Customer Reviews

Alan Moore's A Small Killing TP

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Not sure I get the bad reviews. Maybe they didn't read the whole thing? Hmm, wait a minute! I'm on to something. Honestly, when I read this for the first time, at about halfway through, I was not sure I wanted to go on. It was depressing, the lead was unlikeable. Then the last page. Wow. Killed me. I remember reading the last page, in the bathroom (lol), and I was just in tears. Something about that orange soda. Heavy stuff. It hits in the way that the Accidental Tourist hits, the final scene where Hurt finally does what he hasn't done in two hours: Smile. And then you just get it. That's what this work was for me. A hand reaches for a soda pop and you just get it. If you don't, I feel for you.

Alan Moore, A Small Killing (Avatar Press, 2003)

Timothy Hole ("that's pronounced 'Holly', actually.") is a British ad man who's been marooned in America for years, but now finds himself behind what may be the biggest campaign of his career, marketing cola to the Russians. Just when he thinks his life is on track, though, he finds himself being stalked by a psychotic small child... yes, you've seen this storyline many, many times before (and you'll be able to suss out the ending after the first few pages). Because of this, the book lives or dies on how well Moore tells the story. You might expect a lot from the guy who brought us Watchmen, Lost Girls, and V for Vendetta. And you'd be right to, which makes A Small Killing that much more disappointing. The story is shot through with annoyances and distractions (every crowd scene is a chore). When Moore is on his game, he's one of the best in the business, but he seems to be on his game, well, not much of the time here. For the Moore completist only. **

A Small Killing is definitely not one of Alan Moore's best stories, but it does contain some interesting literary ideas about memory and guilt. The art by Oscar Zarate did not really captivate me and I found myself actually speeding through the book rather than savoring the panels as I would a well-drawn comic or graphic novel. Not that Zarate does not draw well; it's just that his style does not appeal to me, with its wavy lines and scenes that could have been a bit more detailed. Alan Moore uses beautiful prose, but the story is ultimately boring and does not allow the reader to sympathize with the main character Timothy Hole during his brief encounters with his other self, which is basically what the entire book consists of. Overall, a disappointing read.

This really seems more like something Alan Moore did when he had to work at being deep, like in high school. It has none of the layered complexity of anything else I've ever read by him, and whatever simple surprises there are in the story are easily figured out beforehand. Not much of anything happens in A Small Killing, and even by the late 80s (when the book was originally released) characters being stalked by demonic children was pretty stale.

So I guess consider avoiding anything Alan Moore describes as "deeply personal". He's way more interesting dealing with superheroes and society at large. I'd have given it a rating of 1 if the art weren't kind of cool.

A very convoluted story that really never gives any suspense because the answer is the only obvious conclusion. Truly a "huh?".

i love alan moore, but this was a big waste of time and money. don't make the same mistake i did.

This short tale might be of interest to a 13 year old who has little exposure and knowledge of adult sexual issues such as abortion, and is moving from fantasy comics to more adult themed stories, but is kind of dull for the mature reader. The idea behind this book seems like a good idea, but with the cliche comic formula involving flashbacks and the theme of rebirth, etc, it hardly seems worth putting it all together for publication. It's not exactly provocative or an entertaining read. It's not badly done, just not very interesting, but passes the time I suppose.

A weak Outer Limits or Twilight Zone-like story at best.

Nobody wears tights, and the most important things happen when you're not looking, but this delivers what 'Big Numbers' only promised. Brilliant.