To me Promethea is like Watchmen, using the medium to it’s fullest potential, with image and text intertwined to the point where they are one narrative. The fact that this was created by multiple people amazes me. It’s basically a text book intertwined with a story, and Iwish more pieces could be this brilliant. I come back to Promethea over and over in my life. Thank you for this retrospective.

My most favorite series of all time.

Moore really knows his work because If you study religious texts in your spare time which I do you would know that apocalypse originally meant an awakening to a higher understanding of the Universe just like the Apocalypse in Promethea.

I like the issue where Solomon is the judge who doodles cutting babies in half. That it plays a part in the just ending is amazing.

Alan Moore knew from the beginning "Promethea" was an ego trip, one that he wrote especially for himself and anyone interested in his "magickal" philosophy of writing. In one interview he asked, "There are a thousand comics out there that don't contain a philosophical essay, and one that does. Isn't there room for that one?" Many folks have chided Moore, and worse, for his insistence that he is a magician...but he makes a very interesting argument in favor of this kind of belief system. I have to admit it influenced me, even to the point where I devote my own KZfaq channel to "cooking magic." This clip from the documentary "The Mindscape of Alan Moore" summarizes it nicely, and it is definitely appropriate for "Promethea:" kzfaq.info/get/bejne/oZehdKaVld2slGQ.html Also, I'm peeved that the KZfaq notification for this video didn't show up in my feed until two days after you published it.

It's interesting that Alan Moore wrote the Killing Joke (Batman), Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow (Superman) and Supreme (Superman), Tom Strong (a variation of Doc Savage, a precursor to Superman in a way) and Promethea/Glory (Wonder Woman). Just interesting how Alan Moore tackled the DC Trinity over his career. And he never really went back to Batman.

Williams the third work on the Sandman prequel is amazing

Promthea is one of my favorite comic series' of all time! The characters, the story, the world-building, and the art were absolutely phenomenal!

Wonderful analysis and overview of this series. Promethea doesn't get the recognition it deserves.

My all time favorite Alan Moore story.

I read this in trades and always felt I was missing the full impact of the art. This was my first experience with a storyline this deep. Great video as always!

"Five Swell Guys" is the greatest name for a superhero team ever conceived. You can tell during the ABC era Alan Moore was having a blast writing.

Finally a Video about Promethia!! I just finished it last night. Awesome

I read this at least once a year. I think it's brilliant and teaches something new each time

I had no idea what I was getting into with this comic. Sophie's tour through the Tree of Life was a bit jarring at first where the narrative took a backseat to a magical lecture, but I've come to appreciate it and I think it was helped greatly by Williams' surreal visuals. I honestly think this is a better comic than Watchmen.

I got to read this series as it was released and every single issue blew me away with its beauty and insight. For a long time I considered it my favorite comic, but I haven't read it since, having lost my copies, so I'll need to revisit it to see if it's as perfect as I remember it.

At the time Moore was publishing 'Promethea' he also worked on other comics in the America's Best line. I found those books to more closely fall in line with my reading interest, so I'd gather the 'Promethea' books so as to have 4 or 5 to read at one sitting. This lead to a better understanding of the series and just how well words and pictures worked together.

finally, can't believe I missed this, I made so many suggestions for it

Promethea is my favorite comic of all time, and I'm always searching for essays, reviews, to understand even more it's universe.

JH Williams became a huge favorite after this. Briefly while he was working on Desolation Jones I took photos of Los Angeles for him to reference. He didn't continue on that series past the first six, but that was a cool connection for me.

Exceptional video as always

been fucking waiting for Promethea, my fav Alan Moore comic and top 5 at least, only definitively beaten out by The Sculptor and Daytripper. It's a toss-up for 3rd between Promethea, Sandman, and Hellboy, although Flex Mentallo, Berserk, and some Brubaker stuff like The Fade Out also edge in depending on my mood. Promethea is probably the comic I've been most impressed by, though, taking the most advantage of the medium in places, in a sense. The comic makes me feel so much awe in places, it really does feel like he's casting magic, especially with the part you touch on briefly where the as above, so below shit of the layers in the book where it explores the tree, 32 paths, and in the end it essentially follows that same journey one more time. Jerusalum is a good thematic follow-up. Also, like you say, it's super fascinating in where it fits into Moore's overall work. If you were going to review anything/read anything, I would recommend Scott McCloud's The Sculptor, super great, and I guess if you did a video on it (if you like it) McCloud is a super interesting person in the industry. Other than that, ripe for analyzation, there is Asterios Polyp (which similarly takes advantage of the medium), possibly the super weird saga of Terry Moore's career, Jodorowsky's place in the industry with The Incal and other shit aaaaand possibly Astro City and Corto Maltese. You do you though, the videos are great. Also, I have to super agree and just double down on how fucking amazing J. H. Williams III is, the man is a god, and I think someone mentioned the undisputed OG Todd Klein.

