Neonomicon #2, or how Alan Moore ruined sex for everyone (discussion NSFW)

[Tobias M]

Last week Bleeding Cool (http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/10/05/warning-tomorrows-neonomicon-2-from-alan-moore-and-jacen-burrows/)carried a very specific warning about this book. Mentioning a sudden upswing in sexual content, Johnston recommended retailers to be careful how they sold copies of the second issue.

I bought mine sealed in a plastic bag from King's Comics in Sydney. My impressions of the first issue were that Moore is indulging in a little bit of Lovecraft referencing for parodic purposes. Two federal agents are investigating ritualistic murders that seem to be bound up with a subculture of Cthulu fanatics. Moore doesn't make Jess Nevins (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jess_Nevins) work too hard with this series - the opening pages of issue two identifies each of the writers referenced in the previous book, Ambrose Bierce, Chambers and of course Lovecraft himself.

In order to infiltrate the Cthulu society two federal agents travel to Salem disguised as fellow fanatics. They are invited along to a 'get together', with true devotees. What follows is a truly disturbing sequence depicting a gang rape. Then a Cthulu beast joins in.

I am debating whether or not I want to continue reading this book.

It seeks to legitimise itself by critiquing Lovecraft's fiction. Attention is drawn to the offensive racist content of his stories and the seeming asexuality of his characters. Here Moore returns to his recent theme of how sexual censure is bad. So Jacen Burrows' art features naked breasts and penises aplenty, including engorged Cthulu dick. The idea being that the repressed sexuality of Lovecraft is finally being unleashed and this is the perverted outpouring that resulted.

Seems a little too on the nose for me. The identifying of the sources and referencing is obviously intended to make sure readers know what Moore is doing, but in doing so, the exercise becomes pedantic. Plus I just read Chambers' The King in Yellow (http://abookadaytillicanstay.wordpress.com/2010/10/11/113-the-king-in-yellow-by-robert-w-chambers/)for my blog yesterday. The contrast between him and Lovecraft were sex is concerned couldn't be greater. Chambers allows for actual romance and eventually turned from horror fiction to write romances full time. He made quite a decent living from it too, much to Lovecraft's disgust, who apparently described him as a 'fallen titan', for turning away from supernatural horror. To include him and Bierce in this tapestry rings false to me.

The rape scene itself eschews voyeurism, instead focusing on the horror of the situation. There is a conscious decision shown to depict the rapists and participants in the Cthulu orgy as out of shape and physically ugly people. While seeming to wish to avoid titillation (which I must credit - I am saddened to see some fecker is remaking I Spit On Your Grave, jebus), Moore's writing disturbs here. As it should, but I do not know if I want to read more of this.

[Chris Jones]

I'd say if you think it's legitimately bad then stop reading, but if it's just upsetting push forward.

[Teal_Lantern]

I wonder how long till we start hearing complaints from the usual lot about Moore endorsing rape.

[Slewo.O]

I wonder how long till we start hearing complaints from the usual lot about Moore endorsing rape.

Alan Moore endorses rape! Read all about it!

[Tobias M]

I wonder how long till we start hearing complaints from the usual lot about Moore endorsing rape.

Yeah, that's why I wrote that last paragraph.

[Thequeerjock]

Hmmm....so Chambers' characters actually exhibit human emotion? How novel.

And I guess my view is that it's a tad late for any sort of satire in regards to Lovecraft's work. He was what he was, and while I find some of his writings absolutely disgusting, it does seem to be a tad holier-than-thou to kick his work in the balls at this point.

[BClayMoore]

Hmmm....so Chambers' characters actually exhibit human emotion? How novel.

And I guess my view is that it's a tad late for any sort of satire in regards to Lovecraft's work. He was what he was, and while I find some of his writings absolutely disgusting, it does seem to be a tad holier-than-thou to kick his work in the balls at this point.

I'm not sure how that makes a difference if the story works.

-BCM

[stealthwise]

I'm not turned off by the rape, but completely uninterested in anything related to Lovecraft and Cthulu. Unless it's volume 3 of Atomic Robo, which was brilliant and hilarious.

[Thequeerjock]

I'm not sure how that makes a difference if the story works.

-BCM

Sure, it could work. I just wouldn't be interested in reading it.

[Tobias M]

I'm not sure how that makes a difference if the story works.

-BCM

Because right now the series seems like one big literary in-joke.

[Tobias M]

Very interesting review by Jog (http://comicscomicsmag.com/2010/10/new-comics-three-extremes.html)over at Comics Comics.

I think he nails it with this paragraph -

This leads to some pretty funny moments in the issue’s early pages, from Brears trying to figure out how Lovecraftian happenings in the in-story 1920s could possibly stem from a man’s then-obscure writings — she briefly considers that Lovecraft was actually writing personal observations, a theory quickly dismissed — to her lobbing H.P. soundbites at a sinister Salem merch dealer (“Whispers In Darkness”) to gain both his trust and access to his Lovecraft-themed porno room (remember: dildos). But Brears doesn’t look any deeper into the evidence. She dismisses the notion of serious nasty rituals because Lovecraft wouldn’t depict sex on the page. She elides his racism to her black partner, Agent Lamper, noting that Lovecraft regretted it later in life. She rationalizes, but doesn’t read into what infernal rites might involve. It’s blunt, but Moore thereby draws a parallel between his heroine failing to consider the deeper potentials of literary literality and readers playing at works (perhaps his!) as only accumulations of borrowed items, or even just plot points.

