Horton Fails His Sanity Roll
October 9, 2011 6:49 PM   Subscribe

DeviantArt artist DrFaustusAU has been hard at work on a Dr. Seuss-inspired adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's The Call Of Cthulhu. It's not finished, but you can see what he's done so far: Cover, Page 1, Pages 2-3, Pages 4-5, Pages 6-7, Pages 8-9, Pages 10-11.
posted by hippybear (28 comments total) 35 users marked this as a favorite
 
Ia! The Places You'll Go!
posted by Strange Interlude at 6:50 PM on October 9, 2011 [11 favorites]


I was going to make a joke based on the title of Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are, but actually that actual Seuss book is already very Lovecraftian. The hanger out hanging in space and the lost sock in the Caverns of Crock are especially chilling.
posted by DU at 6:51 PM on October 9, 2011 [2 favorites]


ps: actual actuality, actually
posted by DU at 6:52 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


It has been a long day now with the san loss? Arg.
posted by vrakatar at 6:53 PM on October 9, 2011


This makes sense, given the decidely weird geometry found in Seuss' illustrations.
posted by KingEdRa at 6:57 PM on October 9, 2011 [4 favorites]


This is an adorable concept, and I love the art, but again! Ending two sentences in words that sound the same != Suess. I wish more people understood that.
posted by katillathehun at 6:58 PM on October 9, 2011 [4 favorites]


Some clunky reaches for rhymes. He could use an editor. A lot are pretty easy to better without changing meaning.
posted by LucretiusJones at 7:03 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


Lovley! See also Lovecraft's original and Goodnight Dune.
posted by jeffburdges at 7:08 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


Some clunky reaches for rhymes. He could use an editor. A lot are pretty easy to better without changing meaning.

Agreed, and the illustrations are - well - just so Suessian that I'm not so sure if this more than just clever. But clever it is.
posted by the noob at 7:18 PM on October 9, 2011


How would SAN loss manifest in 4-6 year old children?

I'm leaning towards that exposure to the unknowable might expand their minds, having not yet been fully formed (sanity loss being a disruption of preconceived notions/expectations), or at the very least act as some form of occultish inoculation.

It's been a really long time since I've read them, but how old was Laviny when she first encountered Shub Niggurath (?) (or was getting knocked up the first time?) and how did the children of Dunwich deal with the Deep Ones - accepting their 'odd' cousins? The citizens seemed, for the most part, passably normal. For the most part.

/yeah, that Cthulhu is even cuter than the plush Cthulhus (although that's the first time I've seen the big headed (not really) plush... hmm, tough call)

Speaking of cute, for anyone not yet acquainted, Hello Cthulhu. Warning: very very very PINK
posted by porpoise at 7:50 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


Anyone who tries to rhyme "society" with "Missouri" should be shot.
posted by 4ster at 7:58 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


I am the Lorax, and I speak for THE GOAT WITH A MILLION EYES.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:14 PM on October 9, 2011 [7 favorites]


Can't get more Lovecraftian than the original. Creeps me out every time.
posted by feckless at 8:34 PM on October 9, 2011 [6 favorites]


Anyone who tries to rhyme attempt to conflate in any way "society" with "Missouri" should be shot.

FTFY, 4ster.

/MO Mule, born & raised.
posted by IAmBroom at 8:36 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


Now, bizarre Rl'yeh creatures
Were sleeping in scars
Arcane Rl'yeh dreamers
Awaiting right stars