Bonus points for the McManus reference. Promethea was most definitely not a casual reading experience. To think he was writing Top 10 at the same time is amazing.

Awesome video! Thank you SBP!

Awesome. Promethea is really underrated.

Never heard of this but it sounds awesome

Very good job as usual, thx man

Another outstanding review job.😄😄😄

I love that you point out that this work is best viewed electronically rather than in print. I rarely have that viewpoint regarding comics but I have read this both ways and it was enhanced greatly reading it electronically. I believe Moore and Williams made a Grand Opus when they produced this work. It is every bit as much a great story as well as a sublime text-book covering the Kabbalah, ceremonial magick, Tarot and general Occidental mysticism, Plus it has a Weeping Gorilla. Loved the video, thank you for making it. Have you considered doing one on Grant Morrison's under-rated and unappreciated spiritual successor to the Invisibles called 'Filth"?

Once I hit the issue with the Infinity symbol, I started tripping. I shit you not.

Anytime I hear "Five Swell Guys" I think of the restaurant "Five Guys".

Very Nice video

I fully agree that this reads better on a computer (tablet is even better) screen. I believe that about comics in general, splash pages are so much better looking digitally. I like on a tablet too that you are reading one page at a time too.

Always a good listen - expanding my basic comics tastes...

I bought these as they arrived and have all the softcover collections on my shelf. I remember deconstructing and reconstructing the final issue, though now I simply have the posters in frames in my cubby. I've always seen Promethea as Alan Moore's grimoire.

Good work as always sir.

I'm glad we managed to get that piece of Supreme by Alex Ross because it is, amazing.

Wow, this series sound brilliant. On par with Planetary brilliant. Hadn't considered it before, but now i'm curious. This also sums up why I watch/what I get from this channel. First impression; wondering how much the writer and author were inspired by Windsor McCay's Little Nemo. The style & presentation evoke that, but for adults. And here I thought it was just an alternate take on Wonder Woman. Oops.

I’m going to have to read this....

I loved your take on the Incal, which, believe it or not, was a central comic of my childhood. My question to you is : do you see links between Promethea and the Incal ? Is there the same mystic and strange epic feel ? Thanks !

It's wonderful to see a discussion of Promethea. But I would have done it more chronologically; this presentation is aimed at readers familiar with with series. I love the moments when Promethea and Hermes/Thoth directly address the reader... metatextual! You do show off the amazing art of JH Williams. And don't forget the unique lettering and title designs by Todd Klein. How did you get the full two-page images without the spine down the middle?

great video Alan, although the audio is quite lacking

Theres a lot of the Best Comics and Supreme adjacent output I desperately need to read. And seems like a lot more im not even fully aware of

This could have been a 3 parter.

i like to see a video where you análysis stormwatch by warren ellis

I just didn't want to work this hard to read a comic book. I have a masters in history, I got it, but this isn't the reason that I read comicbooks.

Nothing more hilariously tone deaf ever spoken than Rob Liefeld claiming Alan Moore derived anything creative from his exceedingly juvenile works.

I'm enjoying these. It is sad to be an idea man though, seeing all these wonderful comics, having ideas and not being in a position to do anything about it other than write out the ideas and be content with that. Not being somebody who knows somebody, even someone drawing on an amateur (non-corporate) level, means that there's no way to even communicate those ideas. People can be apologetic or roll their eyes at the lavishness given form by writers such as Moore and illustrators such as Williams with pieces that could appear over indulgent or fantastically otherworldly in displaying this fictional state of higher reality and glory but who can blame those two people and others like them when the chance presents itself? For myself, if anything, such scenes as these help ground me in reality.

Rob Liefeld: "I basically created America's Best Comics because I hired Alan Moore to fix my shitty Superman knockoff."

Please do a video on Milestone from DC. Static, Icon and Rocket. Or so ALL the Sandman Presents, not just the 2018 books but all the old stuff.

Look at that like dislike ratio - wow

As much as I like Prometha, I kinda see this as the last high quality Alan Moore story. After Prometha, I noticed a dip in his writing quality (Most notable in his League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.) with him becoming less and less subtle with his themes.

You didn't even mention that Moore ended thia series because Windstorm was bought by DC and he didn't want his characters owned by DC.

first

I hate this book. The art is great and is the sole reason why any one should buy it. But everything Alan Moore has done after The Watchmen can be boiled down to sex, drugs, and magic.