient enough to remain relevant even today. Psychiatrist and literary critic Dirk W. Mosig theorized that all of Lovecraft's works constituted one large "hypernovel". Moore embraced this idea and developed connections between characters and events in each story, many of which were set in overlapping time periods and regions. Unlike Lovecraft's many followers who attempted to systemize the Mythos, Moore aimed to place the original works within the context of biographical fact and the unstable post-World War I American society. The story of ''Providence'' was set in 1919, just before the completion of Lovecraft's persona popularized among later generations, and prior to the creation of Cthulhu and his friendships with people like
Robert E. Howard Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906 – June 11, 1936) was an American writer who wrote pulp magazine, pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He created the character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sor ...
and
Clark Ashton Smith Clark Ashton Smith (January 13, 1893 – August 14, 1961) was an influential American writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction stories and poetry, and an artist. He achieved early recognition in California (largely through the enthusiasm ...
. This era was also significant in U.S. political history, as it was being on the eve of the
women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...
movement and
Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...
, among others. With this period setting, Moore sought to depict "the birth of modern America, and the birth of modern American terror."


Social minorities

Moore stated that Lovecraft's uniqueness lay in his embodiment of the collective fears that American society had had at the time. Lovecraft preferred to think of himself as a social outsider, but in reality, he belonged to the
WASP A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder ...
heterosexual Heterosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions ...
male majority and was prejudiced against other groups. According to Moore, Lovecraft was "an entrenched social insider unnerved by new and alien influences from without." Moore believed that Lovecraft's fears were deeply linked to contemporary modes of thought and could be key to understanding the dilemmas of modern society. Lovecraft's
racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
has been well known among enthusiasts and researchers, resulted in growing criticism which led to the design of the
World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year at the eponymous ann ...
trophy being changed from a bust of him in 2016. However, when Lovecraft himself is featured in pop culture (especially in comics), his bigotry is often ignored or, conversely, caricatured and exaggerated without depiction of the historical context. Lovecraft lived in the United States during a time when
xenophobia Xenophobia (from (), 'strange, foreign, or alien', and (), 'fear') is the fear or dislike of anything that is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression that is based on the perception that a conflict exists between an in-gr ...
was on the rise due to growing immigration,
scientific racism Scientific racism, sometimes termed biological racism, is the pseudoscience, pseudoscientific belief that the Human, human species is divided into biologically distinct taxa called "race (human categorization), races", and that empirical evi ...
was prevalent, and discrimination against
people of color The term "person of color" (: people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is associated with, the United States. From th ...
and
homosexuals Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...
was legal. Moore incorporated these elements into his work. To give a different perspective to Lovecraft's "outsider" self-image, the protagonist, Robert Black, was set as a
gay male Gay men are male homosexuals. Some bisexual and homoromantic men may dually identify as ''gay'' and a number of gay men also identify as ''queer''. Historic terminology for gay men has included '' inverts'' and ''uranians''. Gay men contin ...
Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
. Black hides his identity to avoid social prejudice and shows little sympathy for other minorities. Moore has stated that while Black might be seen as "cowardly and unethical" and therefore less sympathetic by today's readers, he prioritized realistic characterization that reflected the time.


