Algernon Blackwood’s The Willows is collected with a new 12-page prequel story never published elsewhere. Join the creators on Friday, December 13th for a release party and book signing.
This immortal novella of extra-dimensional weirdness on the Danube comes to vivid life in graphic comic form thanks to the incredibly detailed black-and-white linework of talented newcomer, Sam Ford. Writer Nathan Carson’s thoughtful retelling reverently preserves the plot while breathing character-driven depth into this all-time classic. Two adventurous women, one British, one Swedish, encounter strange horrors in the Hungarian wilderness of 1907. What they discover on that crumbling sandbar makes them question their sanity, fear for their lives, and revel in otherworldly strangeness.
Readers familiar with the story will delight in seeing it depicted in such painstaking, quality illustrations. And those for whom it is new will want to leave a light on for many nights after.
WHO: Nathan Carson and Sam Ford
WHAT: Algernon Blackwood’s The Willows release party
WHEN: Friday December 13, 6-8pm
WHERE: Floating World Comics, 400 NW Couch St.
“The classic tale of mystery and horror that H. P. Lovecraft himself considered to be the finest supernatural story in English literature finally gets it’s own comic book adaptation.” – Broken Frontier
“Carson and Ford’s graphic novel is an excellent adaptation, building onto the original framework with a modern sensibility and a deeper depiction of the central relationship. Carson respects Blackwood’s language, playing with it in key places to serve the story. Meanwhile, Ford’s Wrightson-esque illustrations bring the setting vividly to life, shifting as fluidly as the narrator’s sense of reality.” – Tor.com
“A sumptuous and remarkable adaptation of the classic story by Algernon Blackwood. This comics version manages to infuse the story not just with the dread and cosmic horror of the original, but also displays a deep appreciation for the natural world. Unexpectedly beautiful.” – Jeff Vandermeer, best-selling author of Borne and Annihilation
“It’s easy to see why Lovecraft revered Algernon Blackwood’s The Willows. It achieved all the mystery, dread, beauty and unearthliness that he strove for in his own work. This gorgeous adaptation, with Sam Ford’s meticulous and obsessive artwork, teems with natural detail and fin de siècle aesthetics. I get the same feeling as when I first discovered the Symbolists. This is a must-have.” – Paul Chadwick, multi-award winning artist and creator of Concrete
“A visually lush experience that beautifully evokes nature’s unpredictability and more menacing aspects: twisted trees cavort with crashing waves as the wildlife simply stares on with empty expressions.” – Rue Morgue
“Four stars…surpasses the original.” – Microphones of Madness
Nathan Carson is a musician, writer, and Moth StorySlam champion from Portland, OR. He is widely known as co-founder and drummer of the internationally touring doom metal band Witch Mountain.
Sam Ford is an acclaimed illustrator, and drummer of the lightning-in-a-bottle musical duo Wizard Rifle. An acclaimed rock poster artist, he mentored with Concrete creator Paul Chadwick.
Algernon Blackwood was a prolific English ghost story writer and a grandfather of today’s Weird Fiction scene. The Willows is revered as one of his greatest contributions to dark, atmospheric literature
Tags: Algernon BlackwoodNathan CarsonSam FordThe Willows