A review by inkspitblog
The Ballad of Halo Jones by Alan Moore
4.0
Absolutely excellent!
I’d like to take a moment to thank the publishers - penguin and 2000 ad for this wondering audio arc!
Okay, so bare with me: this is a comic but as an audio play. So everyone is voiced by different people (okay not all different people but you know). These are comics that only had a limited run - 3 books and first appeared in 1984. For context this is when gremlins, the terminator, dune, the neverending story and footloose came out.
It was a good year for movies and for science fiction (I just included footloose because I love Kevin Bacon).
Anyway, what I’m saying is this comic is 37 years old and still feels relevant!
The audiobook follows the entire three book journey (about 3 and a half hours) and spans from Halo being from 18 to 32. Although you’ll understand why that’s not technically true later haha.
She’s not a superhero, she’s just a girl from the poorest area of Earth in the 4949 who wants a better life. Who wants to see a world where she can be free and safe. Halo is brave but she’s normal and just a girl really, which is why she’s so relatable. The story is told through the lens of a history professor explaining the myth of a character called Halo Jones.
Her story is different but familiar with a girl trying to escape the life she was born to and wanting more. Loving and losing and generally just trying to make a life for herself among the stars.
The voice acting is wonderful!
My only gripe is that some stuff is clearly lifted from the panels and could have done with some extra exposition so we knew what was happening immediately. But it was still a great and engaging way to tell a comic story that came out almost 4 decades ago.
I’d like to take a moment to thank the publishers - penguin and 2000 ad for this wondering audio arc!
Okay, so bare with me: this is a comic but as an audio play. So everyone is voiced by different people (okay not all different people but you know). These are comics that only had a limited run - 3 books and first appeared in 1984. For context this is when gremlins, the terminator, dune, the neverending story and footloose came out.
It was a good year for movies and for science fiction (I just included footloose because I love Kevin Bacon).
Anyway, what I’m saying is this comic is 37 years old and still feels relevant!
The audiobook follows the entire three book journey (about 3 and a half hours) and spans from Halo being from 18 to 32. Although you’ll understand why that’s not technically true later haha.
She’s not a superhero, she’s just a girl from the poorest area of Earth in the 4949 who wants a better life. Who wants to see a world where she can be free and safe. Halo is brave but she’s normal and just a girl really, which is why she’s so relatable. The story is told through the lens of a history professor explaining the myth of a character called Halo Jones.
Her story is different but familiar with a girl trying to escape the life she was born to and wanting more. Loving and losing and generally just trying to make a life for herself among the stars.
The voice acting is wonderful!
My only gripe is that some stuff is clearly lifted from the panels and could have done with some extra exposition so we knew what was happening immediately. But it was still a great and engaging way to tell a comic story that came out almost 4 decades ago.