Fans of H.P. Lovecraft have a reason to rejoice as Dynamite Entertainment is getting ready to launch a new ‘Reanimator’ comic this spring!
The book is being handled by writer Keith Davidsen with Randy Valiente on the art. Davidson has worked on quite a few series that were based on previous works including the classic ‘Battlestar Galactica’, ‘Grimm’, ‘The Green Hornet’, and ‘Ash and the Army of Darkness’ just to name a few. Valiente has previously illustrated quite a bit of horror, having brought us ‘The Twilight Zone’, ‘Vampirella’, and most importantly when it comes to this project ‘Army of Darkness: ReAnimator’. Yes, we’ve already seen Valiente work on this particular brand of Lovecraft in the past!
The latest installment of ‘Reanimator’ follows the life of Dr. Herbert West as he once more attempts to bring about immortality by defeating death’s grip on humanity, ideally in a way that doesn’t match his initial creations. This time around West will be in New Orleans with a new sidekick in tow. In a town known for voodoo, bringing back the dead may have a new set of consequences for everyone’s favorite mad scientist and there is a special bonus for Lovecraft fans that will be found in the pages of this four issue miniseries.
According to Davidsen:
“H.P. Lovecraft is one of the most impactful writers of the 20th century, an influence on such comic book luminaries as Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, and Mike Mignola, so giving Herbert West – one of his most beloved characters – a well-deserved spotlight in an all-new series just feels right.
That’s the beauty of the character. He’s so fanatical with his zombie-creating agenda that he’ll clash with anyone that threatens his work. We’re introducing some truly fearsome rivals for West to face, including elements of Lovecraft’s own Cthulhu mythos, and horror fans will love seeing how West navigates or conquers them.”
Voodoo and the Cthulhu mythos? Color me intrigued!
Valiante adds:
“I like working on Reanimator because of the atmosphere and the tones of the characters and stories. I have been interested in how the brain works and Dr. West is an interesting psychopath, pure intellect without emotion. Also, I am a big fan of H.P. Lovecraft. I did a couple stories many years ago with Dagon and his other sea monsters, and I realized that I have this fascination of drawing tentacles and creatures and creepy stuff. I like organic elements on my drawings, and Lovecraftian stories fit that well. It’s kind of strange, but sometimes his characters give me chills when I go swimming — you know, tentacles might come out of the water, or a creature could pop out in front of you. It’s scary as hell.”
Of course, West won’t be working alone and he has a new sidekick in tow to work with. Who is she? Well…
“Since West is an amoral character, we need an ‘everywoman’ character that the audience can identify with, and that’s Susan Greene. She’s a little bit lost, a whole lot curious about West’s experiments… but ultimately, she’s a good, likeable person. I think it’s a fun twist on the premise from Doctor Who, that the Doctor needs a grounded Companion to serve as his moral compass… but in the case of Reanimator, we see that Susan feels the seduction of casting her ethics aside.”
There is no word at this time if this take on Herbert West will be the same one that was included in the 2005 one-shot of ‘Reanimator’ that the publisher put out or the ‘Army of Darkness: ReAnimator’ series. Personally I think a fresh take on the man would be best but I’d be just as happy to see nods to the previous material.
We also have some early art from the first issue and more covers for it which you can check out below!
What are your thoughts of the return of Dr. Herbert West to print?
Source: Dynamite Entetainment
