Alan Moore’s Necronomicon - Alan Moore,Jacen Burrows and William Christensen

Another Alan Moore book I hear you say?  Can’t you review anything else?

Well, I could, but then I’d miss out on another masterful piece of Lovecraftian madness that just begs to be read.  I do read other authors than Alan Moore (look at some of my other posts like Marshall Law or Planetary), but what can I say?  I’m a huge Lovecraft fan, and so is Moore – therefore, I will read more of Moore…

NECRONOMICON is of course, named after the dreaded tome featured in much of Lovecraft’s own writing, and this book takes much inspiration from these tails, but takes an entirely different spin on things.  The story seems simple – two FBI agents investigate a series of grisly occult murders – but that is misleading, as Moore and Christensen take us down a path that which although it seems familiar by association, ends in an outcome which truly suprises us, yet remains faithfull to the spirit of the Cthulhu Mythos.  As the body count starts to rise, we’re thrown a series of twists and turns that may confuse those unfamiliar Lovecraft’s work,but true fans however, will delight in the misdirected references, clever plot points and the overall feel that the two writers have worked hard to create.

Praise too for artist Jacen Burrows – not many people can pull off Mythos work, but Jacen does a superb job.  Starfish shaped entrails anyone? 

All in all, this is a must have for Lovecraftian scholars.  It won’t be for everyone’s taste, and like much of Moore’s work, it’s PG18 – but it’s a cracking read.

Marshal Law: The Deluxe Edition HC

I owe Kevin O’Neill & Patt Mills an apology.  A long time ago, I quickly glanced over the first issue of “MARSHALL LAW” ,thought it was just a cheap, “JUDGE DREDD” rip off and didn’t give it another look – until today.  With hindsight I can see why I had that opinion, but with older eyes, more worldy experience and patience, comes a new persepctive, so lets re-address the issue…

Imagine a world where a Vietnam-like war was fought not by regular soldiers, but by superhero soldiers, created in the image of that world’s equivilent of Superman.  Once the war is won, what happens to the soldiers?  They can’t go back to regular life, so they come home, become unlawful gangs and go to war with each other.  Add into this mix a city destroying quake and you have murder, mayhem and madness.  Only one man can stop them, and he HATES superheroes – whilst being one himself.  Welcome to the wonderful world of “MARSHALL LAW” …

This limited series debuted in the Eighties, and has a wonderful “punk” feel to it.  At first glance, it’s like a grown up “JUDGE DREDD” but in reality, nothing is further from the truth.  Mills & O’Neill became the first to parody the Supehero genre to the point where the  publishing giants themselves actually took offence!  Others would come along and mess with the superhero norm (such as Planetary), but “MARSHALL LAW” was the most vicious.  In this world, heroes are twisted psychotics, murderers, mentally disturbed or worse.  The parody hits close to home on certain characters, especially DC regulars such as Batman & Superman.  Marvel characters get a complete story to themselves – in a mental institution!  I just love this weird, wacky take on the whole genre, and of course, it was a good preparation for the LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN where O’Neill was concerned…

On a seperate note, I have to say that this work shows off just how much we owe to O’Neill for the world of LOEG.  Alan Moore is renowned for creating detailed worlds, but it’s Kevin O’Neill that gives us it’s visual representation.  With MARSHALL LAW, O’Neill gives the same kind of detail and in-jokes that we see in LOGR, just in a more raw and primitive form.  The colouring can be a bit inconsistant across the stories, but bear in mind most of it is hand coloured using markers, and not digital – when you think of it like that, you have to take your hat off and acknowledge the artistry…

It’s expensive, but it’s a hardback, and printed on top quality paper.  As with most of the books I review here, it’s not for children – it contains VERY adult themes and lots of blood.  i can’t say too much else without giving away the story, but I certainly recommend this to anyone who likes parody – or general bloodbaths and mayhem!