Artwork

Jacen Burrows Jacen Burrows (born September 11, 1972) is an American comic book artist best known for his work on various books from Avatar Press and Marvel Comics. Career Burrows graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design in 1996 with a degree in Seque ...
has worked mostly with Avatar Press since 2002, teaming up with writers such as
Warren Ellis Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is an English comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of several original comics series, including ''Transmetropolitan'' (1997–2002), ''Global Frequency'' ...
and
Garth Ennis Garth Ennis (born 16 January 1970) is a Northern Irish-American comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series ''Preacher'' with artist Steve Dillon, his nine-year run on Marvel Comics' ''Punisher'' franchise, and '' The Boys'' with artist Dar ...
. When he worked on the comic adaptation of the prose story "The Courtyard," he thought it would be his only chance to collaborate with the legendary writer. However, Moore named him as a co-creator for his major Lovecraft comic series, ''Neonomicon'' and ''Providence''. Burrows followed Moore's principles of thorough research and historical accuracy, striving to recreate the writer's vision as closely as possible. Moore's comic
script Script may refer to: Writing systems * Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire * Script (styles of handwriting) ** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of handw ...
is notorious for its length and detail, making ''Providence'' the most challenging work of Burrows' career. He reflected on the work as "really exhausting. Finishing it felt like finishing college." Moore insisted that his portrayal of the historical United States be completely accurate. He believed that, although Lovecraft's works may seem old-fashioned and over-the-top to modern readers, Lovecraft himself was oriented toward realism. The horror arises from the gap between the unlikely weirdness and the realistic contemporary world of his time. In the artwork for ''Providence,'' meticulous research was conducted on props, costumes, and scenery. At times, more than 300 images were referenced for a single building that appeared in the background of a two-page scene, and the characters' movements were detailed using maps of the era. In a panel, the actual pages of that day's newspaper were reproduced. In addition to the materials provided by Moore, Burrows collected fashion books and other resources. The year 1919, situated between
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and the "
Roaring Twenties The Roaring Twenties, sometimes stylized as Roaring '20s, refers to the 1920s decade in music and fashion, as it happened in Western world, Western society and Western culture. It was a period of economic prosperity with a distinctive cultura ...
," had a low cultural profile, making these materials scarce. Burrows utilized municipal and library
archives An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials, in any medium, or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organ ...
, and watched period films and dramas like ''
Boardwalk Empire ''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter for the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s. The series sta ...
'', ''
Once Upon a Time in America ''Once Upon a Time in America'' () is a 1984 epic crime film co-written and directed by Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone, and starring Robert De Niro and James Woods. The film is an Italian–American venture produced by The Ladd Company, Emb ...
'', and
Chaplin Chaplin may refer to: People * Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977), English comedy film actor and director * Chaplin (name), other people named Chaplin Films * ''Unknown Chaplin'' (1983) * Chaplin (film), ''Chaplin'' (film) (1992) * Chaplin (2011 fi ...
films to envision the atmosphere of the time. Lovecraft often used the term "unnameable" instead of specifically describing monsters and monstrosities. Moore believed this was a deliberate technique for an alienating effect, arguing that depicting the mystical entity Cthulhu as "a monster with tentacles" contradicts Lovecraft's original intent. Drawing the undrawable posed a challenge to Burrows. As he felt his strengths lay in clean lines and clarity of detail, he could not rely on abstraction in his monster scenes to maintain stylistic consistency. Instead, he emphasized the bizarre nature of textures, ensuring that the full picture remained elusive despite clear depiction of his monster. Burrows drew inspiration for monsters from a wide range of earlier works, including the movie '' The Thing'' (1982),
tabletop role-playing game A tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG or TRPG), also known as a pen-and-paper role-playing game, is a kind of role-playing game (RPG) in which the participants describe their characters' actions through speech and sometimes movements. Participants d ...
s, and fan art. Notable artists he referenced include
Bernie Wrightson Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017) was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein, adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his other ho ...
(
Swamp Thing Swamp Thing is a superhero and antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several different incarnations throughout his publication. The ch ...
),
Mike Mignola Michael Mignola (; born September 16, 1960) is an American comic book writer best known for creating ''Hellboy'' for Dark Horse Comics, part of a Hellboy Universe, shared universe of titles including ''B.P.R.D.'', ''Abe Sapien'', ''Lobster Johns ...
(
Hellboy Hellboy is a superhero created by Mike Mignola and appearing in comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. The character first appeared in ''San Diego Comic-Con Comics'' #2 (August 1993), and has since appeared in various miniseries, one-shots ...
), and
Zdzisław Beksiński Zdzisław Beksiński (; 24 February 192921 February 2005) was a Polish painter, photographer, and sculptor specializing in the field of dystopian surrealism. Beksiński made his paintings and drawings in what he called either a Baroque or a Go ...
. Moore is known for his grid-like, static panel layout. In ''The Courtyard,'' each page is divided into two vertical halves, while ''Neonomicon'' and ''Providence'' feature a format of four horizontal panels stacked vertically. This layout made figure placement difficult, and the dense information in Moore's scripts challenged Burrows' compositional abilities.


