Rating: 
Summary: Alan Moore is GOD
Review: Only God can possess more intuition, more knowledge and more creativity than this illustrated novel writer. When you read this work you not only see it, you can smell the stink of east end London, taste the absinthe of the intellectuals and feel weight of history crushing you.It seldom gets better than this.
Rating: 
Summary: One word: Dense.
Review: Firstly, if you're new to comics, stay well clear of this little baby. Secondly, if all you've ever read is comics, stay well clear of this little baby. Thirdly, if you liked the movie and want to see where it all came from, stay well clear of this little baby. All others: dive in! The water's tepid, and so is the plotting in places, but on the whole this monster of a graphic novel is worth your time.
Rating:
Summary: A Litereary Masterpiece
Review: Now I am not a person that reads comic books very often, but I decided for some reason to order this book and check it out. At first I was a bit put off by the black and white drawings and the way that the story skipped around, but about halfway the story I caught my rhythm and couldn't put it down. What can I say? I laughed, I cried, I was horrified' This is a story about a mass murderer that is much more than a crime drama. The actual number of people who are victimized can be counted on one's fingers. This was more like a drama about the birth of the modern world in which the murder is only a part. The book is so well conceived that it transcends the time period and the crimes and instead becomes commentary on humanity itself. The story is so vividly told that when after I read it and saw a documentary on Jack the Ripper I couldn't buy any other conclusion that what the book came to even though Moore admits that the conclusion is probably wrong. This book will be remembered, if there is any justice (of which I am doubtful sometimes), as a great piece of literature. Its too bad that they 'butchered' all of the interesting parts when they made the movie. I read in another review that Alan Moore 'did his homework.' He, in fact, did much more than that. He took the history of the Ripper killings and Victorian England and wove it together with an almost encyclopedic knowledge of philosophy and modern thought. As one reads it is possible to draw corollary lines to the many great and grim events that defined the 20th century, from world war to the technology revolution, and in turn to one's own life.
Rating: 
Summary: It's a Big Comic Book!
Review: I did not realize when I ordered it that it was just pages of illustrations with TINY LITTLE WRITING coming out of the various character's mouths. The writing was so small, I could hardly read it, and finally just gave up. I am not a senior citizen, but an avid reader in my mid 40's!
Waste of money, I will be sending it back.
Rating:
Summary: Another masterpiece from the great Alan Moore
Review: While Alan Moore will go down in comics history for Watchmen, his painstakingly researched synopsis of Jack the Ripper and the Whitechapel Murders is almost as equally great. Moore teamed up with artist Eddie Campbell to show us the horrific dread and gloomy atmosphere of a city in terror of a killer. Thanks to Moore's great writing, the reader is drawn into this massive story from the first page on as we are introduced to the killer himself (his identity based on Moore's own research along with specualted opinions and hearsay) and Campbell's scrathy yet beautiful black & white art sustains the atmosphere of From Hell perfectly. Eventually it would be made into a film starring Johnny Depp and Heather Graham, and even though I liked that as well, this graphic novel beats it on every level (if you liked the film I strongly suggest checking this out, and I guarantee you'll love this). The characterizations, dialogue, art, and riveting storyline keep the reader interested up until the final panel, and whether you like comics or not this is an essential read no matter who you are.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece
Review: From Hell is Alan Moore's brilliant fictional interpretation of the Ripper crimes of 1888, told mainly from the perspective of the murderer himself. Moore's meticulously researched work - almost every major event can be attributed to one or more historical sources, some more trustworthy than others, and all listed in the fascinating endnotes - operates within the framework of the theory known as the "Royal Conspiracy", which suggests that Jack the Ripper was actually a deranged physician, Sir William Gull, operating to silence a group of East End prostitutes trying to blackmail the royal family. That's a sensational suggestion, and Moore makes things even more extravagant with his literary interpretation of the crimes as a symbol of the era's sexism and oppression; in the world of From Hell, Gull uses the murders as an opportunity to create an enormous work of ritual magic, with the purpose of keeping womankind enslaved for all eternity. In so short a summary, a premise of that sort sounds like typical comic book fodder - in the worst possible way. But From Hell is no penny-dreadful account of a mad doctor slashing wildly at buxom streetwalkers. Moore refuses to exploit any of his characters: the prostitutes who are to become the Ripper's victims are shown as strong-willed individuals trying to make a living under truly hideous conditions; Gull is a brash, brilliant man, typical of the Victorian upper classes, whose underlying prejudices are grotesquely brought to the surface after he suffers a stroke early in the novel. No character here is a caricature - they're all real people, right down to relatively minor supporting figures like Gull's harried, ambitious coach-driver Netley. And the novel's depiction of Victorian London, aided immeasurably by Eddie Campbell's stark, scratchy black-and-white artwork, is so horrifically authentic and immersive that while reading the book it's hard not to get lost in the world it creates. Moore avoids simple exploitation of the shocking story by populating his utterly convincing world with heartbreakingly believable characters. What distinguishes this work from most historical fiction is its bold use of fantastic elements to create a work of a much broader scope; they transform it from a mere exercise in historical research into a commentary on the nature of history itself. Gull wants to use his acts of murder to magically shape the course of the following centuries, and sure enough, as he begins killing he also begins to experience increasingly vivid and disturbing visions of the future he is in the process of creating. With this notion - the "architecture of history" - Moore matches form to content; using his powers of historical dot-connecting, he shapes a London full of eerie synchronicities and coincidences, reflecting the Ripper's belief in an overarching shape and symmetry of time. From Hell's only real weakness is simply the logical conclusion of its main strength - Alan Moore is so dedicated to his vision of London that at times he overindulges his passion for historical pattern-finding, describing his discoveries in long passages that, while consistently fascinating, could occasionally stand some trimming down. Gull's visions begin as fleeting supernatural experiences and vague senses of deja vu, but they rapidly spiral out of control until he is almost completely immersed in them, seeing everywhere the history he has created with his work. From Hell's brilliance is obsessive enough that one must wonder whether its author had a similar experience.
