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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
What is good historical fiction?
The name of the genre is itself an oxymoron: history is not often thought of as fiction (though it frequently is); fiction is not often thought of as history (though through its very nation is as much a piece of the historical mosaic as any other primary source). What delicate relationship, then, must exist between the two to create a worthwhile entry in the genre? How much does the history - the facts, the accuracy of the set dressing and events and the words - matter? How much the fiction - the weaving of the history into an engaging narrative that satisfies our storytelling sensibilities?
From Hell is not HISTORY-history. It is an unlikely account of a true event, steeped in the world of Masonic conspiracy; it fills in the shadows at the margins of one of most famous of unsolved serial killings in ways that are perhaps at times a bit too convenient, in ways that reach conclusions (apparently) considered dubious. But these details are inventions of the author surprisingly rarely; Alan Moore’s copious and transparent research notes at the back of the edition I read meticulously note what is fact and what is fancy. Individually, much of what it depicts is facts; it is the connections between these facts that are the fancy. So much of it is, in fact, history.
What makes a truth likely? Is it the raw amount of factual data involved in the conclusion, or do our connections of those facts play as much of a vital role? Moore wishes to connect real events together in fictional ways to discuss historical and social truths about a pivotal era in British history, and it is this complex tapestry that makes From Hell so fascinating to parse.
From Hell is a wild read. Its characters are vivid and human even in their more brief appearances (even when they can be sometimes difficult to tell apart or assume background knowledge without warning); its art embraces the messiness of Victorian England in ways difficult to put into words. It is visceral and it is crass; but then, so were the events it portrays). It is a supremely confident book, sometimes to a fault; it sometimes wobbles on the edge of the profound and the pretentious (and to a reader unfamiliar with the Ripper case, this line is a tricky one to discern).
But I can’t bring myself to rate it anything less, not when, in the power of its execution, it brings to mind such ruminations on the very foundations of its genre along with its technical excellence.
The name of the genre is itself an oxymoron: history is not often thought of as fiction (though it frequently is); fiction is not often thought of as history (though through its very nation is as much a piece of the historical mosaic as any other primary source). What delicate relationship, then, must exist between the two to create a worthwhile entry in the genre? How much does the history - the facts, the accuracy of the set dressing and events and the words - matter? How much the fiction - the weaving of the history into an engaging narrative that satisfies our storytelling sensibilities?
From Hell is not HISTORY-history. It is an unlikely account of a true event, steeped in the world of Masonic conspiracy; it fills in the shadows at the margins of one of most famous of unsolved serial killings in ways that are perhaps at times a bit too convenient, in ways that reach conclusions (apparently) considered dubious. But these details are inventions of the author surprisingly rarely; Alan Moore’s copious and transparent research notes at the back of the edition I read meticulously note what is fact and what is fancy. Individually, much of what it depicts is facts; it is the connections between these facts that are the fancy. So much of it is, in fact, history.
What makes a truth likely? Is it the raw amount of factual data involved in the conclusion, or do our connections of those facts play as much of a vital role? Moore wishes to connect real events together in fictional ways to discuss historical and social truths about a pivotal era in British history, and it is this complex tapestry that makes From Hell so fascinating to parse.
From Hell is a wild read. Its characters are vivid and human even in their more brief appearances (even when they can be sometimes difficult to tell apart or assume background knowledge without warning); its art embraces the messiness of Victorian England in ways difficult to put into words. It is visceral and it is crass; but then, so were the events it portrays). It is a supremely confident book, sometimes to a fault; it sometimes wobbles on the edge of the profound and the pretentious (and to a reader unfamiliar with the Ripper case, this line is a tricky one to discern).
But I can’t bring myself to rate it anything less, not when, in the power of its execution, it brings to mind such ruminations on the very foundations of its genre along with its technical excellence.
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
sad
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:
Complicated
Brilliant
Brilliant storytelling. Gruesome adaptation on horrific true events, some chapters were very slow and really dragged but that didn't stop me from enjoying another genius novel by Alan Moore. Also I must mention the artwork was incredible.
Brilliant storytelling. Gruesome adaptation on horrific true events, some chapters were very slow and really dragged but that didn't stop me from enjoying another genius novel by Alan Moore. Also I must mention the artwork was incredible.
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
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
I have some conflicting thoughts about From Hell. I joke that it's 'the only comic book that works as an audiobook' because of the extensive end notes and massive monologues-it's a difficult read, despite having illustrations. From Hell is an intelligent, endlessly researched, exciting comic book about the Jack the Ripper killings, which uses the murders as a jumping off point to discuss occultism and self mythology, religious belief and modernity, the relationship between violence and society. It also makes up a bunch of facts and accuses probably innocent people of being deranged serial murderers. I would recommend it, but I would start with Alan Moore's other work.
