A serious Lovecraft infestation spreads its tentacles through comics in early 2012. Infestation 2…

“is a 2012 multi-property crossover event that includes most of IDW Publishing’s licensed [comics] properties at time of publishing” […]

The first manifestation is an interesting concept… steampunk-era Transformers “strive against the incomprehensible evil of H.P. Lovecraft’s Elder Gods” during America’s Industrial Revolution, with the aid of Telsa…

This gripping [comic book] issue sets the stage for Lovecraft’s “Old Ones” to break through time and space and invade many titles, including TRANSFORMERS, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, and a special fifth-week one-shot, INFESTATION: TEAM-UP, featuring Bat Boy and GROOM LAKE’s grey alien Archibald in February. Then in March, the Infestation spreads even further, infecting TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES and G.I. JOE. In April, vampires battle zombies in 30 DAYS OF NIGHT: INFESTATION, followed by the stunning closing issue, INFESTATION 2 #2.

I’m not sure if the plots of all these get interlinked, but it sounds like they do. I somehow doubt I’ll be reading these to find out, but I love to observe the clever combinations of talent, conceptualisation, and marketing that goes into time-limited storytelling campaigns like this. There are even special temporary tattoos in each issue, thus kicking back against digital piracy. Perhaps the more staid book publishing world has something to learn from this sort of advanced combination of marketing and interlinked talent, focused into a three month period and harnessed to brands?