A l a n M o o r e ' s T h e C o u r t y a r d

ALAN MOORE'S THE COURTYARD
Story by Alan Moore. Adaptation by Antony Johnston. Artwork by Jacen Burrows
Published 2003 by Avatar Press
56pp, perfect bound
Price $6.95
ISBN 1-59291-015-7

Alan Moore's The Courtyard drags the Cthulhu Mythos kicking and screaming (should that be squelching and slithering?) into the modern world. The year is 2004. A government agent is working alone on a covert mission in Red Hook, living rough in a squalid apartment block. He's investigating a series of bizarre and apparently motiveless murders. A lead takes him to Club Zothique where young people flock to hear a band called Ulthar Cats and sample Aklo, a new drug that has just hit the streets. The agent seeks out local pusher Johnny Carcosa...

The Courtyard Issue 1 successfully translates Lovecraft's world into the here and now with all the paranoia and degradation that you associate with Delta Green. Moore's writing peppers the tale with enough references to keep Mythos fans happy, but without alienating the casual reader. Issue1 sets expectations high and leaves open plenty of opportunities to exploring the many facets of the Cthulhu Mythos.

Unfortunately, this potential is not realised and the story is too quickly resolved in Issue 2. This is where The Courtyard really disappoints. There are so many loose ends. It feels like there are at least two issues missing; that this was a longer story edited down. For example, the discovery made at the end of the first issue is just left hanging. It has very little relevance to the rest of the story. Issue Two's cover is a collage of flyers for Ulthar Cat's gig at Zothique – but neither the club nor band is even mentioned in the second half of the story. This typifies how The Courtyard's early ambitions are not followed through. The ending is logical and in keeping with the genre – it just happens much too soon. The narrative doesn't fully develop to its full potential.

That said however, The Courtyard is well worth picking up. It would be a useful way to introduce the casual role player into the world of Delta Green in twenty minutes without giving them a novel or short story collection to trawl through. Jacen Burrows' artwork perfectly matches the tone of the storyline – both in capturing the squalor of the city and the unnamed heroes' final revelation.

The Courtyard is a grim and gripping short story – but it could have been so much more.

© Andy Bennison