Compleat Moonshadow Pb [Paperback]

J M DeMatteis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 20, 1998

One of the most ground-breaking and literate comic series of all-time is finally collected in one mammoth volume, showcasing the very best in modern storytelling and painted artwork. This adult fairy tale is a work that evokes comparison with Lewis Carroll & William Blake. Born in an intergalactic zoo and raised on the romantic works of Byron and Shelley, Moonshadow is suddenly kicked out of his home at the age of fourteen into an uncaring cosmos. He embarks on a journey which takes him not only to different planets, but also to the farthest reaches of the human heart. Contains adult themes and nudity.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Titan Books (February 20, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1852869178
• ISBN-13: 978-1852869175
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,916,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great follow-up story marred by bad rewrite, February 13, 2000

By 

Kamuizot "Kamuizot" (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Compleat Moonshadow (Paperback)

I consider myself a well read fellow. With that in mind I say in all honesty that Moonshadow is the most moving and important books I have ever read. Having first read the story as a teen in 1985 I identified strongly with the honest story telling of the transition of boy to man. Now this volume adds to the first by adding a story of Moonshadow's adult years. It is as brilliant and moving as the first and all the more meaningful to me now as I am maturing, as well.

HOWEVER: Be WARNED! The ending of the first story, Moonshadow's jouney to awakening, has been vandalized with a rewrite. The last pages have been stained with changed dialog and excessive narration that dilute the meaning and convert a thoughtful exploration of the transendant into a parade of cliche's. I recommend this book for the additional Moonshadow tale but, to get the full value from this wonderful tale one needs to seek out the original volumes with the original text and meaning.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compleat Indeed!, August 9, 2000

By 

G. Jensen "Belarius" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Compleat Moonshadow (Paperback)

My first experience with Moonshadow was some years ago, when a comic-adhesive friend of mine (to say he collected them would be an understatement - he seemed rather to magnetically draw them to his person) found the solitary first issue of Moonshadow in a bulk buy of his. We were both instantly fascinated with the caprice of the Gi'Doses, the wild characterization, and the whimsical tone. At the time (long before graphic novels of any kind were commonplace in our experience), we languished that this, like so many other series we had encountered piecemeal, would probably never be assembled into a single storyfor our enjoyment, and we would never learn what became of the story. Imagine my joy when, only recently, I stumbled upon the Compleat Moonshadow in a local bookstore. Gritting my teeth, I shelled out the dough, drove home, and read the entire story in one sitting. Bleary-eyed, I sent a message to my friend (the one above), informing him of the excellence of the series. A few notes of actual detail: the art is spectacular, a watercolor spread consistent in its ability to create forms carrying significant meaning even when 'abstract.' The narrative, as silly as it is serious, presents the reader with names and places so wacky they allow a childhood sentimentality, even while covering such mature topics as sexual innocence, the horror of war, and the evils of greed. Finally, the writing is, shall we say, large but no overwritten. It may tax the vocabulary of some readers on occasion (something I like, but know is not everyone's favorite), but it expresses complex ideas with as few words as possible (indeed - few words are rarely enough to cover such themes!) Overall, a touching and heartfelt story that ranks very high on my experience of comics, graphic novels, and other pictoral mediums.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Muth's best, September 30, 2004

By 

wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Compleat Moonshadow (Paperback)

The first thing is Muth's delicate, expressive watercolors. Even if you look at nothing else, this is a wonderful, sustained effort in visual story-telling. It tracks Moonshadow, the hero, from before his birth into his old age and death. The style perfectly captures sensuality, fear, and the sense of the bizarre.

The second is the story. It's baffling, by design, a product of hippie culture and the whims of whimsical and omnipotent beings. That really captures a lot of a kid's experience - with all-powerful adults acting in incomprehnsible ways. It has more, though: coming of age, destroying any romance there might be around war, and loving (and being loved by) people who aren't very lovable.

This book is thin, but includes over 400 pages of generally good color printing. The original 1980s comics are all here. So, unfortunately, is a 1997 accretion. It's a newer addition to the Moonshadow canon, also, illustrated by Muth. This add-on relies more on text than on illustration, and is painted in a rougher and more garish style. After the nuance and control of the original story, it's a let-down.

Anyone who like comic art should check into this. Anyone who likes good storytelling, where will is pitted against a universe with a sick sense of humor, should like it too. It's a true classic.

//wiredweird