Publication history

The first issue of the series was published by Avatar Press in May 2015. Several variants with different covers were produced, including the "Pantheon" edition, featuring supernatural entities from Lovecraft's works, and the "Women of HPL" edition. The final issue, #12, was published in April 2017. In July 2017, Avatar published ''Dreadful Beauty: Art of Providence'', a book showcasing Jacen Burrows' concept arts other artwork. In April 2021, ''Nightmares Of Providence'', a 64-page black-and-white comic book featuring contributions from several artists, was published.


Collected editions

The series was collected into three individual volumes, each containing four issues. In 2021, a single-volume "compendium" edition was successfully crowdfunded through
Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...
. *''Providence Act 1 Limited Edition Hardcover'' (collects ''Providence'' #1–4, Avatar Press, 160 pages, May 2016, ) *''Providence Act 2 Limited Edition Hardcover'' (collects ''Providence'' #5–8, Avatar Press, 176 pages, June 2017, ) *''Providence Act 3 Limited Edition Hardcover'' (collects ''Providence'' #9–12, Avatar Press, 144 pages, September 2017, ) *''Providence Compendium'' (collects ''Providence'' #1–12, Avatar Press, 480 pages, 2021, )


Styles


Structure

Issues 1 through 10 are set in the year 1919, chronicling the journey of the protagonist, Robert Black, and his encounter with
H. P. Lovecraft Howard Phillips Lovecraft (, ; August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American writer of Weird fiction, weird, Science fiction, science, fantasy, and horror fiction. He is best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos. Born in Provi ...
. Issue 11 concludes Black's story and shifts the timeline back to 2006, the year in which events of '' Neonomicon'' took place, also providing an overview of the global reception of Lovecraft's stories. Issue 12 serves as the grand finale, depicting the birth of
Cthulhu Cthulhu is a fictional cosmic entity created by writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was introduced in his short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published by the American pulp magazine ''Weird Tales'' in 1928. Considered a Great Old One within the pantheon ...
, as foretold in ''Neonomicon'', and the subsequent rebirth of the world.


Panel layout

The comic employs a consistent panel layout featuring four horizontal panels stacked vertically on each page. According to English scholar Craig Fischer, this format limits the full depiction of figures within a single panel, with details of architectures and natural objects occupying the peripheries. Fischer suggests that this composition works well with Lovecraft's themes of human insignificance and the lurking horrors at the margins of perception.
Comics scholar Comics studies (also comic art studies, sequential art studies or graphic narrative studies) is an academic field that focuses on comics and sequential art. Although comics and graphic novels have been generally dismissed as less relevant popular ...
Thierry Groensteen Thierry Groensteen (; born 18 April 1957, Uccle, Brussels) is a Belgian comics researcher and theorist. Career In 1984, Groensteen became the editor-in-chief of the old fanzine ''Schtroumpf : Les Cahiers de la bande dessinée'', transformin ...
notes that regular panel layouts have advantages in defining the basic beats of the narrative, as well as in breaking from them. Matthew Green discusses how Moore uses the modulation of panel layout to create metatextual effects. The beginning of each issue features a full-page panel, which interrupts the story's progress and encourages the reader to ponder the world within the story itself. When the protagonist, Robert Black, enters underground or dreamland, the layout shifts from horizontal to vertical, implying a change in the level of reality being depicted. In the final issue, where the world itself undergoes dynamic transformation, the panel layout becomes more varied.


