Still on the Shelf #7 – Promethea

Originally published May 6th, 2003 on www.ComiXtreme.com. This work is, of course, © Craig Reade.

Overview-

Promethea likely one of the strangest “super-hero” comics I have ever encountered. I started picking this title up from the very beginning, and right off the bat I was sucked into the strange world of Promethea. The stunning art perfectly complimented the story, which made each issue that much more appealing. Dropping sales have lead to the announcement of the cancellation of this title at issue #32, but with 7 issues to go, anything can happen in the comic world, as we all know.

Alan Moore and J.H. Williams III created this title, and they have worked on it through its entire 25-issue run to date. Moore has used this title as an outlet for the great wealth of knowledge he possesses in the area of magic and the occult, and Williams’s art is nothing less than stunning, and integral to the tale.

The Story So Far-

The legend of Promethea begins as she, a young girl in 411AD, Alexandria, Egypt, is faced with a crisis. Her father, a Hermetic Scholar, is murdered by a mob of Christian priests. He, before his death, bade his daughter to escape to the desert, where the gods would protect her. Thoth-Hermes (a blending of the similar Greek and Egyptian Gods) appears to Promethea, and whisks her to the realm of Immateria, where she will exist for all eternity as a story.

Sophie Bangs, a college student in “modern day” New York City, attempts to interview Barbara Shelley for a term paper she is doing on a legendary character, “Promethea,” who has appeared in various forms of literature, dating back to the 18th century. Barbara is less than receptive, and warns her that it would be best for her to drop the subject of Promethea before it is too late, and refuses to answer any more of her questions. They are thrown back together again later when a creature called a Smee, who believes Sophie to be the “next Promethea,” attacks Sophie. Barbara, who is revealed to be the current incarnation of Promethea, rescues her.

Barbara is wounded, and unable to defend Sophie from the recovering Smee, so she explains that a select few people have the ability to channel Promethea by writing about her. She tells Sophie to write, something, anything, about Promethea, in hopes that she can become the new Promethea, and defeat the Smee when it returns. It works, and the rest is history.

Thoughts-

One of the most interesting things about this title is the fact that very little seems to actually go on in New York, and most of the main plot is focused on Sophie’s inner journey as Promethea. While the actual events in New York take the form of a narrative by a futuristic television program called “TEXTure,” the real meat of the story usually takes place outside of New York.

While many may have found it interesting, Promethea may have suffered most from a rather long story arc (lasted 12 issues!), where Promethea was traveling through the realm of Immateria on what amounted to a quest of self-discovery. Even though there was a bit of action back on Earth (by way of Stacia Vanderveer, Sophie’s friend who had taken up the mantle of Promethea in her absence), it seemed that the very rich, imaginary world of this New York city had been abandoned by Moore in favor of a detailed lesson in the occult. Moore had it all- eccentric characters (including a mayor with dozens of personalities), wacky resident “science heroes” in the form of the Five Swell Guys, ready made opponents for Promethea to encounter, and an overall rich setting for any number of stories to play out. And while I personally thought that the entire arc was a masterful lesson in the world of Magic, it went on far too long for a great number of readers, and even I myself grew impatient with it. With so much potential for a great story with this new heroine, it seemed to be a waste to ignore all of that so soon after going through the pains of establishing the intricate world Sophie lives in.

Bottom Line-

Alan Moore has either gotten the hint from fans, or he is about to embark on what he had planned all along. That long, strange, story was tied up over the last two issues, Sophie has regained the mantle of Promethea on Earth (see the latest issue), and she is finally back in New York, where she belongs, for the time being.

I won’t spoil the story for those of you who are interested in checking this title out, but I must say that though this is an ideal place to give the title a try. I would recommend picking up issues #24 and #25, the two latest issues, to get you up to speed before launching into issue #26, due out in stores May 14th. Though very little real action has taken place in the “Earthly” realm throughout the entire run of the comic, minor noteworthy events have peppered each issue, making the world that Sophie has been thrust back into very intricate and unusual. This is, by no means, Spider-man’s New York, and it will take some effort to really understand what is going on, but it is worth the effort.

This book is brilliant, and even if an increase in sales would not save it, I would like to see Promethea go out with a bang, rather than fade away. If you like what you see after sampling an issue, all of the past issues are available in trade-paperback and hardback, with a new compilation taking you through issue #25 set to be released. I know that many collectors are on a tight budget, but I firmly believe this title is worth the effort.

I highly recommend Promethea to any reader looking for something different, but magnificent in both art and storytelling.