In the comments thread, he also quotes from an interview (http://glycon.livejournal.com/13243.html) with Moore where he expressed concern over the public reaction to Neonomicon -

“I wrote a thing which – I don’t know how good it is –I was trying my best, but it was at a time when I was poisonously angry, and that may have coloured the work. It was a HP Lovecraft – my basic thinking was – all right, they asked me to do something that was in a a horror vein, they asked me, and I said, well, I had some vague ideas about a continuation of that Courtyard story that I originally wrote for a HP Lovecraft prose anthology… And I said I’d thought of a vague continuation of that, and they said, ‘Great, why don’t you do that, do it with Jacen Burrows,’ who’s a great artist, so I wrote this four-part story, which is really horrible. It’s a modern Lovecraft story, but I was thinking, well, let’s put the racism in, and let’s put the, misogyny in, and let’s put the – where in the past we talked about Nameless Rites, let’s name them, and let’s see what happens.

“And so it’s a very unpleasant story, it’s very weird, I’ve not looked at it since, and I’ve not, I don’t know if they’re even, if Avatar is still doing it, I’m not really in touch with them. Your guess is as good as mine, and even whether it’d be that good when it comes, I don’t know. I’m sure Jacen will have done a great job, I’m just not sure I did the writing well. And it might have been a bit dark, you know. I might have been going through a bit of a dark spell, which, sometimes it colours the writing and whether it’ll ever come out I really don’t know, but that’s be something to – it was called, what was it called? I can’t even remember the title! I know it’d got four parts, and it was, no, it completely fails me. I have no idea.”

[BClayMoore]

I read the first issue and dug it.

Now I'm really curious about the second.

-BCM

[Chris Jones]

it was called, what was it called? I can’t even remember the title! I know it’d got four parts, and it was, no, it completely fails me. I have no idea.

This is my favorite thing ever.

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

The rape scene itself eschews voyeurism, instead focusing on the horror of the situation. There is a conscious decision shown to depict the rapists and participants in the Cthulu orgy as out of shape and physically ugly people. While seeming to wish to avoid titillation (which I must credit - I am saddened to see some fecker is remaking I Spit On Your Grave, jebus), Moore's writing disturbs here. As it should, but I do not know if I want to read more of this.

Yeah, I'd have to agree. I read it last week and it was a while before I was able to even think of the book at all without flinching or wincing. I totally get that's exactly what Moore was aiming for, but still...

[DarkKnightJared]

Well, now I'm interested in giving this a read when it hits trade.

...Honestly, I think the internet ruined sex for me long before Alan Moore put his grubby little hands on it.

[Teal_Lantern]

Yeah, that's why I wrote that last paragraph.

Oh, I wasn't talking about you, just many other fans in general.

[Girlfriend In A Coma]

It's really REALLY hard to offend me or to disturb me with a comic book and I'm seriously puzzled over this one. I'm going to give it one more issue hoping it leads to something more than a monstrous money shot.

Right now I feel like this is Alan Moore saying, "Censor me?! Oh yeah?! You'll read this shit and buy it up because I'm Alan Moore! Haha!"

[Gail Simone]

There has been a lot of talk for some time in comics circles about how Alan Moore portrays race.

I am not informed enough to address it...anyone know what the complaint would be, precisely? I've heard it enough times to wonder, but not enough to go rereading all his work that I still own.

[Chris Jones]

I can't imagine what the complaint would be, I've never seen anything even hinting at racism in any of his books.

[Benel Germosen]

Because right now the series seems like one big literary in-joke.

I actually have no real problem with this.

[Thequeerjock]

There has been a lot of talk for some time in comics circles about how Alan Moore portrays race.

I am not informed enough to address it...anyone know what the complaint would be, precisely? I've heard it enough times to wonder, but not enough to go rereading all his work that I still own.

I have no idea what that complaint would be. There were some artists who mistakenly whitewashed some characters in Tom Strong, but that was hardly Moore's fault.

He did some odd stuff with Mr. Cream in Miracle Man, but I'm not quite sure if I'd call it racism.

[Tobias M]

I have not heard anything to that effect either, but I would imagine it might be similar to recent complaints that The Social Network was sexist due it featuring sexist characters.

[Brian Defferding]

That comic was great! Loved it.

[The Xenos]

Huh. Now it makes sense how Moore has said he's retired and this book is coming out now. It's an older story he did and Avatar's just getting to publishing it now.

As for the story, I love the twisted thing. Having come from the Salem area, I'm pleasantly disturbed that Moore has set such a disturbing scene near my home. And while I've been to some crazy new agey shops and see some crazy stuff on sale in Salem, I have yet to find one that sells dildos of Lovecraftian horrors... sadly...

Actually, I'm almost more disturbed that this comes close to some ideas I had about setting Lovecraftian monsters in the Salem / Boston area, mixing the authors writings with him supposedly writing about real events that have been forgotten or covered up. Then again, even Scooby freaking Doo is doing stuff like that with Lovecraft (http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/10/18/video-scooby-doo-goes-all-cthuhlu-with-harlan-ellison-and-hp-lovecraft/) at this point. So I guess I'm far from the first one barking up that tree.

Oh and Moore made a mistake, unless it was just the character half assing it. Salem wasn't Innsmouth. Salem / Danvers was more Arkham. Innsmouth is more the Gloucester and Ipswich area.

[Andreas]

Huh. Now it makes sense how Moore has said he's retired and this book is coming out now. It's an older story he did and Avatar's just getting to publishing it now.

...

Do you mean The Courtyard? I always thought that Neonomicon was a sequel he only wrote recently, but I could be wrong.

I'm curious what Moore will do with the dome. I guess this does not really exist in the real city? :)