Neil Gaiman told a great story about how he once met Moore at a restaurant and he described to one of the gruesome murders in the book, and Gaiman had to step out of the restaurant because it grossed him out so much.
Gull is one of the most twisted villains, or villainous protagonists, I've come across in a while. He's just...a bad guy. Which I feel is putting it lightly. The idea that his sigil or spell or sacrifice in some way led to the continued oppression of women is or the intense escalation of misogyny, murder, and the whole mess, thematically, is pretty good. Historically of course, that oppression is...very commonplace, because every old shit bag like Gull thinks he's making good choices. Eddie Campbell's art is...beautifully grotesque and is like wood carvings almost. The lack of colour really heightens how stark the scenes are, there's no hiding behind splatter, she's being butchered. I've mentioned my discomfort with Moore's tendency to write women into hellish situations, but this is the only book where that makes sense to do so. Because this happened, a monster lurked those streets, and 5 women were killed. And what a monster indeed. In his last moments he thought himself God in Heaven, but was just another demon of the Earth EDIT True Crime is a strange and morbid theatre to play in. But nonetheless it is captivating.
I'm dying to read this when it's finally released. I've really only heard about it in passing and have no idea what it's about. But new Alan Moore is new Alan Moore. I'd love to do an ep on it. Any word on a collected edition release date?
Really enjoyed this video. One thing I think they missed was during Gull’s ascension and the ‘Mary Kelly’ murder, not only is he inspiring ‘creatives’, he’s inspiring future serial killers and notorious individuals (Pete Sutcliffe (the Yorkshire Ripper,) Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, the Krays etc.) Incredible work. It’s also worth noting that the real William Gull was much more progressive than the awful version we see in the book. Great care must be taken when reading fiction based on real people!
Hell yeah at Dinosaur Neil appearing regularly! Also speaking of Moore: have you guys read Alan Moore's Supreme: Story of the Year? That book is amazing!
Okay easy opium recipe. Go buy all the poppy seed bagels, scrape off the seeds into a hot pot & burn those fuckers until they liquify. (this probably won't work fyi, also opium...not recommended for recreational use.)
Great video as always boys. It actually makes me want to pick up From Hell and give it another go. As we’ve previously discussed, this is one of my lesser favorite Alan Moore works. I found it was too meandering, and kept beating around the bush. I understand as much as any man that Alan is verbose, but come on man, get to the point. If you’re interested in other true crime comics, I’d highly recommend My Friend Dahmer from Derf, a guy who went to high school with the notorious serial killer. I also hear that Torso from Brian Michael Bendis was good, but I was wholly unimpressed with the art when I glanced at it at a book store, it looked so bland and stolid. Apparently Bendis did it himself and it makes me grateful that at least he’s a good writer, as he’s not that great of an artist.
I read My Friend Dahmer a couple years ago and really enjoyed it. Great analysis on what shapes a killer. And I own Torso but haven’t read it yet. Despite the simplistic art- I love that Bendis just did the whole thing himself. Was an inspiration when I started working on my comic at the time.
@@ImperiusRex Ah great, glad to hear that you enjoyed it. I do enjoy the occasional nonfiction comic, though it's not always on my radar. I'd also recommend Hostage if you like the occasional nonfiction comic as well. Don't let its length deter you, it moves along at a nice pace, and it captures the anxieties of being stuck in a room for copious periods of time rather nicely, if you can take that as a praise. Mmm, perhaps I am being a bit too harsh on it. You're right, there is something noble about doing the comic yourself fully. I recall that Alan Moore even started out as a cartoonist before he found that he couldn't draw (in his words that is) and decided to stick with writing. It makes me feel bad, I don't have that much of a drawing ability...well that would be misleading, I can sketch with help from how to videos, but not much else. I'm now curious to hear who some of your favorite illustrators are, though I might save that for a future Q&A. (I have a lingering suspicion that Mignola's on that list)
Got to be honest: I can't stand From Hell. I found it drab and confusing in its art. Multiple times we would have beautiful landscapes only to be confronted with a sketchy and unconfident portrait of... the protagonist? Or maybe the priest? Or that other guy's brother? Who knows! Also, it was needlessly grotesque. I found myself giving it some reach early on to establish the mystery and the terrible events, but to have it continue throughout the entire book was just exhausting. On top of which the conclusion isn't all that historically accurate according to modern studies, but I won't push that point too much when discussing fiction. I know people adore this book for so many reasons, but after three solid attempts at it and coming away feeling equal parts depressed, confused and disappointed I threw in the towel and sold my copy.
Perfectly valid- not everything hits for everyone. For whatever reason i really ate it up this time. Maybe because it was just so different from everything else I’ve been reading at the time. And I knew what I was getting into, from reading it years ago- but I can certainly see it’s not for everyone
