Alan Moore's Neonomicon

This consists of the Courtyard (previously published as a graphic novel) and the four issues of Neonomicon series.Probably best not to read the blurb on the back cover as it does give away the plot of the Courtyard.This is definitely an adult comic and bits of it were disturbing. I thought at times maybe it was slightly too explicit.To get the most out of it you might need some knowledge of H.P. Lovecraft. That will likely explain why the book is so explicit in certain areas.This isn't Moore's best work but I still enjoyed it. The plot is much less straightforward than it seems at first and as usual it is impressive how it all ties together.The artwork does a very good job. Maybe the faces could do with a bit more variety but I thought that Jacen Burrows did a very credible job, especially with some of the more unearthly characters.

This collects two stories-"The courtyard" and "Neonomicon" in one book, and is an adult horror graphic novel, based on the work of HP Lovecraft and some other associated wierd authors.You do have to be reasonably well versed in wierd fiction to comprehend this fully. At the very least you should have read Lovecraft's "Shadow over Innsmouth" and "The horror at red hook".The courtyard deals with an undercover cop Aldo Sax, grisly and baffling murders, psuedo-languages, bizzare characters like the veiled Johnny Carcosa and his "mother" and a mysterious "drug".The sequel, Neonomicon follows two FBI Agents as they try to make sense of what happened to Sax.We watch as they become enmeshed in a world of mysterious cults, black magic and unimaginable sexual nightmares.The big story, however shows understanding and respect for Lovecraft and heralds where Moore may take this story next.This book confounds expectations - the reader could be forgiven for thinking it is a cross between "The X-files" and "Silence of the lambs".Nothing could be further than the truth. Just as you think you can settle down on some cosy, well-used path, Moore pulls the rug out from under our feet and takes us further than most writers would ever go, subverting genres and presenting us with spectacles disturbing, unfilmable and unimaginable.The story has lots of nudity, gratuitous wierd sex and a pivotal inter-species rape sequence that will always be burned into the readers mind. It has amusing moments too. I liked the vast arc of monster-come, spurting across the page. Not something usually seen.The dialogue is witty, and quite spare. Non verbal sounds are expertly rendered. The artwork by Jacen Burrows is, unflinchingly realistic. His monsters are really impressive, In fact I have never seen any HPL- influenced art as good as his. As for the gore and nudity, he shows us everything. All the bits. And more.I liked this very much-super entertainment. Top-notch. I suppose this is too literary and disturbing for most people, and I would hesitate before recomending this any consumer of mainstream comics. Thanks Alan Moore for giving us something so clever and unique.

I love the eldritch writings of  H.P. Lovecraft  & also love the imaginative redefining of established genres by Alan Moore. And I utterly adored Moore's reworking of Lovecraft's stories in  The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen  (particularly the encounter between an ancient evil & Jeeves & Wooster), so this was a must-buy!By way of introduction, this volume contains  The Courtyard  & is followed by its longer sequel, Neonomicon. When several unconnected people suddenly become killers who mutilate their victims in an identical, ritualised way, the FBI naturally take an interest. What they find is, as Lovecraft would say, "indescribable!"Many elements of Moore's recent works are in evidence - magickal awakenings reminiscent of  Promethea  & some sexually explicit material which brings to mind  Lost Girls  & 25,000 Years of Erotic Freedom . Add to that some downright nasty elements & you can appreciate that this one is very much for adults only.If you're not familiar with Lovecraft's work, then what you'll probably get from this is a particularly dirty horror story, beautifully illustrated by Jacen Burrows but flawed in places (the police procedurals are inaccurately sloppy for the sake of the plot & one of Burrows' splash pages doesn't quite work for me). If you're a fan of Lovecraft, you'll get a unique & quite brilliant new perspective on stories nearly 80 years old, reinterpreted in an unexpected & exciting way, which totally fits with the source material. It left me with much to ponder & a burning desire to once again reread the originals - this time with new eyes.You know when you encounter genius because what it tells you seems so apparent that in hindsight, you're amazed that you didn't think of it yourself sooner. By that measure, this deceptively straightforward story is certainly a work of genius, as long as you're familiar with the source material. If not, you'll probably wonder what all the fuss is about...

Absolutely fantastic. As a fanboy of both Alan Moore and HP Lovecraft I've been wanting to read this for a while and wasn't disappointed. A hard bitten, neo take on the Cthulhu mythos that just got better and better. Probably one of the first graphic novels I've ever read that made me stop in the middle of it and ask myself whether I wanted, for my sanity and tastes sake, to carry on, I'm so very glad I did. For anyone with empathy who wants to feel horror and revulsion on a cosmic scale, this is the very chap for you.Highly recommended from a bibliophile who thought he had a tough skin.