T̴h̶o͏se sta̸r̨s w̷ere̴n̷’t ̡s̴o͜ ̴b́i͠g.̴ They wer̷e re̢al͏l͠y so şm̸a̕ll.
Y͓o̲̯̻̻̲̹̮u͍̻͕̼̼ ̤̗͙̞̜ͅm̟i̧͈͇̳͎̪g̶̱͈͖͓̪͉h̡̩̤͕͈̜̥t̵͍̞ ͖͍̼̲̬͚ͅt͔̰h͇̠̭̹͚̀i̧͕͇͔̝̲n͍̯k͜ ̶̲͚̩̮̻̲̘ş̳͕u̩c̥h͠ ̲̳̻͚͟a̯̬̯̦ ̹̣͓̥͝ͅt̠̝̮̫h̻̙̥̰i̖̝̟͍͖̟̮ng͎̰͇̘ ̢̤̻ẁ͉̫̞͓̗̻̰ǫ̗̝̱̟u̘̘̩͇̳̦͜ͅḽ̨d̛̻͇̟̼̜n̸̖̺̠̣̹͖’̜̀t͓̻̦ ̧̞͍͚̦͈m̭̟̞͇̦͎̲a̭̯͉͇̟ṯ̗t̠͈e͎̼̩͔̥̟ͅr̢͈͇͇ ̨̘̲̬̭a̘̰̩͎͠ͅt͎̼͇ ̷̜͇͕̱̘̞a̴͓͉̝l̰͎l͙͇̮̥

posted by Rhaomi at 9:02 PM on October 9, 2011 [2 favorites]


The Cat In The Hat is a malevolent force of destruction and brings with him strange servants. Lovecraft's existential terror, madness and death are at least more familiar than the terrifying whimsy of children's books.

The Land of Laughs exploits this nicely
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 9:14 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


Very nice artwork. Too bad the font isn't right. Pretty sure it wasn't Bodoni. Google shows a version of Garamond. Points subtracted.
posted by scrowdid at 9:19 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


Yeah, this is why picture books tend to be written and illustrated by two different people. The artwork is awesome; the rhymes, they are not.
posted by lollusc at 11:06 PM on October 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


The illustration's delightful, the rhyme's woeful. Mind you, that's the thing about Dr Seuss, that it's really really really difficult to write English verse as concise and snappy as the original.

(The little statue on p11 is perfect. Just perfect.)
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 11:08 PM on October 9, 2011


If it was 'concise and snappy' it wouldn't be Lovecraft.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 11:34 PM on October 9, 2011


If it was 'concise and snappy' it wouldn't be Lovecraft.

Well, you try a describing a colour out of space that doesn't fall within the normal visible light spectrum or convey how extradimensional architecture is defined by a mathematics that our minds lack the biological ability to conceive and understand. Sheesh! And don't even get me started on how Seuss' On Beyond Zebra was about discovering the secret letters of the Alphabet in order to control reality ...
posted by KingEdRa at 1:10 AM on October 10, 2011 [1 favorite]


The Shadow Over Who-Ville (self-link)
posted by Legomancer at 5:30 AM on October 10, 2011 [2 favorites]


Thank you, Feckless, for drawing attention to what I have long thought of as two of the most terrifying illustrations ever.
posted by Verdant at 6:15 AM on October 10, 2011


I don't know if it's really kosher to use fhtagn in a rhyme.
posted by IAmUnaware at 6:18 AM on October 10, 2011


I belabor the issue of rhyming once more,
though I did in the thread that came shortly before:
Seuss's poesy didn't just stop at end rhyme,
(or rhyme that won't even rhyme half the time)

two weak beats and one strong is called an anapest
When you put four together it's one of the best
Meters for rhyming. If you'd like to see,
It's present throughout comical poetry:

'Twas the Night Before Christmas,
Carroll's Hunting the Snark, and then
big heaps of Byron, though he's less of a lark.

What I'm trying to get at in some way that's nice,
If you must parody Seuss, then please be precise.
If your meter is dangling floppy and loose,
Put it back in your pants, man, you're not Dr. Seuss.
posted by beefetish at 9:46 AM on October 10, 2011 [7 favorites]


that being said those illustrations are pertty dope
posted by beefetish at 9:46 AM on October 10, 2011


At last! My theory that the Cat in the Hat was simply the Elder Things preparing us for the return of the Shoggoth to our world will finally be vindicated!

And then we'll all die in madness.
posted by quin at 2:13 PM on October 10, 2011


Well in this guy's defense, you try coming up with a rhyme for ftagn.
posted by JHarris at 6:15 PM on October 10, 2011


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