Promethea (Book 1)
by Alan Moore
|
|
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of Promethea.
discuss this book
friend reviews (0)
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
lists with this book
Where's the love? Add this book to your favorite list.
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 520)
Read in December, 2007
Fun stuff, but hardly revolutionary. My friend Andy recommended this to me knowing I loved Sandman, and it's similar in its emphasis on (please shoot me) meta mythology, trying to weave all human storytelling into some common mythological framework. Promethea is fairly different though. For one, it's a superhero book (albeit a very good one), with all the trimmings: kid gains unexpected power, must learn the trade, has a sidekick, etc. It's also not nearly as visually innovative as Sandman o...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
This is the first graphic novel I ever read. I always had a rather snobbish attitude toward 'comic books'. The whole superhero thing was never my forte. However, Promethea opened my eyes to possibilities of this medium in the hands of a master, which Alan Moore certainly is.
Promethea, is a personification of the imagination. She is part superhero, and her weapon is the Caduceus of Hermes. The mortal host in which she is able to manifest through changes through the ages, and must have a suff...more
Promethea, is a personification of the imagination. She is part superhero, and her weapon is the Caduceus of Hermes. The mortal host in which she is able to manifest through changes through the ages, and must have a suff...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2008
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2008
Promethea is a cool heroine. She’s also of the imagination so she can’t be killed! (at least that’s the scuttlebutt so far) Promethea was originally from 411 A.D Egypt, her father a Hermetic Scholar who is killed by Christians, she escapes and is taken by the gods into the Immateria. Over the years, different women with enough imagination and enthusiasm for her have written about her in newspaper comics or pulp novels, and bring her forth from the Immateria, and the two merge to create sup...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in December, 2005
recommended to Felicity by:
Joss Whedon (via Buffy commentary track)recommends it for: myth-lovers, Mage players, English majors in need of an ego boost
Promethea is a stirringly wondrous story about the power of myth and the imagination, set in a drolly imagined futuristic 'present', and fashioned with great care and love. It's beautiful, funny, intelligent, and resonant. On top of that, the art actually lives up to the idea. Even the color adds to the wonder, mystery, and eldritch loveliness.
To avoid spoiling too much, the plot's about stories; the ones we create and the ones that have dwelt for long centuries in the cauldron of our mytholog...more
To avoid spoiling too much, the plot's about stories; the ones we create and the ones that have dwelt for long centuries in the cauldron of our mytholog...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2003
recommended to Steve by:
I like Alan Moorerecommends it for: occult students, fans of graphic novels, feminists, the young-at-heart
The language of Magick is symbols. Symbols convey ideas that bypass articulation or logical thought. So it was only a matter of time before an adept of the Craft utilized the graphic novel as a vehicle for magickal education. But this is no pedantic exercise. Rather this is a lively, provocative story on par with the most avant garde novels. As a by-product of this intensely enjoyable read, one may learn about Cabala, Tarot, Enochian angelis language and much more. The balance between text and s...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
Fans of wordy comics
Read this graphic novel at someone's suggestion. I was a little reluctant, as I haven't yet liked anything written by Alan Moore. I find his work too wordy and his characters to be poorly developed.
I enjoyed this book, although it had its moments of sensory overload. The adventure aspects were well-paced, even when overburdened by "telling-not-showing" type dialogue.
I did wonder about Moore's grasp of women's culture. He seems oddly uninformed about how women behave with one ...more
I enjoyed this book, although it had its moments of sensory overload. The adventure aspects were well-paced, even when overburdened by "telling-not-showing" type dialogue.
I did wonder about Moore's grasp of women's culture. He seems oddly uninformed about how women behave with one ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in April, 2006
This series started off wonderfully. I enjoyed this first collection as much as anything by Moore. But I thought he would eventually get his metaphysical framework for storytelling mostly in place and then move on to more actual storytelling. After the third collection, I'd given up on that. The exploration of symbology just goes on and on and on, without much payoff in the way of plot. Interesting though it was at first, I grew tired of it. (I haven't read the fourth and fifth collections...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in March, 2007
This is a re-read, in preparation for receiving volumes 2 and 3 from the library. It's a funny and adventuresome start to the series. The artwork is lovely, and I found the storyline fascinating. Basically, it concerns Promethea, who is a sort of powerful archetype who has been repeatedly incarnated throughout history in the artists and writers who bring her to life. When Sophie (a college student in an alternate 1999) begins work on a research project about Promethea, she unexpectedly fids hers...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2005
Alan Moore is one of my favorite writers in comics.
