Eddie Campbell

Eddie Campbell creates comics as if he's never read comics before. Or as if he's studied them all and abandoned them to forge his own way in the medium. This lushly painted book tells a rather simple story of a train robbery and the attempt (by a detective agency and by a man framed by the actual robbers) to hunt down those responsible. But in Campbell's hands, it sings. His characterizations are spot-on, the plot moves along briskly without losing the reader, and the art is beautiful. I've show more been a fan of Campbell's since back in his Deadface days, and this book reminds me why. show less

This graphic novel was a bit too graphic for me. The subject matter, about a vast conspiracy being at the root of the Jack the Ripper murders, is fascinating and the research notes at the end of the volume really add to the book. I just found the murder scenes themselves to be too gory and gratuitous. I guess I'm a wimp when it comes to violence. In that regard, I much prefer implication to detail. Still, the artwork, (all black & white pencil sketches), is gorgeous and the brooding show more atmosphere of late 19th-century London comes to life on the page. There is no denying that the work is brilliant - but I much preferred Moore's Watchmen to this one - if only due to the subject matter. show less

a stunning accomplishment. a radical example of what "comic books"/"graphic novels" can do. i finished it this morning after a night of nightmares - i had just read the panels about the murder of Mary Kelly. How frightening. I could not sleep, I literally shook with fear, kept rising to check the door. It does not matter now to take apart the "correctness" of the theory, of the conspiracy, because like the Manson Family murders of the 60s, Jack the Ripper was the end of an age, a period at show more the end of an outrageous sentence! and the birth of a century that has seen atrocities that make Jack and his disassembled bodies look quaint. Absolutely astounding, one of the finest books I have ever read. show less

Some time back I watched the movie based upon this graphic novel. It left me confused and disappointed (I could go on about unfortunate casting choices but I won’t). Since then I’ve wanted to read the graphic novel to get my footing back. Through maybe the first quarter of FROM HELL I was still confused and disappointed but then things clicked. I sunk into the atmosphere, felt a part of 1880’s London and was moved by the rhythms of poverty and power grappling in darkness. The dingy but show more distinct art work adds to the feel for old timey, grimy London. I have read complaints that the characters are difficult to tell apart. I did have some issues but for the most part enough clues were given to keep things straight (this can be an issue for any graphic novel not dealing with superheroes). This may have been designed to add to the anonymity of the poor as the more well off characters are much easier to distinguish. The artist Eddie Campbell also had to deal with period detail and an extensive dive into 1880’s London architecture and geography—his work highlighting a fantastic insanity laced jaunt around night time London touring the touchstones of Masonic power. In fact, this sequence is when I felt totally locked into the book. I tapped into Dr. Gull’s madness and the inevitability of it’s expression. At 3 or 4 lbs and over 500 pages it is an immersion. Moore masterfully unfolds this complicated tale of madness. There is no rush in the story, unfolding naturally, in rich mostly historical detail. The infamous murders at the heart of this story don’t come close to overshadowing the rest—and there is no rush to them or from them. Following the graphic novel there is 43 oversized addendum pages detailing where most every thoroughly researched detail in the graphic novel came from. This is so well done it’s like watching a making of documentary after a film. Moore tells you what is fact, what is interpretation and what is created to flesh out a readable tale. Fascinating. Then that is followed by a spirited gathering in graphic form of Moore and the authors of his resource materials battling the demons that arose from handling the subject matter. All marvelous stuff and a great way to wrap this story up. show less