PROMETHEA #20 (Best of the Week!)
"The Stars Are But Thistles..."
Highly Recommended (10/10)
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DC Comics/America's Best Comics
Writer: Alan Moore
Pencils: J.H. Williams III
Inks: Mick Gray
Colors: Jeromy Cox
Letters: Todd Klein
Editor: Scott Dunbier
Price: $2.95 US/$4.95 CAN |
I know what others are saying about this title. The current story arc is dragging on too long. It's inaccessible. Moore seems more focused on sharing his personal beliefs about magic and existence than the business of actually telling a story. I understand where those criticisms are coming from, but I just don't share them. This exploration of the interconnected nature of the cosmos and soul is fascinating, and though I don't share Moore's fantastic views, I find his methods of explanation and his storytelling to be entertaining and enlightening.
While on their quest for a former lover, Barbara and Sophie lose their way and fall while making their way between the third and fourth spheres of the soul. They finally end up on an even more bizarre plane of existence, some kind of forgotten sphere. They encounter one of the most noted -- and most corrupt -- magicians in history whil;e they try to fathom the nature of the non-place.
Williams comes up with the most inventive and eerie designs for the invisible sphere, making for awesome visuals. Of course, that comes as no surprise to regular readers. While coming up with this alien landscape, though, he also emphasizes the humanity of the two protgonists. Barbara and Sophie look like real women, not supermodel super-heroines. Cox also adds a strong visual element to the book. He bathes the entire book in eerie purples and unsettling neon hues, reinforcing the ghostly, nonexistent nature of the sphere.
Moore brings science, superstition and spirituality together here, just as he's done before. The connections he makes here are clever and even logical. Linking pi to a magical world in which nothing can be defined really caught my attention and my sense of wonder. Intellect and imagination collide here in a way that I've never really experienced before.
Hey, I'll be the first one to admit that the bulk of what Moore is exploring in this issue -- and this title -- flies right over my head. I don't understand everything he goes on about, but there is logic and purpose to his writing here. My interest is piqued. Thougn I'll never be a convert to the spirituality of magic, I am intrigued by Moore's philosophies, and part of the reason is that he presents it through the thoroughly grounded voices of Barbara and Sophie.
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