Prose section

As is common in Moore's works, each issue up to the tenth includes prose pages. While ''
Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is a comic book Limited series (comics), limited series by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins (comics), John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 19 ...
'' and other works incorporated various styles of text, such as excerpts from newspaper articles and books from the fictional world, ''Providence'' features primarily Robert Black's commonplace book. These memoirs reveal Black's feelings, which are not fully expressed in the main comic narrative, adding multiple layers to the story. Sometimes Black's collection of pamphlets and other literary materials are also included, as well as drafts and ideas for a novel he is working on. Matthew Kirschenblatt has noted that these prose segments can be read as an excellent
modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...
epistolary novel An epistolary novel () is a novel written as a series of letters between the fictional characters of a narrative. The term is often extended to cover novels that intersperse other kinds of fictional document with the letters, most commonly di ...
on their own. Maciej Sulmicki notes that the realistic art in the book closely reflect historical facts, emphasizing the contrast between the "objective" visual representation and the subjective text. In many scenes, Black's memoranda rationalize the anomalies, overlooking the supernatural phenomena implied in the visual narrative. This structure resembles one of the hallmarks of Lovecraft's original works, in which the reader perceives a more terrifying truth than the storyteller comprehends.


Themes


Sexuality and queerness

Lovecraft notably excluded
sex Sex is the biological trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. During sexual reproduction, a male and a female gamete fuse to form a zygote, which develops into an offspring that inheri ...
and
eroticism Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, scul ...
from his works, whereas Moore posits that repressed sexuality often manifests as violence. Zachary Rutledge suggests that Moore applied this theory to Lovecraft’s narratives, uncovering underlying violent sexual elements. For instance, in Lovecraft’s "
The Dunwich Horror "The Dunwich Horror" is a cosmic horror novella by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in 1928, it was first published in the April 1929 issue of ''Weird Tales'' (pp. 481–508). It takes place in Dunwich, a fictional town in Massa ...
," a woman bears a child with the cosmic entity
Yog-Sothoth Cthulhu Mythos deities are a group of fictional deities created by American author H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937), and later expanded by others in the fictional universe known as the Cthulhu mythos. These entities are usually depicted as immens ...
, but her individuality is only superficially addressed. Moore’s retelling of this episode focuses on the woman's non-consensual impregnation and the resulting trauma. Another Lovecraft story, "
The Thing on the Doorstep "The Thing on the Doorstep" is a horror short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft, part of the Cthulhu Mythos universe. It was written in August 1933 and first published in the January 1937 issue of '' Weird Tales''. Inspiration The idea ...
", features a villain who body-swaps with others. Moore's adaptation further explored the horror of physical violation through depiction of
rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...
, suggesting that the original work also implied intercourse without consent. Rutledge argues that Moore’s approach constructs a modern horror by confronting these elements, which are now viewed as
misogynistic Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practis ...
. Dave Whittaker argues that ''Providence'' subtly addresses
queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...
cultural history. Moore, a longstanding advocate for
LGBTQ+ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group i ...
rights, had previously expressed his support through his 1988 poem '' The Mirror of Love'', which protested anti-homosexual legislation in England, recounting how Christian society had occultized ancient cultures where
homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...
was accepted. Whittaker contends that Moore effectively merges this historical perspective on homosexuality with contemporary notions of diversity, while also intertwining it with Lovecraft's works, which reflected conservative values in the early 20th-century. Gay characters in ''Providence'' are depicted wearing green
tie Tie has two principal meanings: * Tie (draw), a finish to a competition with identical results, particularly sports * Necktie, a long piece of cloth worn around the neck or shoulders Tie or TIE may also refer to: Engineering and technology * T ...
s and red
bow tie The bow tie or dicky bow is a type of neckwear, distinguishable from a necktie because it does not drape down the shirt placket, but is tied just underneath a winged collar. A modern bow tie is tied using a common shoelace knot, which is also ...
s, a custom Moore incorporated from his research into early 20th-century
gay culture LGBTQ culture is a culture shared by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals ( LGBTQ people). It is sometimes referred to as queer culture (indicating people who are queer), LGBT culture, and LGBTQIA culture, while the term ...
. These accessories subtly signal the characters' sexual orientation, though their meaning is not explicitly conveyed to the reader. Robert Black makes discreet sexual advances toward several men throughout the series, with his first overt sexual encounter occurring in issue #9. Shortly afterward, Black learns of his new friend H. P. Lovecraft's
homophobic Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...
views, highlighting the source of his concealment and fears to the reader.


