New Graphic Novel Spotlight: HP Lovecraft’s Beauty and the Beast by Trevor Markwart

By John Freeman on July 29, 2022

In HP Lovecraft’s Beauty and the Beast, when archaeology student Omorphia takes up residence at the estate of the disfigured occultist known only as The Beast, she uncovers clues to her own mysterious past, while spiralling into a world of alien races and ghouls and strange science…

This is the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, recast as a vision of Cosmic Horror set in 1930’s New England, an imagined lost work of the Weird Fiction master, adapted in graphic novel form by Trevor Markwart, available now from Markosia – and it looks pretty creepy to us!

Canadian comic creator Trevor Markwart loves horror comics and is largely drawing books like HP Lovecraft’s Beauty and the Beast to live out his childhood dream of being an EC Comics / Warren artist.

Trevor is currently working on Omorphia, a sequel to HP Lovecraft’s Beauty and the Beast

His other works include Tales From the Black Circle – legendary real-life horror stories from the 1990s Norwegian black metal music scene, told like a 1950s EC-style horror comic book. A high-concept graphic novel, it offers murder, church burnings, satanic rituals, cannibalism, death, obsession, and rock and roll in one heady mix.

“Three horror hosts introduce the dramatic stories of heavy metal musicians who dressed up as corpses and, when they weren’t making records and giving concerts, terrorised Scandinavia,” Trevor explained in a 2018 interview for Daily Dead. “They made themselves larger-than-life horror characters. Dramatic and operatic in scope, the stories are nonetheless meticulously researched, even down to the writer interviewing people who were there on the scene.

Markosia was established in 2005 and has become one of the UK’s leading Independent publishers, particularly in the graphic novel field. The publisher has gained a reputation for producing a diverse range of comic books, graphic novels, children’s picture books and prose novels that cover all genres, with the highest possible production values.

• Buy HP Lovecraft’s Beauty and the Beast from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link) | ISBN 978-1915387233 | Check out the project on the Markosia web site here

• Follow Trevor Markwart on Twitter | ArtStation

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.