Rating:
Summary: A POWERFUL COLLABORATION
Review: There could be no more better team than this one: Alan Moore's crazed genius for the story & Eddie Cambell's frenetic drawing for the images. This is a tremendously compelling graphic novel that manages to be about much more than a rash of London murders. It is a well researched book drawn with tremendous energy -- a must read for anyone interested in comics, Jack the Ripper, or, even more importantly, how history is constructed through texts. Don't forget to read the footnotes -- they're half the fun!
Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece
Review: From Hell is a powerful piece of storytelling, a social critique of Victorian hypocricy, an entertaining history about London landmarks, a sensationalist peek into the secret world of Freemasons, in short, one hell of a read! A bonus in this edition are Moore's entertaining reference notes, which makes re-reading this a treat. One always suspects him of being slightly cynical and anarchic, and it's a pleasure to also wake up to his sly wit and peripatetic mind. Eddie Campbell's art is dark and spare, but it's a tribute to his discipline that the narrative never lags. The Ripper theory that is propounded may be a little far-fetched (and Moore clearly acknowledges that many of the central elements are heavily based on one or two Ripper books). Nevertheless, the interveawing of various elements of Victoriana (the Elephant Man makes a touching cameo appearance) is clever and highly entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Not Worth It
Review: I won't spend much time on the artwork, other than to say it is horrible. People don't usually buy Alan Moore books for the art, but this time the art is so bad it seriously distracts from the story. Instead, I'll just say that I was disappointed to say the least. I still consider "Watchmen" to be the best "comic book" series ever written, and Alan Moore's work on the "Swamp Thing" series forever changed all expectations of what can be accomplished in the comic book field. So naturally I was extremely interested in reading everything else Alan Moore has written. My mistake. "From Hell" is boring. I can't think of a worse sin for any story. At one point, one of the characters decides to go on a tour of London and recite the history of various landmarks to the cabbie. This monologue goes on for some thirty pages, and after forcing myself to read the first few pages, I skipped over the entire section. And for some reason, Moore thought that explicit scenes of violence and sex would help spice up things. Instead, I found myself wondering why it was important to show an intimate act in such graphic detail (maybe Moore wanted to show full frontal male nudity, but there's something very strange about seeing a pornographic comic book, especially one so amateurishly drawn). And the scene where "Jack the Ripper" kills the final woman is excrutiating - it goes on way too long and shows every minute detail of the mutilation without adding anything to the story. I'm not a prudish person by any means, but I do have a problem with gratuitous scenes, something I've never seen Moore endulge in before. I had a lot of difficulty finishing this book. From what I understand, Moore meticulously researched every detail. It reads as if Moore wants us to know how hard he worked. But instead of being impressed, I was bored stiff. Even though I think he is one of the most talented writers to ever come out of comic books, I won't be reading any more of his work. I can think of a million things, from cutting my toenails to watching paint dry, that would be more interesting than this hugely overrated dud.
Rating:
Summary: brilliant
Review: Up there with Moore's best books which can be read and enjoyed at many levels. You sort of have to wonder why Moore hasn't gone into straight novel writing like others (ie Gaiman). I was eager to see the movie adaption after reading the book - oh boy. 45 mins into it I turned it off (rarely do I not finish watching a video) because it was so bad and boring. More is a very talented writer and you wonder, given the nature of the comic book medium, whether someday he might become a film director through natural progression.
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