Promethea, Book 5

The Promethea series was the most interesting and inspiring graphic novels I've ever read. I can't see how Moore can top these.

I was sad to see Promethea end after just five books, but this is hands down one of the most kick-@$$ stories I have ever read (this goes for the series, not just this book) and the series is a cherished part of my graphic novel collection - and I am picky! The ending caught me off-guard, but in a way it almost seems fitting the way it ended.

Promethea is the type of comic that is more than a comic. After finishing this series, I am not the same person that I was before. Alan Moore's true genius shines through as he reveals his life's work of research on magic, religion and philosophy to the lucky reader. In the fifth volume, the journey comes to an end, one that the reader may not be expecting. It is a soft ending, but one with a lot of mental punch in terms of thought and self-reflection. You haven't seen the true potential of what a comic book can do until you have read the Promethea series.

I've been reading comics for nigh on thirty-five years now, and PROMETHEA is one of my all-time favorites. This concluding volume wraps up the show in fine fashion as Promethea ushers in an "apocalypse" that is wholly unexpected, and is based on the original Greek meaning of the term. The coda issue is STUNNING, one of the most innovatively written and designed comic stories EVER, I kid you not. As to the other poster's somewhat off-handedly critical comments about "air brushed" art: well, I do not know what technique the amazing JH Williams III used in parts of the finale story, but let me contextualize WHY he chose a new style for some scenes. In the final story imagination and reality begin to blur and Williams uses a semi-photo-realistic style to suggest "reality," as in our reality, which blurs with comic book reality. After 30-some issues of spectacular innovation Williams keeps the new design ideas flowing in this final volume. Needless to say, you probably will not be buying this volume without having read the first four books, so you will already know if you HAVE to read v5 or not. I think it is a majestic finish to a truly remarkable work of art, and if there were seven stars, I'd grant it that (seven being a lucky number!). PROMETHEA gets my highest possible praise, love and respect and yes, it even nudged out Neil Gaiman's incandescent SANDMAN meta-megaseries.

This graphic novel did an excellent job in capping off the Promethea series.This was so good that I nearly had a spiritual experience by reading it. This makes me wish that everyone else in the world had the same experience. With current events as they are, we surely need it!