CREDIT: EDDIE CAMPBELL
Is Alan Moore's graphic novel From Hell worth picking up for a spooky Halloween read?

Rating: 3/5

One of the most quintessential cold cases that everyone knows by name is the legend of Jack the Ripper. Focussing on one particular theory that has since been discredited, Alan Moore’s graphic novel From Hell provides a complex, politically intense, gory mystery perfect for any late Halloween night. But lacklustre art significantly lowers the enjoyment of this particular read.

The story is based on the Whitechapel murders of 1888, better known as the Jack the Ripper case. If you’re unfamiliar, a serial killer murdered five impoverished prostitutes, luring them in with grapes (a delicacy at the time) before slashing their throats and mutilating them after death. Theories and suspects were numerous, but none were ever confirmed and the killer was never caught.

If all that sounds familiar, then you might have watched the 2001 movie From Hell starring Johnny Depp, which was based on this comic series. But believe me: the graphic novel is quite a bit different and far better. The main difference is that the story focuses more on the Ripper himself, rather than the romance or investigation.

The art by Eddie Campbell was the only problem I had with this book. I wanted more than anything to see the grit and darkness that is so synonymous with this legend. Instead I got pen scribbles in the vague shape of a face, and panels where the foreground and background are oftentimes impossible to distinguish from one another.

I rarely ever say this, but this is one graphic novel where I hope to find a literary adaptation. I’d recommend this to any horror fan who can look past the art.