The Runic Review: Fall of Cthulhu #3, (Boom Studios) By John H

That Sinking feeling

I was given the opportunity recently to review Fall of Cthulhu #3, by Boom Studios. Being the type of comic I don’t usually read, I must admit I am a fan of the style of H.P Lovecraft. The main plot of this book deals with the power struggles between two brothers who rule the hearts and minds of Atlantis.




One brother, King Levin, wonders why his sibling the D’harin, high priest of Vesh, does little to quell the chaos brought upon the capital by the worshipers of the cult of Nyarlathotep. King Levin seeks more power than one man should hold. He sees himself as both the king and the D’harin, ruling unquestioned over the spiritual and material needs of his subjects.

The D’harin, on the other hand, has plans for the Nyarlathotep cult. With the intent of converting them by force, the D’harin will use these newly reformed cultists to annihilate the rest of this faction elsewhere in the Atlantean realm.

The main drama of the issue unfolds in a public confrontation over a burning temple. The D’harin dare defies an order of the king on grounds the temple being set ablaze would be a religious matter, one for the high priest to deal with and not the king. At first glance, The D’harin’s disregard to his brothers orders may have more to do with his own heinous plans for the cult, and that includes them not being massacred. At any rate King Levin, embarrassed by this defiance, plans to show his brother that a challenge to the king’s authority means death to those involved.

Somehow I feel all of this reminds me of the petty tribal squabbles and lax attitude the Romans had towards the eve of destruction, concerning their own empire. If this is true, and these are truly the last days of Atlantis which we are seeing, then this cult will surely be the catalyst which invokes the wrath of the Gods to crush the mighty Atlantean empire, and send it to the bottom of the ocean.

Although I did like the book, it did not make me want to go back and read the first two issues. I am vaguely intrigued by the story and wonder what may become of the characters, but my main issues with the book are the storyline needs to be beefed up more, and the art doesn’t feel quite right for this kind of story.

7/10

John H