“I shall tell you where we are. We're in the most extreme and utter region of the human mind. A dim, subconscious underworld. A radiant abyss where men meet themselves. Hell, Netley. We're in Hell.”
Historical fiction blended through the mind of a mad man. Alan Moore dives into the myth of Jack the Ripper to craft a much deeper view into the world of the 1800s English society. So much of the graphic novel discusses issues that are still affecting the idea of serial killers to this day: the profiteers of death, the inherent misogyny found in society writ large, and the fear of how truly monstrous the human mind can be. The artwork is truly phenomenal, everything is incredibly dark and moody, with no color, adding to the overall sense of dread. Everything works together to place you in the deepest, darkest recess of your mind, of the characters mind, and in connecting the two, highlights the unsettling reality that if gods exist and guide human behavior, they are much more cruel than they are kind.
Historical fiction blended through the mind of a mad man. Alan Moore dives into the myth of Jack the Ripper to craft a much deeper view into the world of the 1800s English society. So much of the graphic novel discusses issues that are still affecting the idea of serial killers to this day: the profiteers of death, the inherent misogyny found in society writ large, and the fear of how truly monstrous the human mind can be. The artwork is truly phenomenal, everything is incredibly dark and moody, with no color, adding to the overall sense of dread. Everything works together to place you in the deepest, darkest recess of your mind, of the characters mind, and in connecting the two, highlights the unsettling reality that if gods exist and guide human behavior, they are much more cruel than they are kind.
My natural inclination is to compare it to Watchmen and V for Vendetta and say it wasn't quite as good, but that's probably unfair given that this was a lot more grounded in history. The amount of research Alan Moore did on Jack the Ripper theories, Freemason mythology, royal conspiracies, and London architecture is pretty absurd. Can't imagine how difficult it must have been weaving all of that together to create a fictional but totally plausible and coherent story. All the illustrations are black and white and gloomy but makes sense given the material and setting. Definitely think graphic novel was the right medium for this.
I often seem to not actually know what I expect from Moore or what I even want from him, but I never seem to quite get it. That's not a slight against him, but maybe indicative of my own issues with the medium and even the genre here: historical fiction. I seem to always think I'll love comic books, but I actually find that to be the exception, rather than the rule. And the same is sort of true of historical fiction. The problem, I think, with historical fiction is that the author tends to get locked into the facts of what they're writing about. Which, you know, makes sense, but I'm sort of always of the opinion that you should never let the facts get in the way of a good story.
Having said all that, I mostly liked this. I feel that it does a ton of interesting things with the story of Jack the Ripper. It reaches towards the ecstatic and the transcendent, which, of course, makes this amazing and fascinating. But we always seem to never quite reach the plateau. Which is maybe part of the whole thing here.
I don't know. This is always my thing with Moore. He erupts through reality but then sort of peters out before we get where I feel like the end of that rainbow should be. So it goes.
But, yeah, I do quite like this. It's fascinating and dense and intricate and political and brutal. That's kind of the thing about Moore. It seems like he fits more words in a panel than any other writer in comics, which isn't a bad thing, but sometimes the amount of words don't necessarily make the story better. But I always enjoy how the words and images go together in sometimes conflicting ways or even antagonistic ways.
Anyrate, not sure what there is to say about this. I like it a lot but don't love it. I think it's brilliant and unlike any other comic I've read, but I'll also probably never read it again.
Having said all that, I mostly liked this. I feel that it does a ton of interesting things with the story of Jack the Ripper. It reaches towards the ecstatic and the transcendent, which, of course, makes this amazing and fascinating. But we always seem to never quite reach the plateau. Which is maybe part of the whole thing here.
I don't know. This is always my thing with Moore. He erupts through reality but then sort of peters out before we get where I feel like the end of that rainbow should be. So it goes.
But, yeah, I do quite like this. It's fascinating and dense and intricate and political and brutal. That's kind of the thing about Moore. It seems like he fits more words in a panel than any other writer in comics, which isn't a bad thing, but sometimes the amount of words don't necessarily make the story better. But I always enjoy how the words and images go together in sometimes conflicting ways or even antagonistic ways.
Anyrate, not sure what there is to say about this. I like it a lot but don't love it. I think it's brilliant and unlike any other comic I've read, but I'll also probably never read it again.