Score (out of 5 Capes)
A daring reimagining of Dorothy, Alice and Wendy, with a true artistry to the visuals.
My Review
Note: the book reviewed here is for Mature readers due to its frequent, explicit and graphic depictions of sexuality and nudity. This review is rated for Teens - it is neither explicit nor graphic but does briefly mention some of the disturbing topics that arise in the book.
"I know it when I see it." Justice Potter Stewart of the US Supreme Court coined this phrase in a 1964 case over whether a particular work of art met the threshold of being "obscene."
How would Justice Stewart have ruled on the Lost Girls work by acclaimed comic writer Alan Moore and lavishly illustrated by Melinda Gebbie? On the one hand, Moore himself described it as "pornography". On the other hand, it is clearly a powerful work of art, imagination and storytelling, so much so that any titillation stimulated within the reader is almost incidental and beside the point.
Moore's powerful storytelling abilities are on full display in this series of ten short chapters. Drawing on fairy tales, classical music, mythology, history and so much more, he crafts a stunning masterpiece, the whole very much dwarfing the sum of its parts.
Each of the ten chapters fits together; each is an essential element in painting the whole picture. The work would be lessened, even nonsensical, if any one of them were omitted.
The Mirror opens the collection. It introduces us to Alice of Looking-glass fame, now an old but still libidinous woman. The tale is told through images entirely framed by the same ornately carved mirror. Panel after panel compels us to dwell on the individually drawn repetitions of the highly suggestive carvings. How many hours did Gebbie spend on these images? Through simple structure with ornate details, her images contribute to the growing mystery of what is really going on behind us but in front of the mirror? It all leads to a delicious perspective-flipping reveal.
Next is Silver Shoes, which brings Dorothy Gale of Wizard of Oz fame to the Hotel Himmelgarten (meaning the Garden of Heaven). Upon her arrival, Dorothy is promptly seduced by the smooth-talking Captain Rolf Bauer, who with his fetish for feet is drawn to her and her silver shoes. If The Mirror touched upon mature subject matter but with discrete images, this second chapter ups the visually graphical ante. Gebbie also dazzles with her use of space, keeping a six-panel page layout but switching between 2x3 and 3x2 structures as needed to draw our eyes to the most critical elements, usually those silver shoes.
Missing Shadows brings the third and final central character into the mix, Mrs. Wendy Potter. She and her husband, with all their married repressions in tow, check into the same hotel. This chapter also gives us the first story-within-a-story as Mr. Potter discovers his room's copy of the hotel owner's hand-made book of erotic art and fiction. We readers get glimpses into this racy book. Gebbie handles the shifts in artistic style between the two nested stories with such grace and ease and gives a visual double-entendre through the shadows of the Potters.
In chapter four, Poppies, the three women meet for the first time at the hotel. Old Alice wastes no time in seducing Dorothy, while the Potters, in the room next door, are left to wonder what might be the relationship between the two women. Our perspective shifts smoothly into the following chapter, Straight on till Morning, which retells the preceding chapter but from Wendy's perspective. I love the way Moore weaves her suspicions and tensions into how and what she hears thru the thin walls of the hotel. Perhaps the most poignant chapter of the collection, as through simple narration and striking images, we grieve for the growing distance and mounting frustrations between husband and wife.
Queens Together at last brings all three together for a deeper connection. In the beautiful and secluded grounds of the hotel, they discover an affinity and friendship that is at once physical, spiritual and emotional. This chapter is also framed by another story-within-a-story, a series of Easter-Egg-like nods to the canonical tales of the three, as they agree to share their deeper stories with one another.
Dorothy goes first, with her tale of The Twister. Her sexual awakening, with all of its emotions and sensations and confusing teenaged hormones set amidst the stormy chaos of a storm. The famous tornado is both catalyst and brilliant metaphor for the raging, thrilling swirl of life she discovers. And the contrast between muted, earthy tones in the Kansas recollections versus the candy-coloured exaggerations of their present day, perfectly enhance the experience.
Wendy goes next, in Come Away, Come Away. She narrates her chance meeting with the street urchin Peter and how he entered her chambers and taught her and her brothers about the joys of their sexuality. This is now the eighth chapter of the collection, and Gebbie gives us at least a seventh distinct visual style. These images are sharply distinct from Dorothy's tale, with her swirl and horizontal structure replaced by thin, vertical panels topped by a second scene entirely in silhouette.
Finally, it is Alice's turn, in Looking Glass House. In yet another stylistic shift, this visually jaw-dropping tale is framed in ovals reminiscent of old-fashioned parlour mirrors. Yet it tells a deeply disturbing tale of Alice's awakening through being assaulted by a trusted family friend. She survived the uncomfortable and troubling experience by losing herself in a fantasy dream while staring into a large mirror in the family parlour. Again, Moore plays his characters on multiple levels, such richly imagined back-stories to characters we once thought ourselves familiar with.
Book 1 closes with Stravinsky, a story in which the main characters travel from the hotel into the city and attend performance of the Rite of Spring. In the darkness of the theatre, surrounded by friends, family and strangers, Dorothy, Alice and Wendy connect with one another in ways that weave perfectly into the music and drama around them.
The combined result of these ten stories is a beautifully brilliant book filled with intriguing reinterpretations of the core three characters. Moore has crafted the elements of his tale on so many levels, and his intelligent narrative is matched and equalled by Gebbie's visuals, simple yet ever-changing style and sensitive handling of the material.
The book is rightly rated Mature, this subject matter is not for the young or weak or impressionable. The frankness with which it handles previously taboo subject matter is admirable, and it all leaves the reader with much to think upon.
So, what would Justice Stewart conclude? In this reviewer's opinion, it could certainly be considered some degree of titillating, but it is far more a superb piece of art, both in writing and in imagery.
What I loved
Right from the start, from the first chapter The Mirror, the level of quality in Gebbie's renderings and Moore's storytelling is evident. An ornately carved mirror frames every panel of this chapter, with no copy-paste short-cuts. Each one is lovingly redrawn, showing the passion and care these creators have poured into this beautiful work of art.
What I didn't love
The final chapter, Stravinsky, layered art upon art. With pages creatively laid out with the stage show above and, in a 180-degree turn, the audience in the bottom panel, it retells the classical drama in such a way that the growing passions of our main characters mirror it almost perfectly. Gebbie's visuals are as stunning as in any other chapter. All of that is great and consistent with the rest of this book.
But the narrative text boxes are so oppressively large, filled with lines and lines of small and hard to read cursive-font text, and the wild romantic advances between the girls in the audience so inconceivable in a crowded theatre, that this is the least enjoyable of the chapters.
Quick Reference Details
Writer: Alan Moore
Artist: Melinda Gebbie
Published By: Top Shelf
Published When: Aug 26, 2006
Parental Rating: Mature (X)
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