The Promethea series is part super hero fiction, part spiritual non-fiction. It's an introduction and exploration into Moore's spiritual beliefs which touch upon Jewish Mysticism, magic, ancient mythology of many cultures, and more.
One of the coolest aspects of this series is the way the art synergizes with the story. Because much of the story is an internal journey, the art often reflects the mood and it's very awesome. It's filled w...more
The Promethea series is part super hero fiction, part spiritual non-fiction. It's an introduction and exploration into Moore's spiritual beliefs which touch upon Jewish Mysticism, magic, ancient mythology of many cultures, and more.
One of the coolest aspects of this series is the way the art synergizes with the story. Because much of the story is an internal journey, the art often reflects the mood and it's very awesome. It's filled w...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
I just got this entire series this minute for my birthday (UPS just left). You may think you hate graphic novels, but what about one that cites Cixous' Promethea in, I think, the first issue. (Anyone who wants to wish me a happy birthday has to wait till the actual day, New Year's Eve.)
Moore's V for Vendetta (before he "got magic") is also worth reading. Ignore how bad the movie was suppposed to have been.
Moore's V for Vendetta (before he "got magic") is also worth reading. Ignore how bad the movie was suppposed to have been.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
Anyone that likes their comics to have a brain.
Re-read, actually. Alan Moore disguises a modern history of magic and mystical thought in the garb of an action-adventure comic, a la Wonder Woman. The story is perfectly in sync with the art by JH Williams and the whole can feel a bit overpowering at times. I'm currently re-reading this series on my way to the fifth volume which I somehow managed to miss. I am looking forward to the experience.
Like this review?
yes
2 comments
To my mind, one of the best Alan Moore projects I've ever read. I enjoyed it more than The Watchmen. For anyone seeking a readable (i.e. won't put you to sleep) introduction to Hermeticism/mythology/Aleister Crowley-anity/etc., then this is it. Anyone not interested in that might get a bit bogged down as the series progresses but it's still alot of fun. One of the top graphic novels I've picked up.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
The Ulysses of the 21th Century. This gigantic piece of art (690 pages of it) will be pondered and acclaimed years from now. It is complex, rich, and hopeful. It tells the story of a story that makes the world a better place and it does so without leaving anyone behind. There is nothing I recommend more than owning and reading these, again and again and again.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
This is a Must. Do you want a new perspective on your consciousness? DO you want a very creative presentation of mystical and obscure philosophy in the format of a girl powered action comic. Enter the World of Promethea, and be enlightened! DOn't stop and Book 1, there are only 5 and you need to read them all! It is amazing!
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in April, 2008
I'm trying my hand at superhero books again and this is an interesting gateway. Promethea has all the hallmarks of an Alan Moore book -- extensive backstory, lengthy talk bubbles, and an engrossing mythology. My interest in the evolution of fairy tales makes this book an easy sell and I'm excited to see where it goes from here.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
recommends it for:
comic lovers and would be mystics
Once again Alan Moore proves he is the master of the comic genre with this series. Everthing from the history of comics, to art, sexulaity, and Moore's healthy philosophy on creativity and mysticism can be found her. The art work by J H Williams is phenomenal and should be hanging in museums.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
This series is amazing. Hands down one of the most amazing graphic novel series i have ever read. Researched up the wazoo, an amazing adventure and what every perfect story longs to be. Entertaining, thought provoking, humorous at times, consistent in plot, satisfying when it's over.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
The best of Alan Moore's recent work, mostly because he eschews most of his usual look-at-me-I'm-a-genius pastiche and climbs (to the extent possible for him) out of the semiotics of comics and pulp fiction long enough to tell us what he really cares about, and why.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Alan Moore is the BEST graphic novelist ever. He brings in elements from all genres - from literature (poetry to novels) to pulp fiction. He spins wonderful yarns. I can't wait to read books 2-5.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
