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Reilly, Rogers, and Weeks Re-write History with “Herald: Lovecraft & Tesla” #1 [Advance Review]

By | October 17th, 2014
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

In my “Best of the Rest” Soliciting Multiversity column, I sold “Herald: Lovecraft & Tesla” as having the potential to be the ultimate in science bros team-up stories. Having actually read the first issue of the series, I can say with full confidence that it lays claim to even more charms than you’d expect.

Read our spoiler-free advance review below to find out more.

Written by John Reilly
Illustrated by Tom Rogers & Dexter Weeks

When Nikola Tesla’s fiancée, Amelia Earhart, steals a dangerous prototype engine for a trans-Atlantic flight, Tesla seeks out the interdimensional expertise of HP Lovecraft to save her. Lovecraft, however, has problems of his own as he investigates the identity of Cthulhu’s Herald.

Lovecraft and Tesla joining forces. The pitch probably wrote itself. The rest of the comic book must have taken considerable skill on the part of writer John Reilly, because “Herald: Lovecraft & Tesla” is a dense, potentially super-rewarding read. We begin with Amelia Earhart about to set off on her fateful trip across the Atlantic, which serves not only the time and place that the title will take place in, but serves to inform us about the fiction. After all, Nikola Tesla is dating Earhart, because of course he is. “Herald” is not afraid of breaking history for the sake of maximum fun. It will prove that point ten-fold, later on. For now, we’re given Earhart as a brash companion for Tesla, though our time with her will obviously be short-lived. I won’t spoil the rest of the book, but know that Earhart’s real-life disappearance is what sets the plot in motion, in earnest.

As Tesla struggles with his loss and how to fix things, he finds his life falling apart in other ways too, so much so that he ends up having to rely on one H.P. Lovecraft for help in a turn of events both fantastical and yet somehow perfectly logically explained in the fiction of the series. You see, “Herald” goes beyond just the buddy pairing of the two titular geek icons; “Herald” pulls in choice historical figures and pulp urban legend elements at will to craft a larger world, like if the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen were made up of actual once-living beings with deliciously exaggerated personalities. Here, Tesla plays the highly determined optimist (and one hell of a born romantic to boot, ladies and gentlemen) and Lovecraft plays the literal basement-dwelling meddler. Lovecraft got the short end of the stick for the sake of some good comedy, but he’s also been left room to redeem himself, certainly. Beyond that, appearances by Earhart, Harry Houdini, and some choice references to a mysterious “Planet X” paint “Herald” as a story of histories most adventurous souls meeting the otherworldly and supernatural.

While it could easily have been a bunch of winks and nods to how funny and cool it is that Lovecraft and Tesla get to team up, in actuality “Herald” ends up being a fully fleshed and well-crafted story that just happens to star these real men and women of notable history. These characters inhabit living, breathing lives outside of each others’ spheres of influence, and only come together because of mutual interest and necessity. It’s as organic as an anachronistic set of circumstances can be, and it’s all done in the name of powerful storytelling. There’s real humor and emotion here – not manufactured thanks to the names used, but carefully crafted by all the storytellers.

And the strength of the storytelling comes through fully realized in the cartoony caricatured version of Earth as we know it, in the art of Rogers and Weeks. But being cartoony caricatures that recall an expressive “Horrible Histories” approach to the time period doesn’t prevent the book from hitting you in the gut with optimism, dread, wonder, or nostalgia, when it means to evoke those things. The opening pages with Amelia Earhart present a larger than life picture of an epic voyage about to begin. There’s confidence and optimism brimming – only we know what will actually become of her. Later, as Tesla toils his life as he knows it away, the results depicted appropriately swift, cruel, and ultimately heartbreakingly. This is even more effective when paired with the clear visual determination on Tesla’s face when it comes to picking up the pieces and righting the ship.

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Just as Tesla’s characteristic determination is evident in the way he’s portrayed by the artists, so too are the frustrated Lovecraft’s many character flaws. He’s an outsider, and doesn’t react kindly to a world that he clearly doesn’t feel like a participant in. And when the two characters meet, the comic becomes something other than a character study of two cult heroes. “Herald” becomes a surprisingly strong exercise in paranormal tension. It visually paces itself well, leaving its most rewarding aspects for the end of the first issue, including some design work that is positively, well, “Lovecraftian.” Just as in the literal storytelling, there are surprises to be uncovered in the art – aspects that should be paid attention to, as they will surely pay off later.

That’s the sort of careful effort that went into “Herald: Lovecraft & Tesla” – the kind that produces added value and enjoyment upon re-reading. What looks like a simple buddy-buddy pairing on its face really becomes something much stronger in the actual telling. Strong character definition, exaggerations made in the name of pure fun, and an attention to detail make “Herald” a book to keep on your radar. You can find it digitally right now, and it’s not too late to pre-order it from your LCS. If you have any affection for the historical names involved, give this one a chance to surprise you with an even deeper experience.

Final Verdict: 8.6 – “Herald: Lovecraft & Tesla” is a comic book that celebrates the reasons why its main characters are so revered to begin with, and is definitely more than meets the eye.


Vince Ostrowski

Dr. Steve Brule once called him "A typical hunk who thinks he knows everything about comics." Twitter: @VJ_Ostrowski

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