Casefile Arkham: A Lovecraftian Noir

Almost a year ago, I interviewed the creators of then-upcoming comic Casefile Arkham (http://www.theblood-shed.com/josh-i-finney-and-patrick-mcevoy-talk-noir-lovecraftian-comic-casefile-arkham/). They told me about what sounded like a really cool comic, combing noir with Lovecraftian themes. A few days back, I finally got to check out the finished product and, holy crap, did these guys deliver!

Casefile Arkham: Nightmares on Canvas is an almost nostalgic affair. The art is very classic, reminding one of when comics were on newspaper stock rather than gloss, with beautiful black and white art really speaking to the noir subject of a hardened private investigator named Hank Flynn. Hank is hired for a case which he thinks will be open and shut, a couple days pay and done. But he finds himself involved in the stuff of nightmares, his own nightmares for that matter, and the plot twists and turns down one macabre path and another. Eventually the case of a missing artist has turned into a story as beautifully grotesque as his paintings.

It’s an amazing work, with noir blended seamlessly into the Lovecraftian horror. Fans of gritty detectives and cosmic horror alike are sure to hold this as a true masterpiece of the medium and I for one can’t wait to add a physical copy to my shelf.