Social commentary

Matthew Green argues that the comic’s characters and narrative are deeply intertwined with real-world issues as well as Lovecraft’s universe, reflecting Moore’s belief that "culture – generated through a combination of desire and imagination – is fundamentally bound together with the world of material relations." The ''Stella Sapiente'' society, which overthrows the human world in the story, is composed predominantly of elderly white men who discard those they consider genetically or intellectually inferior, while exploiting women, children, and people of color. This portrayal can be seen as an epitome of American history and society. Moore’s adaptation of "
Pickman'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''. It has been adapted for television anthology series twice: in a 1971 episode of ''Night Gallery'' ...
", which originally focuses on art and its interpretation, introduces a political dimension absent from Lovecraft's story, specifically referencing the 1919 Boston police strike. This addition may serve as a critique of both Lovecraft’s anti-communist stance and the contemporary political climate of the 2010s. Some critics draw parallels between the themes in ''Providence'' and the
2016 U.S. presidential election Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and ...
, which coincides with the series' publication. Literary scholar Jackson Ayers notes that "(the series') violence and bleakness, moreover, convey what Moore sees as the horrific realities of contemporary culture." Ayers argues that Moore critiques the ideological legacy inherited from pulp novels to contemporary American comics by exploring Lovecraft’s covert racism, misogyny, and dysfunctional sexuality. By the series' conclusion, the "fragile construct" of "human reality" is dismantled, revealing a chaotic and irrational nature of the world. The characters accept this transformation as "
Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
." Ayers interprets this as Moore’s commentary on the moral dangers posed by prolonged
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
governance in the UK, which Moore criticizes, as well as the populist rhetoric and incitement exemplified by figures like
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
. In reviewing the series, Matthew Kirschenblatt quotes Moore as saying that the increased flow of information at the turn of the century marked a critical point in human society. According to Kirschenblatt, the series portrays the fear that the advent of popular media has facilitated the dissemination of a type of culture that was originally oral in nature, resulted in trivial information becoming so pervasive that
critical thinking Critical thinking is the process of analyzing available facts, evidence, observations, and arguments to make sound conclusions or informed choices. It involves recognizing underlying assumptions, providing justifications for ideas and actions, ...
is being diminished. Similarly, Matthew Green notes that the mythical world overcame human reality in the story not because it was a truer form of the world, but because it was a stronger fiction. Green interprets the narrative as a critique of the proliferation of popular discourses, such as exclusionist ones.


Art, magic, and mysticism

Alan Moore is a mystic and a self-proclaimed magician, well known for his assertion that
art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...
is a form of magic in which the artist, like the
shaman Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...
s of ancient societies, can exert power over reality. This series depicts the world transformed by Lovecraft's expression, demonstrating that
meme A meme (; ) is an idea, behavior, or style that Mimesis, spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying c ...
s have the power to change perceptions, a power Moore refers to as magic. Matthew Green writes that Moore expands on this idea, highlighting the roles of the
humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...
, literary criticism,
philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...
, and archives, alongside the arts, in the working of "magic." As incorporated in Chapter 11 of the series as
metafiction Metafiction is a form of fiction that emphasizes its own narrative structure in a way that inherently reminds the audience that they are reading or viewing a fictional work. Metafiction is self-conscious about language, literary form, and story ...
, Lovecraft's creations have been perceived by some occultists as embodying true mystical knowledge. British mystic Kenneth Grant claimed that Lovecraft had received revelations from mystical beings through dreams.
Chaos magic Chaos magic, also spelled chaos magick, is a modern tradition of magic. Emerging in England in the 1970s as part of the wider neo-pagan and esoteric subculture, it drew heavily from the occult beliefs of artist Austin Osman Spare, expressed ...
, which emerged in the 1970s, blurs the line between fiction and reality, suggesting that fictional deities such as Cthulhu and Yog-Sothoth are communicable entities. Although Moore dismisses the notion of Lovecraft's work being genuinely occult — labeling it "astral cosplay" and "certainly not important magic" — he does acknowledge the subversive power of fiction. As Jake Poller explains, fiction can be incorporated into the human imagination to subvert the "prosaic fiction of reality", a process Moore refers to as magic.


