The Courtyard (Alan Moore’s…)

 COAM   (Avatar, 2003)

© 2003 Avatar Press Inc.

Moore’s tale of horror, told in the Lovecraftian mode, falls a bit short of his usual high standards. It would be easy to lay the blame on Johnston — he’s the writer who adapted Moore’s story to the comics page for this two-issue mini-series. But it’s not his fault. Moore wanted to tell a tale in the Lovecraft tradition, but setting it in the near-future (Moore’s choice, not Johnston’s), instead of the Lovecraft era, feels like a mistake.

Instead of an atmosphere of wonder and dread, more time is spent wallowing in a scene of squalor and urban decay. It’s here that the hero, an FBI agent investigating a seemingly unconnected set of ritualistic slayings, is introduced. His search leads him to a band whose hideous otherworldly lyrics might be inspiring the killer. Or it may just seem that way until he finds himself face to face with some good old Cthulhu-type gods.

This first issue feels more like Garth Ennis on one of his more disgusting days, going for shock value and not for the sophisticated suspense that is still Moore’s hallmark. The second (and final) issue may improve things.

— Stephen C. George

		Notes	Writer	Artist
	#1 Variation A Date:  1/1/2003 Cover Price:  $3.50 NM Guide:  $2.25 2 copies available from $1.72		Alan Moore	Jacen Burrows
	#1 Variation B Date:  1/1/2003 Cover Price:  $3.95 NM Guide:  $2.75 No copies available	Wraparound cover	Alan Moore	Jacen Burrows
	#1 Variation C Date:  1/1/2003 Cover Price:  $3.50 NM Guide:  $3.50 No copies available	Autographed cover	Alan Moore	Jacen Burrows
	#1 Variation D Date:  Cover Price:  $2.30 NM Guide:  $2.30 No copies available	Signed edition; Sold as incentive for Neonomicon trades; ca. 2011	Alan Moore	Jacen Burrows
	#2 Variation A Date:  2/1/2003 Cover Price:  $3.50 NM Guide:  $3.50 1 copy available for $14.99		Alan Moore	Jacen Burrows
	#2 Variation B Date:  2/1/2003 Cover Price:  $3.95 NM Guide:  $15.00 1 copy available for $14.99	Wraparound cover	Alan Moore	Jacen Burrows
	Book #1 Date:  1/1/2004 Cover Price:  $6.95 NM Guide:  $2.25 1 copy available for $29.99	Collects #1 & 2; Introduction by Garth Ennis; Credits list Antony Johnston for Sequential Adaption	Alan Moore, Antony Johnston, Garth Ennis	Jacen Burrows
	Book #1 (2nd printing) Date:  2/1/2009 Cover Price:  $7.99 NM Guide:  $12.00 No copies available	Collects #1 & 2; Introduction by Warren Ellis; Credits list Antony Johnston for Sequential Adaption	Alan Moore, Garth Ennis, Antony Johnston	Jacen Burrows