Fall of Cthulhu Volume 1: The Fugue is a comic book omnibus collecting the first five issues of Michael Alan Nelson's Cthulhu Mythos series Fall of Cthulhu. First published by Boom! Studios in February 2008, both trade paperback and digital editions were released.
Synopsis[]
Prologue[]
In eighth century Damascus, the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred is executed for writing the fabled Al-Azif. In the present day his corpse is retrieved and reanimated by Mr. Arkham.
Issue 1: "Harlot"[]
Cy Morgan, a student at Arkham's prestigious Miskatonic University, meets his uncle, who hands him a duffel bag of occult notes and makes him promise to put a stop to an unspecified something before killing himself.
Later that night, Cy unwittingly travels to the Dreamlands where he meets the enigmatic being known as the Harlot, and begins to learn that his uncle may not have been as crazy as he first believed.
The next day, Cy visits his uncle's old apartment - in a boarding house run by Mr. Arkham - and discovers a statue to Cthulhu concealed in the closet.
Issue 2: "The Black Chorus"[]
As Cy's relationship with his girlfriend Jordan begins to break down, he discovers a cultist in his uncle's apartment; the man kills himself before providing any answers. Later, a friend whom Cy had tasked with deciphering some of his uncle's notes is found nearly dead with his jaw torn off.
During another trip to the Dreamlands, The Harlot begins to explain the nature of the Cthulhu Cult.
Issue 3: "The Hunt"[]
As Cy and Jordan's relationship continues to deteriorate, Mr. Arkham tries to convince him that the recent events are down to the malice of the human spirit rather than anything supernatural.
Back in the Dreamlands, Cy bargains with the Harlot for knowledge; she puts him in touch with a cult to the Elder God Nodens.
Issue 4: "Lucky"[]
Nodens' cultists attempt to kill Cy, resulting in a confrontation with some Nightgaunts and a standoff between the Harlot and the Elder God.
Desperate to make things right with Jordan, Cy gifts all of his uncle's belongings to Mr. Arkham, but when he returns home discovers that Jordan has killed herself.
Issue 5: "The Conductor"[]
Devastated by the loss of Jordan, Cy comes to the realisation that Mr. Arkham is not who he appears to be, a revelation which drives him to madness and incarceration in a mental health institution. Mr. Arkham subsequently retrieves an artefact required to enact his plan.
As Cy's mind retreats to the Dreamlands, he begs the Harlot for release; she takes his soul and grants him paradise.