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Literary metafiction mashups are all the rage these days, and it was inevitable that sooner or later someone would bring together two of the most famous literary giants, Shakespeare and Lovecraft. BD turns the indie spotlight on D.R. O’Brien who is adapting his own “Shakespeare Vs. Lovecraft” novella into graphic novel form for a bizarre tale of wit and eldritch terror. The story follows Prospero, who discovers the coveted Necronomicon, giving rise to Cthulhu and his pals. It’s up to Shakespeare’s greatest heroes to save the world from oblivion in what can only be an outlandish horror comedy.
Prospero, driven dangerously insane by prolonged exposure to the dread Necronomicon, makes a terrible pact with the titanic alien beast known only as Cthulhu. Now only his enchantress daughter Miranda and a handful of history’s greatest heroes are all that stand between humanity and blasphemous eternal subjugation. It’s a bloodbath of Shakespearean proportions as Cthulhu and his eldritch companions come at our protagonists from all manner of strange geometric angles in a hideous and savage battle for supremacy.
Check out the trailer below.
We’ve got a preview of the graphic novel adaptation too with some great art by Curt Sibling.
A few years ago, Neil Gaiman was approached by DC Comics to write a new chapter in the Sandman series. He referred to it as Sandman Zero, it would tell the story of what Dream was up to, when he was captured by humans, trying to enslave Death.
However, Gaiman describes the contract offered as less than ideal, giving him similar terms as when he began the book. And, that as a sucessful and famous fantasy author, his added value was considerable. He proposed a solution, to increase the percentage on his other Sandman work being printed over a much longer period of time, that would make up for the loss. DC Comics declined, so Gaiman went on to write the novel The Graveyard book instead, which did very well.
Now, seemingly in the light of Before Watchmen, DC have approached Neil Gaiman again. And based on the bar talk at San Diego last night, we can presume that this time, if it is indeed the same Sandman premise and not something new, negotiations have been more successful.
And on art, is one artist who I was told had a new project, Batwoman and Promethea‘s JH Williams III.
If true, one might expect an announcement sooner rather than later. DC Vertigo are publishing the new Sandman Slipcase Set, a new collection of Gaiman’s Neil Gaiman’s Midnight Days Deluxe Edition work and there is a prominent Sandman visual at the San Diego booth this year. I’d heard some rumours about Sandman being reintroduced into the New52 recently that were denied at the highest levels, so I didn’t report them. This one is far more widespread however, and also a tad more believable.
Especially with the rumour that Williams III had a big new DC project to announce this week…
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Literary metafiction mashups are all the rage these days, and it was inevitable that sooner or later someone would bring together two of the most famous literary giants, Shakespeare and Lovecraft. BD turns the indie spotlight on D.R. O’Brien who is adapting his own “Shakespeare Vs. Lovecraft” novella into graphic novel form for a bizarre tale of wit and eldritch terror. The story follows Prospero, who discovers the coveted Necronomicon, giving rise to Cthulhu and his pals. It’s up to Shakespeare’s greatest heroes to save the world from oblivion in what can only be an outlandish horror comedy. 
