Oh, we all love the unknowable and secret cosmic horror that is author H.P. Lovecraft’s contribution to fiction.
Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos is one of the greatest and most beloved works of horror, certainly for writers and readers of this particular website, as well as for those around this globe. Whether it’s monstrous deities or Elder Gods, the Great Old Ones come up regularly in pop culture – be it comic books, books, film, comic books, video games, comic books or board games.
Arkham Horror, from Fantasy Flight Games and publisher Asmodee, is one of the best, most compelling, horror-tinged co-operative games available and has been a staple go-to for lovers of H.P. Lovecraft’s fiction. Players take on the role of dark-world investigators in the early part of the twentieth century, trying to rid the world of ancient, strange and monstrous beings whose aim is to overtake our existence.
It’s all been foretold, you see. Greet Cthulhu will rise and bring madness, death and the end of existence.
In an effort to save the world, we here at Biff Bam Pop! have played Arkham Horror a number of times, and, sorry to say, we’re all inevitably doomed.
One of the great aspects of the board game and it’s ancillary series of card games, is the art. Images of the monsters that Lovecraft dreamed up over a century ago, and the American gothic locales: creepy towns, abandoned seaside places and far-off landscapes have been eerily (and delightfully) captured by the imagination and talent of a myriad of artists.
Over the years, players of the games have clamoured for collections of this artwork, large-sized reproductions of, well let’s face it, things that should not be seen by human eyes.
Asmodee has now teamed with comic book publisher, Dark Horse Comics, specifically, their “book” imprint, Dark Horse Books, and released the highly anticipated The Art of Arkham Horror HC.
The Art of Arkham Horror is a 192-page hardcover compilation that allows readers to explore the bizarre and terrifying town of Arkham, Massachusetts, the place where the board game is set. It is a place full of terrifying entities and the brave townsfolk that battle them. Every locale and character that is familiar to game players is presented in a large format – so that every detail can be examined, scrutinized and enjoyed.
If you love the game or the strange fiction that inspired it, or if you’re a lover of horror or fine art, The Art of Arkham Horror is a book you must obtain.
Dream no more!
Make the run to your local comic book shop today and pick up The Art of Arkham Horror and, finally, know the unknowable.
“Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn.”
