billie_visible's review against another edition
5.0
Really and truly this has climbed to the top of the list of my favorite books in Alan Moore's bibliography, and I'm somewhat ashamed that it took me so long to dig into what can be said is one of his most overwhelmingly underrated works to date. I fell hard and fast for this comic book (described as thus in the preference of the Grumpy Old Man himself, despite the fact that it is, by all means, a graphic novel at 500+ pages) due in essence to the following three tenants:
1.) The humane treatment and background writing of the Whitechapel victims - in the age of true crime, there's something to be said about the way Moore crafts and shapes stories around the lives of the woman who were murdered by the man deemed the most prolific serial killer of all time. More often than not, his victims are regarded as merely background details, and it's with a shocking amount of humanity that their lives are examined, treated, and displayed. Having read this in proximity to nonfiction pieces detailing sexual mores of the early 20th century, it's also fascinating to see the array of small details incorporated regarding sexual health, societal norms, and the role of prostitution in Victorian London portrayed in accurate detail.
2.) The illustrations here are a fantastic stylistic break for someone with sensory overload issues. While I love Watchmen and League, I sometimes struggle with other comics and their oversaturation of images, colors, and detailing. From Hell features simplistic black-and-white panels and seemingly shifts its energy into the stylistic choice of its text which isn't too over the top, making it easy to focus on both the action of the story while still enjoying the graphic images.
3.) Despite the prevalent twists and turns common in AM novels, this one is fairly easy to follow along with. There were a few times I found myself prodded forward from my seat, jolted by the sudden appearance of a new mesmerizing element, but as a whole, the narrative is simplistic even while supporting a few stories-within-stories that range from occultism to mistaken identities to time-travel and back.
This was, a joyous read even in its despair, and a reminder that despite the fact that I'd probably get into a screaming match with the author if I ever actually met him in a pub, he is without a doubt one of the most brilliant writers of our time.
1.) The humane treatment and background writing of the Whitechapel victims - in the age of true crime, there's something to be said about the way Moore crafts and shapes stories around the lives of the woman who were murdered by the man deemed the most prolific serial killer of all time. More often than not, his victims are regarded as merely background details, and it's with a shocking amount of humanity that their lives are examined, treated, and displayed. Having read this in proximity to nonfiction pieces detailing sexual mores of the early 20th century, it's also fascinating to see the array of small details incorporated regarding sexual health, societal norms, and the role of prostitution in Victorian London portrayed in accurate detail.
2.) The illustrations here are a fantastic stylistic break for someone with sensory overload issues. While I love Watchmen and League, I sometimes struggle with other comics and their oversaturation of images, colors, and detailing. From Hell features simplistic black-and-white panels and seemingly shifts its energy into the stylistic choice of its text which isn't too over the top, making it easy to focus on both the action of the story while still enjoying the graphic images.
3.) Despite the prevalent twists and turns common in AM novels, this one is fairly easy to follow along with. There were a few times I found myself prodded forward from my seat, jolted by the sudden appearance of a new mesmerizing element, but as a whole, the narrative is simplistic even while supporting a few stories-within-stories that range from occultism to mistaken identities to time-travel and back.
This was, a joyous read even in its despair, and a reminder that despite the fact that I'd probably get into a screaming match with the author if I ever actually met him in a pub, he is without a doubt one of the most brilliant writers of our time.
bubblescotch's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
inge_k's review against another edition
5.0
Obra maestra, denme más estrellas para ponerle.
No sabía que toda la historia que rodeó los asesinatos de Jack el Destripador fuera tan fascinante. Aquí, además, se referencia cada página y casi cada viñeta de la novela a archivos policiales, investigaciones de expertos, biografías, etc. siempre que las hay, dando respaldo a casi cada diálogo. Y cuando no, te dicen: esto me lo he inventado, pero pienso que fue así por esto y por esto.
Más allá: excelente lección de historia de la época victoriana, excelente novela, excelente cadencia oscura, lluviosa e impregnada de humedad. Y excelente ejercicio de asomarse a la mente de un asesino en serie.
