This volume, containing the eight chapter of sixteen, marks the halfway stage in Alan Moore's compelling and detailed account of the full case of Jack the Ripper, the serial killer who despatched five prostitutes in the London of 1888. This is, as Moore takes pains to point out, a fictional treatment - the adoption of the secret order of Masons as the Big Bad Government-Approved Villians is for dramatic purposes, and is not strictly proven by the facts. That said, the hypothesis does account for all of the observed facts, and allows for Moore to form a narrative that flows naturally from an encounter between an incognito Prince Edward and a peasant woman, through the Monarchy, in the person of Queen Victoria herself, commissioning the pagan and sugeon Sir William Gull to dispose of the five girls, and on towards, it seems inevitable, a police cover-up. Onr of the most attractive elements of this book is the comprehensive Appendix at the back, where Moore picks apart his own story, clearly showing the boundary between documented fact, theories mentioned in any of the many other Jack The Ripper books, and scenes invented purely for story cohesion and/or dramatic appeal. A truly impressive and enthralling read.
The art, by Eddie Campbell, is gorgeous black & white, and is some of the best I've ever seen, combining excellent and consistent characters with a wonderful sense of drama in the 'action' scenes.
Art: 4
Writing: 5
Andrew