From Hell

From Hell is one of the finest pieces of illustrated literature ever created. Alan Moore weaves a truly masterful tale, musing on one possible back-story for Jack the Ripper deeply immersed in the occult, supported by Eddie Campbell's art which moves seamlessly between hyper detailed and completely abstract.

One of the most enjoyable facets of From Hell is the way it reads. Unlike most comics, which tend to be heavily action oriented and driven, From Hell is more reminiscent of a novel. Rather than relying on wordless action panels, From Hell is almost more akin to a novel in its dense dialogue. It is through these intense interactions that the characters are fleshed out: by their words rather than their actions.

But the most interesting piece of this book is Sir William Gull's practice of the occult. Charged by the Queen of England to eliminate all evidence of the birth of an illegitimate child by the Prince, William Gull strategically murders all involved in order to fulfill a powerful occult ritual tied to Free Masonry, architecture, Druids and the ancient culture of England. This portion of the novel is truly fantastic. While the story progresses and the reader follows the murders and wonders how this man is going to commit these murders successfully, he is secretly engaged in something infinitely more significant -- namely communicating with the devil.

Again, Alan Moore asserts himself as the foremost author in the field of illustrated literature and in my humble opinion, this piece would have to be his master stroke.