Meta-narratives

Moore states that he employed similar approaches in ''Providence'' as in several of his earlier comics. Using a highly realistic setting for an improbable genre, such as horror, mirrors his revision of the
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
genre in ''Watchmen'' (1986). The exploration of American culture and society through deconstruction of American horror was previously attempted in the "American Gothic" story arc (1985) from ''Swamp Thing''. The meticulous recreation of a historical period in ''Providence'' is comparable to the thoroughness seen in ''
From Hell ''From Hell'' is a graphic novel by writer Alan Moore and artist Eddie Campbell, originally published in serial form from 1989 to 1998. The full collection was published in 1999 by Top Shelf Productions. Set during the Whitechapel murders of ...
'' (1989). M. Cecilia Marchetto Santorun argues that Moore's Cthulhu cycle reverses the theme of "the power of imagination" explored in works such as ''
Promethea ''Promethea'' is a comic book Ongoing series, series created by Alan Moore, J. H. Williams III and Mick Gray, published by America's Best Comics/WildStorm. It tells the story of Sophie Bangs, a college student from an alternate futuristic New Y ...
'' (1999). In ''Promethea'', the heroine ends the old world by liberating the human spirit through imagination and merging it with the eternal. In contrast, ''Providence'' depicts the darker side of imagining the sublime. While the "end of the world" brought by Cthulhu in ''Providence'' seems to offer liberation from a corrupt and oppressive reality, it ultimately leads to a realm where all meaning is utterly lost. The Cthulhu cult in the comic engages in unrestricted orgies and interracial sex, thereby unintentionally materializing the malevolent god. Santorun notes that this serves as a critique of the
counterculture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Ho ...
movement, which promised utopian freedom and spiritual liberation— a movement that also significantly influenced Moore's own development. Craig Fischer further contrasts ''Providence'' with ''Promethea'', observing that ''Promethea'' represents an essentially good universe where one can achieve transcendent peace through spiritual quests symbolized by the
Sephiroth Sefirot (; , plural of ), meaning '' emanations'', are the 10 attributes/emanations in Kabbalah, through which Ein Sof ("infinite space") reveals itself and continuously creates both the physical realm and the seder hishtalshelut (the chained ...
. In ''Providence'', however, characters draw evil forces from the same Sephiroth to violate others' existence. Craig Fischer suggests that Providence functions as a metafictional summation of Moore's own career as a comics creator. Moore has frequently clashed with major U.S. publishers over adaptations and spin-offs, and has even had disputes with fans who support these publishers. Over time, Moore grew increasingly critical of both the comics industry and its fandom, eventually announcing his retirement in 2016. ''Providence'' was one of his final comic works, and Fischer theorizes that Moore symbolically reflects on his achievements in comics through the Lovecraftian Mythos in the story. Similarly, Matthew Kirschenblatt notes that the ending—where a character abandons everything and tear up a book—could symbolize Moore’s departure. Kirschenblatt added that the ending might be open to multiple interpretations, much like Moore’s earlier works like ''Watchmen''. The triumph of the inhuman world over the free will is one interpretation, while another possibility is that the pieces of paper that represent rebellion sink into the subconscious of the new world, potentially resurfacing in the future.


