Final Review of Graphic Novel "Promethea"

This will be an extended aesthetic-theological reflection on Alan Moore's Graphic Novel "Promethea", which is a five-volume meditation on modern paganism.

My general review is as follows:
Art: 5 Stars
Pacing: 3 Stars
Dialogue: 5 Stars
Storyline: 3 Stars
Overall: 4 1/2 Stars

Aesthetically, the book is incredible. It has an original story that really is like nothing else, anywhere, at all. But the book is really a diatribe, an instructional manual for neo-paganism using a loose background story about a woman named Sophie Bangs who is investigating this superheroine that seems to appear out of nowhere at different times in history. Each appearance accompanies the 'discovery' of the character by some literary artist. So there are all these seemingly disconnected people who come up with this spontaneous idea for this character and then become the character in real life. During her investigation, Sophie is overtaken by the same entity and becomes the ultimate incarnation of Promethea, who seems pretty obviously inspired by Wonder Woman. In fact the entire comic could be seen as Alan Moore's reflection upon Wonder Woman.

The story really is just a vehicle for Moore to didactically sit the reader down and tell him what he believes and why. But the stuff that is said and reflected upon is so interesting, that the didactic nature of the book can be more than forgiven. The art is second to none. I mean it is mind-blowing. Almost every page is a work of art unto itself. The coloring and inks are also incredible. This book really shows how colorists and inkers can enhance a book. Next to LEGEND OF OZ: THE WICKED WEST, this may be the best coloring and inking I've ever seen in a comic book. The colors are awe-inspiring in their beauty.

The content of the message struck me in a number of ways at a variety of levels. On the one hand, I found myself agreeing with much of what Moore said about the nature of reality. He is a person of faith, even if it is a faith different than my own, and much of what he said resonated with me. It also made me realize how different neo-paganism is from its traditional ancestor. Neo-pagans do a lot of projecting: making it seem like their view of the universe is in line with the more ancient pagan views. But in truth, Moore's view is much more like post-Upanisadic Hinduism than, say, ancient Greek religion. There is a lot of Kabaalah in Moore's philosophy and so actually there are some genuine connections to Judeo-Christian traditions. There was a particular reflection on the nature of Jesus that I thought was very, very insightful.

But the places Moore goes wrong, he goes very wrong. He throws out the window the central Judaic conviction that God is found within the ethical, that the ethical is divine. Without this, a vital part of human experience is left out, and Moore underestimates the danger this really represents. His wrongness isn't just wrong: it is outright dangerous. In fact, the whole book is supremely dangerous, in that I could see it leading good people astray. In fact I think the comic book is one of the most important and the most dangerous I have ever read...ever. I would not recommend it to someone who isn't of a very keen mind and a strong commitment to Christ. It must be read critically, or not at all. Alan Moore is convincing even when he's wrong. A convincing argument is not necessarily a good argument, but most people can't make the distinction. So I don't think that everyone should just go out and read this book. But if you are of a particular intellectual and spiritual bent, it has the power to truly open you up to a whole new way of looking at the world.

I've said before that religious reasoning is like mathematical reasoning in one particular way: a single mistake can put you massively off course. A negative sign in the wrong place in mathematics can be the difference between a 1,000,000,000 and -1,000,000,000. The same thing is true in religion. A minor mistake can lead to major disasters. But just as fixing the problem in the mathematical case is as simple as putting the sign in the right place, religious mistakes can be spiritually fruitful if they are critically considered. I feel like I was up to that kind of challenge and so Moore's project expanded my mind and helped me see the world better, I think. But one proceeds in this case, at one's peril.