Alan Moore's The Courtyard

I have read "The Courtyard" after its sequel, The Neonomicon, and I must say that this prologue feels better. The Courtyard is more dense and atmospheric, both the internal monologue and things left unsaid are more appropriate to the plot than long conversations and colored graphic depictions in the Neonomicon.

Bigoted g-man Aldo Sax makes a useful focal character for this 21st century Lovecraftian story--reminding me of the similar Stan Smith of Seth MacFarlane's dissimilar American Dad animated satire. A few details (public fax booth? domed-over city?) suggest that the setting is a different 2004 than the one that readers lived through.

Allusions to "Cthulhu mythos" literature are dense and frequent. The climax of the story is a vivid psychedelic episode, with a persuasive subtext of experienced knowledgability. The art is effective and rich with detail; and the narrative, for all of its latter-day updates, is very traditional in a way that should satisfy mythos afficianados.

I first read Moore's short story The Courtyard in Starry Wisdom back in 1994. I did not have a favorable impression but after all these years I guess it was because the whole book put me off (still does; haven't yet read the sequel). I only recently found out he made it into a comic. Avatar has just issued a full color edition, which is how I encountered it. Jacen Burrows provides the art and Juanmar the interior colors.

The story takes place in Red Hook and it owes a good deal to HPL's story The Horror at Red Hook. Again strange horrific crimes are taking place and a federal agent is sent to investigate under deep cover. Like HPL's Malone, Agent Sax is world weary and deeply prejudiced. Moore does not shy away from the racism that show more suffused the original story; in fact it makes this comic that much more gritty and realistic. To solve the crimes he traces everything back perhaps to a drug being sold in a club in Red Hook. Under deep cover he attempts to get a sample so he can nail the dealer. He succeeds after a fashion.

The story is taut and intense, very compelling. Language and imagery are graphic, but I did not think gratuitously so. It all fit so well with the mood being created. The artwork and colors are superb. For Lovecraftians, there are quite a few HPL place and character names that pop up in the narrative. It is a nice diversion to place them all; any assiduous fan should be able to do it. But better still, the story's horrors that slowly reveal themselves are quite Lovecraftian in their sensibility.

Previously I thought Fall of Cthulhu was the finest Lovecraftian comic book, and it was great although I was let down by the way the series wound down. Now I think this title by Moore takes the crown. Anyone who likes mythos comics should read this book. show less

Fascinating psychological thriller by the genius that is Alan Moore. My only complaint is that it was too short and so much more could have been done with it. As a short story, it was excellent, but as a psychological thriller it was too rushed. Just as you felt things were getting started, it finished and there was too much unexplained. Excellent ending though!

Cthulhu ephemera from Moore that reads like a timid attempt to be Grant Morrison.

I honestly couldn't get past how shitty the main character was to even try to enjoy the story much. The ... "answer," I guess you could call it, to the mystery is interesting, but I really can't get past reading a bunch of slurs on the opening pages to get into the story. Especially from the focal character.

This book scared the hell out of me when I was a kid---well, teenager, but closer to 12 than 20---and it still does. I wish I'd never read it. If you look up "Macabre" in the dictionary, you'd find this work under the definition.