Reception

The series received a 9.3 rating from critics and a 9.4 rating by general readers on the review aggregator Comic Book Roundup. The first paperback volume was nominated for a 2016
Bram Stoker Award The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented annually by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in dark fantasy and horror writing. History The Awards were established in 1987 and have been presented annually since ...
in the graphic novel category. Critic Tom Shapira praised the series on the website of ''
The Comics Journal ''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing r ...
'', calling it one of the best of the 2010s, though he noted that it requires prior knowledge to appreciate. The
H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society The H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society or HPLHS is the organization that hosts Cthulhu Lives!, a group of live-action roleplayers for the '' Cthulhu Live'' version of '' Call of Cthulhu''. Founded in Colorado in 1984, it is now based in Glendale, ...
, an international group of enthusiasts, lauded the book as "brilliantly researched ... like looking at Lovecraft's works again for the very first time." In ''Lovecraft in the 21st Century'', Tom Shapira commended the book for its accurate portrayal of Lovecraft's personality and habits. He also highlighted how Lovecraft and his contemporaries fictionalized each other, and praised the blend of fiction and reality that offers a more authentic depiction of Lovecraft than a straightforward biography. In 2023, literary scholar Steve Corbeille noted the increasing efforts in the Mythos genre in America to critically address the racism, misogyny, and homophobia of its originators, citing this series as a notable example. Akira Okawada, writing for a Japanese fantasy fiction magazine, praised the novel for transcending parody to offer a radical re-telling. He singled out Chapter 7 as "one of the most convincing adaptations" of "
Pickman'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''. It has been adapted for television anthology series twice: in a 1971 episode of ''Night Gallery'' ...
." Dave Whittaker, reviewing for the comics research website
Sequart Sequart Organization (; also known as Sequart Research & Literacy Organization) is an online magazine that focuses on the study of popular culture and the promotion of comic books as an art form. Sequart also publishes books and produces documen ...
, wrote that the comic elicits "horror, heightened awareness, joy, curiosity, ... a strange brew of seemingly contrary reactions." He also highlighted that the book introduces elements of emotion and sexuality not present in Lovecraft's original work. A reviewer for the H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society described the subdued storytelling of the early chapters as "an exercise in subtlety that cleverly ratchets up tension in spite of very little obviously happening." ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' praised the subtle integration of horror elements into the everyday landscape, calling it "not merely jarring but genuinely shocking." ''
Bleeding Cool ''Bleeding Cool'' is an Internet news site, focusing on comics, television, film, board games, and video games. Owned by Avatar Press, it was launched by Rich Johnston in 2009. Avatar Press also publishes an associated magazine, also called ''B ...
'' described the comic as "true horror" highlighting its portrayal of "acceptance of failure, of impotence, of helplessness, of submission to doom," in contrast to Hollywood's formula of "
jump scare A jump scare (also written jump-scare and jumpscare) is a scaring technique used in media, particularly in horror fiction such as horror films and horror games, intended to scare the viewer by surprising them with a creepy face or object, usually ...
s and gaining control to defeat the monster". Gerard Gibson, writing in ''Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies'', praised the series' "a more abject apocalypse" for accurately representing Lovecraft's worldview, where human existence is deemed worthless. He also noted that the comic is significant for "delivering original and genuinely disturbing horror" even by the standard of today, when horror has permeated a wide range of genres. Jacen Burrows' art have been met by mixed reactions among fans, with some appreciating his clean style while others criticizing his lack of dynamism. Craig Fischer, writing in ''The Comics Journal'', noted that Burrows's calm, realistic style is effective for the story that starts quietly and then suddenly turns horrifyingly bizarre. Other reviewers have praised Burrows for his precise contours and rich details.


References


Works cited

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External links

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Providence
' at Avatar Press * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Providence Rhode Island in fiction LGBTQ-related comics Works about H. P. Lovecraft Works about journalists Comics set in the 1910s Adaptations of works by H. P. Lovecraft Comics by Alan Moore Horror comics Historical comics Prequel comics New Hampshire in fiction Cthulhu Mythos comics Comics set in New York City Comics set in Massachusetts