No sabía que toda la historia que rodeó los asesinatos de Jack el Destripador fuera tan fascinante. Aquí, además, se referencia cada página y casi cada viñeta de la novela a archivos policiales, investigaciones de expertos, biografías, etc. siempre que las hay, dando respaldo a casi cada diálogo. Y cuando no, te dicen: esto me lo he inventado, pero pienso que fue así por esto y por esto.
Más allá: excelente lección de historia de la época victoriana, excelente novela, excelente cadencia oscura, lluviosa e impregnada de humedad. Y excelente ejercicio de asomarse a la mente de un asesino en serie.
sarah0_0's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
calalo's review against another edition
4.0
Se nota una dedicación envidiable para crear un camino complicado que sospecho intencional y por consecuente eficaz. Hay que saber manejar recursos para sacar adelante una historia que se resuelve en los primeros capitulos, y más merito cuando la trama tiene origen en una teoría conspirativa refrita con menos validez que un meme. Tal vez el único contratiempo, y no menor, sea la manía recurrente de hacer el laberinto más complicado de lo necesario, un poco de fluidez no merma la exigencia tan caracteristica que Moore confia en los lectores (pruebas? Providence)
*El color de la versión masterizada alivia un poco el dolor de cabeza, lamentablemente no elimina el exceso de dialogos que algunos capitulos sufren más que otros.
*El color de la versión masterizada alivia un poco el dolor de cabeza, lamentablemente no elimina el exceso de dialogos que algunos capitulos sufren más que otros.
therightprofile's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75
mschlat's review against another edition
5.0
Alan Moore writes insanely good fanfic.
Okay, what do I mean by that? Well, Moore often works in a borrowed universe (the Charlton heroes in Watchmen, all of literary creation in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, children's literature in Lost Girls). He writes stories about the what-ifs that, if not derived from fan interest, represent the same current of creativity (e.g., Top 10 is all about what if superheroes had to be cops ala Hill Street Blues). And he uses the staggering amount of detail that marks him as a "true believer" --- he uses the code and references that only a true fan would use.
But what he writes is much more than fanfic for two reasons. First, regardless of the setting, Moore grounds his characters. His works aren't simply mash-ups of archetypes and stereotypes --- the characters are sympathetic and understandable, even in the strangest of settings. Watchmen is a good example --- as a reader, you appreciate why a bunch of men and women would play dress up superhero.
Second, Moore is never afraid to go dark. In fact, the exploration of human fraility, corruptibility, and evil is often a major theme of his work. Moore doesn't just want to play in the genre sandbox --- he wants to dig it up, find the dark soil underneath, and spill blood onto it. As a result, even though many of Moore's works show the typical fan's obsessiveness with genre details, they typically transcend those details.
From Hell is Moore and Eddie Campbell's take on the Jack the Ripper murders. It looks like historical fanfic --- you not only get all the characters you expect, but Oscar Wilde, Aleister Crowley (as a young boy), Joseph Merrick (the Elephant Man), W. B. Yeats, Queen Victoria, and Adolf Hitler's parents. But the details that linger for me aren't the connections, but the touches that Moore gives to add nuance to the work: the staggeringly poor environs of the murdered women, the petty politics present at the inquests, and the fervor of the populace as murder follows murder. As an example, there's a page where Moore and Campbell spend a few panels on the multitude of people who write fake Ripper letters to the police. Each image --- with different people, motivations, and handwriting --- is horrifying.
It's not a whodunit, it's a whydunit, although Moore is not so much providing his theory for the identity of Jack the Ripper as much as using his choice as a means of telling a story. By the end of the book, you understand the crazed logic behind the murders even as you shudder at the consequences. (Thankfully, the ending --- one of my favorite Moore endings --- hints at a bit of justice.)
Note that this is an incredibly violent book. Campbell, in stark and scratchy black and white, does not shy away from the killings, and the chapter with the last murder may be difficult for readers to take. (Strangely enough, most of the uprising about the book --- in the form of preventing its import into various countries --- was focused on the explicit sex scenes and not the violence.)
