In Q4 2005, in the midst of a nonproductive period, he was exploring new ideas for "stories about monsters with no positive outcome". His publisher introduced him to the Cthulhu Mythos by Howard Phillips Lovecraft. In a subsequent interview with CNews2, Tanabe said how he was impressed by characters who "lose all hope and appetite for life. It is this common thread in Lovecraft's stories that particularly struck me".
In 2007, he drew the romantic drama Kasane (累) in the magazine Comic Beam, published in the same year by Enterbrain, as well as The Outsider (アウトサイダー), loosely adapted from H. P. Lovecraft's short story.
In 2012, he drew an adaptation of Mr. Nobody in Monthly Comic Ryū and it was also subsequently published in three bound volumes by publisher Tokuma Shoten.
In 2015, he drew Lovecraft's The Color Out of Space (異世界の色彩) in Comic Beam, which was published by Enterbrain.
In 2016, Enterbrain published further Lovecraft adaptations of The Haunter of the Dark (闇に這う者) and At the Mountains of Madness (狂気の山脈にて).
In 2018, he drew Lovecraft's The Shadow Out of Time (時を超える影), followed by The Call of Cthulhu (クトゥルフの呼び声) in 2019.
On March 12, 2021, he completed Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Innsmouth (インスマスの影).
Honours
Gou Tanabe has received international recognitions for his manga adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's works. In 2019, his adaptation H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness was nominated for the Best Comic Award at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. his another adaptation H.P. Lovecraft's The Shadow Out of Time went on to win the award for Best Series at the same festival in 2020.. In 2024, his another adaptation H. P. Lovecraft’s The Call of Cthulhu won the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel.
