Promethea (Book 1)
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Promethea (Book 1)
by Authors:
Alan Moore , Mick Gray , J. H. Williams III
Released: 01 July, 2001
ISBN: 1563896672
Paperback
Sales Rank: 22,901
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List price:
$14.95
Our price:
$10.47
(You save: $4.48)
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| Book > Promethea (Book 1) > Customer Reviews: |
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Average Customer Rating: 
Promethea (Book 1) >
Customer Review #1:
A good read
This is all I expect in a comic: characters, plot, and action to pull me along, story and art that work together, and situations that dont tax the mind too much. This one is a bit more than a typical super-heroine with mystical powers and a brass bra. Her off-duty persona is bookish, a feature that I empathize with, in an urban world that satirizes what ours might become. When that college girl takes on the Promethea role, she doesnt know who she is, or what or where - she just knows that shes under a bizarre attack, defending herself in ways that she finds equally bizarre, even to herself.The artwork in this book is very competent, and supports the story well. I cant say that I find it memorable, though. The storys allegories are a bit heavy-handed, and mystical symbols are deeply piled everywhere you turn. They are so pervasive that I find they lose meaning, becoming background decoration rather than signs with real significance. The story comes down to mis-understood good vs. mis-perceived evil, mysterious advisors of uncertain loyalties, a mousy alter-ego, and a few other staples of the genre. Still, the pieces come together well. The book is good amusement, and worth coming back to. It wont be the centerpiece of any collection and wont shake the world of comic art or story. Thats OK - its still a pleasant and undemanding way to fill an evening.
Promethea (Book 1) >
Customer Review #2:
 Not for everyone, but a magnificent book!
Alan Moore is perhaps the most groundbreaking and innovative comic book scribe in the history of comics. Sure, the field has provided many groundbreaking and innovative comic book artists (from Windsor McKay to Will Eisner, from Jack Kirby to Frank Miller, from Alex Ross to Steve Ditko, and many many more...), but in my opinion, no other comics writer (emphasis on the term "writer") has brought so much to this often maligned art form. Alan Moore has proven that sequential storytelling can be as interesting, thought provoking, inspiring and imaginative as prose storytelling (and indeed, even more at times, since comics have one advantage over prose alone: imagery). Alans best known work is of course "Watchmen", often copied and emulated but still unequaled in depth and richness after more than a decade. However, it must not be forgotten that Alan has provided his avid fan base (and an immense number of casual comic book readers from all walks of life) with many delightful comics works since Watchmen. Of these, Promethea stands apart as a very emotional and personal work from its author. This series is a vehicle for Alan to explore and expose to the readers many themes presumably dear to him. To be able to do so, he has devised a rather interesting trick for the story, creating a framework in which the primary characters (Promethea and her immediate supporting cast) evolve and convey the message to us readers (at some point, the so called "fourth wall" is even breached, much to the delight of Scott McClouds fans). This trick consists, in fact, of a gigantic road trip through various realms (that is, places the characters visit during the stories) existing outside of our perceived "real" or physical world. These places can be called psychic realms or metaphysic worlds or the imagination space, they are intended to convey Alans views concerning various concepts such as the Kaballah, the numerous earthly religions and their impact on us, the relationship between magic and technology (hint: they are two sides of the same cosmic "coin"), mysticism and spirituality, the liberating power of imagination, the neglect of our spiritual sides, the divine nature of womanhood, etc. This mind bending road trip makes for a unique comics series, and through it all we get to see what are Mr. Moores views and beliefs. For those willing to put up with the non-traditional approach in words and pictures (the artists, J. H. Williams III and Mick Gray show us how superb draughtsman they can be, adopting many different styles throughout the series - an aspect of this comics series worth the price of admission in itself) Promethea makes a fine and enriching read! Not only do I highly recommend this series, but I recommend the purchase of all the trade paperbacks, and the reading of them in sequence, preferably over a few days... A guaranteed mind trip!
Promethea (Book 1) >
Customer Review #3:
Its all about the art this time..
I have to admit, Im less and less impressed with the magic/kabbalistic mysticism thats become almost the entirety of the plot. I was actually offended by some of the content this time around. The art however, is worth the wade into the weird. Each of the issues collected here has a different visual scope and color scheme in keeping with the journey motif going on; Very blue and Van Gogh circa "Starry Night" at the beginning, a stylized monochromatic stone garden for Arcadia, flat red-dominated iconographic murals for Babylon, and by the time Promethea reaches Heaven everything is given over to bright whites and muted golds. The lovliest is the split story from chapter six that shows Christian and Muslim versions of Promethea, both existant at the time of the Crusades - each panel has half a woman rendered with the appropriate geometric or iconographic motifs, fitting seamlessly together.
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Promethea (Book 1) >
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