Promethea, Book 3 - Softcover

Alan Moore is one of the most respected and admired writers in comics today, with a host industry awards and accolades. His credits include The Ballad of Halo Jones, Watchmen, V For Vendetta and Swamp Thing. He is currently working on his own line of comics, including Tom Strong and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

With his realistic approach to superhero comics, Moore prompted a minor revolution in the 1980s. Of late he has returned to the genre with a line of new costumed adventurers. Of them, teenager Sophie Bangs, the latest in an age-old line of embodiments of the mystical heroine Promethea, seems closest to his heart. Standard superhero fare (crime fighting, slugfests, etc.) takes a backseat to philosophical and moral issues here, but the stories most reflect Moore's long obsession with magic, mysticism, and the occult; with the Tarot, the spheres of the Kabbalah, and astrology. In this collection, Sophie follows her recently killed mentor, just-previous Promethea avatar Barbara, into the afterlife, where they visit heaven and hell and meet famous occult figures. In Sophie's absence, however, a temporary Promethea is creating problems on Earth. Artist J. H. Williams' intricate, imaginative illustrations, which veer from surrealism to psychedelia, make it all work. Although her costume suggests Wonder Woman, Promethea may appeal to the normally comics-eschewing fans of the wildly popular Sandman series. Gordon Flagg
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