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naro173's review
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
fettup77's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
horrorwine's review against another edition
5.0
Reread for the first time since my teens. Better than i remember, which is really saying something
blaje42's review against another edition
I really struggled to get into this. Did not find much compelling, and when I hit the very long chapter that was, for no clear reason, a tour of some London buildings with a mix of history and conspiracy theories I checked out.
katiescho741's review against another edition
4.0
This is a hefty graphic novel. I love the dark mood of Victorian London as Jack the Ripper stalks the streets, and the sketchy black and white illustrations reflect this.
It's a murder mystery, with conspiracy and police cover ups, and some Freemasons.
I love Moore's work, he tends to take concepts and twist them and make them into something darker. Who knew you could make Jack the Ripper darker?!
I gave this 4 instead of 5 because the Freemason stuff bored me a little bit. but, it's a great graphic novel.
It's a murder mystery, with conspiracy and police cover ups, and some Freemasons.
I love Moore's work, he tends to take concepts and twist them and make them into something darker. Who knew you could make Jack the Ripper darker?!
I gave this 4 instead of 5 because the Freemason stuff bored me a little bit. but, it's a great graphic novel.
bugnate4's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
thundrflap's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ihateprozac's review against another edition
5.0
I don't even know where to start. This book is so long, so complex, and so horrifying, I don't even know how to articulate it. Forgive me Alan Moore, for a review which can't even begin to do you justice.
In a nutshell, From Hell tells what Moore believes to be the true story of Jack the Ripper. Rather than senseless killing of prostitutes borne out of misogyny and hate, Moore theorises that Sir William Gull committed the atrocities partly to cover up a royal indiscretion, and partly out of sheer fucking insanity. The personal doctor to Queen Victoria, Gull was tasked with covering up an illegitimate royal baby, and instead committed absolute fucking butchery.
Instead of quietly silencing four women who had decided to try their hand at blackmail and extortion, Gull's rapidly declining mental health saw him weave this grotesque murderous tale drawing on Freemasonry, religious symbolism, the Devil, and god knows what fucking else. Point is: he was meant to assassinate a few women who were a threat to the Crown, and he instead he committed a massacre.
I bought From Hell a few years ago at the recommendation of my local comic book shop owner and almost immediately experienced buyer's remorse. I am not the kind of person who's into true crime - I've watched 2 episodes of Law & Order SVU in my life and both of them caused me to lose sleep. This is so far from what I enjoy reading and I let it collect dust on my bedroom floor for several years, before finally biting the bullet and deciding not to let my 30 odd dollars go to waste.
I won't lie - the first couple of chapters are an absolute bloody task to get through. You struggle to figure out who the characters are, what on earth they're talking about, and what the chronology of each conversation is. But as you move through the novel the pieces slowly begin to fall into place, and you realise that this is Sir William Gull's story and you're just along for the ride. It's a minecart that's rapidly speeding out of control, so you better hold on and hope you make it out alive.
As someone who can't stomach Law & Order: SVU I found 96% of the novel to be fine. It's revolting to think that Gull felt this way and committed these acts, but the artwork is still fairly benign. However, there are a few panels toward the end of the book - focusing on Gull's last couple of murders - that made me feel physically sick to the stomach. I'd been reading it on a country train with cushy seats and a nice view - not motion sickness inducing at all - and found myself having to put it down before I threw up. I had to quickly put on some soothing music and check Facebook to scrub my brain of it. I don't want to go into it in detail but it involves mutilation of the female body and.....yeah.
On a lighter note, it's absolutely fucking magical the way Moore tracks Gull's descent into insanity, and how he manages to weave this deluded narrative about his mission being core to the fabric of the universe. Then Moore actually does bring an element of magic into it and it somehow fucking works?! On paper this story should be a hot ass mess, but on this particular white paper stock it just works.
In a nutshell, From Hell tells what Moore believes to be the true story of Jack the Ripper. Rather than senseless killing of prostitutes borne out of misogyny and hate, Moore theorises that Sir William Gull committed the atrocities partly to cover up a royal indiscretion, and partly out of sheer fucking insanity. The personal doctor to Queen Victoria, Gull was tasked with covering up an illegitimate royal baby, and instead committed absolute fucking butchery.
Instead of quietly silencing four women who had decided to try their hand at blackmail and extortion, Gull's rapidly declining mental health saw him weave this grotesque murderous tale drawing on Freemasonry, religious symbolism, the Devil, and god knows what fucking else. Point is: he was meant to assassinate a few women who were a threat to the Crown, and he instead he committed a massacre.
I bought From Hell a few years ago at the recommendation of my local comic book shop owner and almost immediately experienced buyer's remorse. I am not the kind of person who's into true crime - I've watched 2 episodes of Law & Order SVU in my life and both of them caused me to lose sleep. This is so far from what I enjoy reading and I let it collect dust on my bedroom floor for several years, before finally biting the bullet and deciding not to let my 30 odd dollars go to waste.
I won't lie - the first couple of chapters are an absolute bloody task to get through. You struggle to figure out who the characters are, what on earth they're talking about, and what the chronology of each conversation is. But as you move through the novel the pieces slowly begin to fall into place, and you realise that this is Sir William Gull's story and you're just along for the ride. It's a minecart that's rapidly speeding out of control, so you better hold on and hope you make it out alive.
As someone who can't stomach Law & Order: SVU I found 96% of the novel to be fine. It's revolting to think that Gull felt this way and committed these acts, but the artwork is still fairly benign. However, there are a few panels toward the end of the book - focusing on Gull's last couple of murders - that made me feel physically sick to the stomach. I'd been reading it on a country train with cushy seats and a nice view - not motion sickness inducing at all - and found myself having to put it down before I threw up. I had to quickly put on some soothing music and check Facebook to scrub my brain of it. I don't want to go into it in detail but it involves mutilation of the female body and.....yeah.
On a lighter note, it's absolutely fucking magical the way Moore tracks Gull's descent into insanity, and how he manages to weave this deluded narrative about his mission being core to the fabric of the universe. Then Moore actually does bring an element of magic into it and it somehow fucking works?! On paper this story should be a hot ass mess, but on this particular white paper stock it just works.