FROM HELL

Rating:
Summary: What Moore would be doing if he lived for free...
Review: After his success with Swamp Thing, Watchmen, and half a dozen other projects, Alan Moore went into self-publishing, beginning Lost Girls, Big Numbers, and From Hell. Sadly, the first two remain unfinished (possibly indefinitely), but the third well makes up for it.

The exhausting amount of detail is the first thing one notices. From street philosophers, to royal courtesans and favorites to who had the most popular literature at the time, Moore has done everything humanly possible to make the book disturbingly accurate. His footnotes are almost a book in and of themselves.

The take on the Jack the Ripper murders, while off-putting to the weaker stomachs among us, is psychological horror coupled with intrigue, sordid love affairs, and human perversity in almost every form. If you want to feel novacaine-numb good after reading something, pick up a Superman. If you want to be disturbed, challenged, and perhaps educated a bit, read From Hell.

Rating:
Summary: A masterwork that goes beyond "comic books"
Review: After SWAMP THING and WATCHMEN brought fame and fortune to Alan Moore, the man who practically redefined the "comic book" medium and popularized the form for serious literature, he spent the better part of the late 1980s through the mid-1990s attempting to bring more "serious" works of graphic literature into existence. But because the comic book market is still dominated by superheroes, Moore's struggled through an uphill battle to succedully release even one of the various projects he attempted. "Big Numbers" and "Lost Girls" remain tantalizingly incomplete, with only the first few chapters of each being successfully published; and it took more than a decade for all ten books of "From Hell" (plus its appendix, "Dance of the Gull Catchers") to see the light of day.

It was worth the wait.

Studied Ripperologists have praised Moore for the obsessive, painstakingly detailed research he undertook into the subject of the Whitechapel murders, unearthing buried facts and exploring most if not all of the various conspiracy theories involving the Royal Family, the Freemasons, Scotland Yard, and just about anyone who was involved with the Victorian aristrocracy of the time. But Moore is first and foremost a storyteller, and "From Hell" earns the title "masterwork" by being more than merely a scholarly journal. It's a taut, horrific, mesmerizing journey into madness that is both a fascinating detective story worthy of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; and it's also a haunting, poetic journey reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe. But Moore's mastery of the medium of graphic literature -- backed by the superb and appropriately sketchy artistry of Eddie Campbell -- weaves the various threads together into a fabric that conjures up images of the sights, smells, thoughts, and fears of the Victorian Era in a way that makes the reader glad that the world has changed since those days.

It has, rather, devolved into something far worse.

Our fascination with Jack the Ripper, Moore hypothesizes, is a reflection of ourselves, and the society that we have become. (These insights become especially clear during Chapter 10, "The Best Of All Tailors" -- as the Ripper chastises us for allowing ourselves to become numb and soulless, while engaging in one of the most horrifying and bloody murder scenes ever displayed in any graphic medium, anywhere.) But if the polluted, diseased world of Victorian London is not really much worse than our own, then we can at least thank Alan Moore for presenting us with a fascinating tale that gives us a glimpse into it...a view that has never been presented to us in this manner before, with all of its horrors laid bare for us to see. Even more so than "Watchmen," FROM HELL is a shining example of the very finest achievements of graphic literature. This, dear friends, is no comic book.

Rating:
Summary: graphic horror
Review: Grisly, gruesome, horrible, ugly, and disturbing.. but very well done. The "Jack the Ripper" murders have fascinated and frightened me ever since I was a child; reading this alone, in my dark apartment probably wasn't the wisest choice I've ever made. :)

Rating:
Summary: Moore does it again
Review: This story is a masterpiece, and this collected edition is the only way to read it. Even if you're like me and have never had much of an interest in the Whitechapel murders, I can't recommend this book highly enough. Moore thoroughly researches all of his stories, as evidenced by his strong body of work over the past 20 years, and his inventiveness and attention to detail extend to this one. The thorough endnotes outline everything for you, giving more depth and understanding to the plot. Also, "From Hell" is not intended to be gospel, and Moore makes it clear that he has used fact, assumption, & outright fabrication in order to craft this story - and the endnotes let you know which is which.

Eddie Campbell's dark sketchy art is perfect for this story. It provides just the right mood, although sometimes it's hard to interpret what is going on, and many of the characters look a bit too similar. Picking up all the details in a few of the panels may take some time.

The last chapter, in particular, is a brilliant way to wrap up the story, bringing it into the present day, and the epilogue, "Dance of the Gull Catchers", offers a hilarious study of the Ripper phenonmenon.

Rating:
Summary: Taught writing about Jack the Ripper
Review: Moore gives you just about all that you'd ever want. The man is a genius. This is one of the best GN's that I have ever read, up there with Watchmen, and MR. Punch(Gaiman & McKean)You will not be sorry that you spent your money on this one!

Rating:
Summary: Quality Graphic Horror Novel
Review: This book details the fictionalised (no matter what Mr Moore says) actions of the infamous London serial killer of the Victorian period, Jack the Ripper. Although a comic this is definately not one for the kids. Despite its rather frank way of dealing with Mr Rippers actions this series is in no way exploitative or nasty and the artwork by Eddie Campbell is suitably bleak but very good.

Rating:
Summary: Autopsy of the World's Most Advanced Nation's Society 1888
Review: Much more than a story about a serial killer, From Hell is not even this - for in Moore's perspective, The Ripper was no serial killer. He was an agent of the Queen, cleaning up a mess that disturbed the Royal Family and therefore society. Outlining a profound and intense panorama of what it was like to live in London in the 8oies of last century, Moore shows us reasons why The Ripper was never apprehended. And so he details his vision of the 80ies as the beginning or at least a forecast of our century. If you read only this book this year, it will not be wasted. If you think comics are for kids and dyslectics - think again!

Rating:
Summary: It's the Ripper and so much more!
Review: Alan Moore, simply put, is a master story teller. Through extensive research, Moore has developed his own theories pertaining to the Whitechapel murders, and wether you agree with his ideas or not -- this is just an amazing and chilling work of fiction. possibly the most sophisticated piece of literature I've ever laid eyes on ... and it's in comic form! If you are a Ripper fanatic, an occultist, a horror fan, or just appreciate good literature.. this story is definitely for you!

Rating:
Summary: Credit to whom credit is due ...
Review: In light of the applause given to this particular author, the Freemason research - "a couple of Ph.d's worth" - was done by Stephen Knight in his 1988 book on the Whitechapel Murders. Knight died subsequent to proving the Freemasonic nature of the murders - and why there were only five of them. The book is now out of print (not surprisingly) but nevertheless, it is Stephen Knight to whom credit should go, for proving the freemasonic ties.

Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Graphic Novel
Review: When I first started reading graphic novels, which was about two years ago I thought that it was truly pointless because I was not familair with grpahic novels, I thought they were like comic books. I was wrong. The world of graphic novels is complex, and opens vast doorways into regions of the world that exist far beyond, and From Hell is one of those Graphic Novels that catches you by surprise and shakes you to the bone, I strongly recommend this work to any reader. The film adaptation was truly brilliant and compelling, rich with horrors and thrills and saturated with laughs and screams.