Longbox Classics: In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe

November 4, 7:21 AMNewark Comic Books ExaminerBrad Ladlee

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Suffering and madness have been sources of artistic inspiration since man first put pen to paper.  Michelangelo was manic-depressive, Lord Byron had a club foot, Frida Kahlo had spina bifida and Philip K Dick suspected that he might have been schizophrenic.  It cannot be denied that some of the world's greatest artistic works have sprung from the dark and terrible recesses of their creator's minds.  Perhaps one of the most popular and mysterious "troubled" artists, Edgar Allan Poe certainly found a creative spark in his sad and doomed existence.  Although famous in his own time, Poe struggled financially his entire adult life and died virtually penniless on the streets of Baltimore.  His last words before his mysterious and bizarre death were rumored to be, "Lord help my poor soul."

Poe's supposed ominous last words are the inspiration for the 2002 graphic novel, In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe published by DC's mature reader's imprint, Vertigo.  Written by Jonathon Scott Fuqua, the grapic novel is an intriguing work of historical fiction that blurs the line between fantasy and reality.  It is a know fact that Poe was plagued by extreme melancholy, alcoholism and an array of personal demons.  However, In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe, the macabre writer's demons may have not just been in his head.

The story begins with modern Poe scholar and fellow sad sack, Sterling Tuttle, discovering Poe's lost diary.  The diary begins with Poe's early and unsuccessful exploits as a professional writer.  Seemingly at the end of his creative rope, Poe is approached by pack of hellish and grotesque creatures from another dimension.  They offer Poe the fame and literary notoriety he so eagerly craves with the stipulation that he may never leave Baltimore.  With his new found diabolic inspiration, Poe's work reaches new heights spawning such classics as The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket and The Raven.  However, much to Poe's horror, his inspirational demon benefactors have begun to make their presence known in his personal life, claiming to have murdered his aging foster father.  Terrified, Poe flees Baltimore in an effort to protect his aunt and young wife from the demons' wrath.  Although, he has seemingly escaped the demons, Poe finds that his ability to write has completely left him and that his young wife has fallen deathly ill.  After the devastating death of his wife, Poe returns to Baltimore to confront his devilish tormentors in a last ditch effort at eternal salvation.  Finishing the frightening account, Tuttle burns the diary, convinced that it would only destroy the already tarnished name of his literary hero.

The beauty of In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe is its seamless blend of fiction with reality.  Poe's demon collaborations are mixed with his actual real life exploits in a way that makes them seem factual.  The wording of Poe's diary reads like something Poe would write.  The visual art of the graphic novel also adds to the blurring of reality.  The narrative is illustrated with photographs by Stephen John Phillips combined with digital renderings by Steven Parke.  The actor portraying Poe in the sequential photographs looks shockingly like Edgar Allan Poe and the digital demons that torment him seem like actual, visceral creatures.  It is easy to get lost in In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe and accept it as a dark and disturbing historical record.  Perhaps Poe was actually plagued by demons from some hellish realm, even if they were a product of his own personal mental madness.