Returning to the detail, the book ends with copious annotations from Moore outlining source material and page-by-page references. It sounds daunting, but is quite readable. There's also an appendix ("The Dance of the Gull Catchers") where Moore and Campbell give a graphic history of Ripperology, including their parts.
I haven't touched on everything; Moore throws in discussions of English architecture, socialism, the nature of space-time, and hallucinatory transcendence. All or any of the above may strike the reader as either unnecessary or absolutely essential to the themes of the book. For me, this is Moore's most accomplished and far-reaching work. It's not a pleasure to read by any means, but it's incredibly compelling and thoughtful. If you can handle the subject matter, read it.
Okay, what do I mean by that? Well, Moore often works in a borrowed universe (the Charlton heroes in Watchmen, all of literary creation in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, children's literature in Lost Girls). He writes stories about the what-ifs that, if not derived from fan interest, represent the same current of creativity (e.g., Top 10 is all about what if superheroes had to be cops ala Hill Street Blues). And he uses the staggering amount of detail that marks him as a "true believer" --- he uses the code and references that only a true fan would use.
But what he writes is much more than fanfic for two reasons. First, regardless of the setting, Moore grounds his characters. His works aren't simply mash-ups of archetypes and stereotypes --- the characters are sympathetic and understandable, even in the strangest of settings. Watchmen is a good example --- as a reader, you appreciate why a bunch of men and women would play dress up superhero.
Second, Moore is never afraid to go dark. In fact, the exploration of human fraility, corruptibility, and evil is often a major theme of his work. Moore doesn't just want to play in the genre sandbox --- he wants to dig it up, find the dark soil underneath, and spill blood onto it. As a result, even though many of Moore's works show the typical fan's obsessiveness with genre details, they typically transcend those details.
From Hell is Moore and Eddie Campbell's take on the Jack the Ripper murders. It looks like historical fanfic --- you not only get all the characters you expect, but Oscar Wilde, Aleister Crowley (as a young boy), Joseph Merrick (the Elephant Man), W. B. Yeats, Queen Victoria, and Adolf Hitler's parents. But the details that linger for me aren't the connections, but the touches that Moore gives to add nuance to the work: the staggeringly poor environs of the murdered women, the petty politics present at the inquests, and the fervor of the populace as murder follows murder. As an example, there's a page where Moore and Campbell spend a few panels on the multitude of people who write fake Ripper letters to the police. Each image --- with different people, motivations, and handwriting --- is horrifying.
It's not a whodunit, it's a whydunit, although Moore is not so much providing his theory for the identity of Jack the Ripper as much as using his choice as a means of telling a story. By the end of the book, you understand the crazed logic behind the murders even as you shudder at the consequences. (Thankfully, the ending --- one of my favorite Moore endings --- hints at a bit of justice.)
Note that this is an incredibly violent book. Campbell, in stark and scratchy black and white, does not shy away from the killings, and the chapter with the last murder may be difficult for readers to take. (Strangely enough, most of the uprising about the book --- in the form of preventing its import into various countries --- was focused on the explicit sex scenes and not the violence.)
Returning to the detail, the book ends with copious annotations from Moore outlining source material and page-by-page references. It sounds daunting, but is quite readable. There's also an appendix ("The Dance of the Gull Catchers") where Moore and Campbell give a graphic history of Ripperology, including their parts.
I haven't touched on everything; Moore throws in discussions of English architecture, socialism, the nature of space-time, and hallucinatory transcendence. All or any of the above may strike the reader as either unnecessary or absolutely essential to the themes of the book. For me, this is Moore's most accomplished and far-reaching work. It's not a pleasure to read by any means, but it's incredibly compelling and thoughtful. If you can handle the subject matter, read it.
admatthews's review against another edition
4.0
First graphic novel I've read, a gift from someone who knows a lot more about them! Definitely a different manner of reading. Woven together terrifically and the structure focuses nicely on different aspects of the Ripper murders/social phenomenon/lore/popular reaction. Great piece of Victoriana beyond just the Ripper, too. Synthesises all sorts of strands but a very distinct take and voice.