Customer Reviews

Compleat Moonshadow Pb

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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

A very good read, especially for people who like a lot of Vertigo works (especially Neil Gaiman works). It's kind of a mixture between a Science Fiction story and a Fairy Tale for adults which takes you to many different roads and shows you the intergalactic journey of a boy who has had no contact with the outside world ever and is suddenly put out in the real world, with his only knowledge being the stories he read in his books of Orwell, Tolkien and Shakespeare. With great painted art by John J Muth (Sandman) and written by J.M. DeMatteis (Spiderman: The Child Within

I read this book when I was a teenager back in the late 1980's, and it had profound effect on my view of life. Not only is the art by Jon J. Muth extraordinarily beautiful, but the story by J.M. De Matteis is full of truths that are overlooked by most writers. This book, along with a very few others such as Maus and Watchmen, has helped establish the Graphic Novel as a new literary form apart from "comic" books.

I am reading the reviews people wrote for this book, and I am seeing some one star reviews, and I am wondering, "What are these people thinking?" So I am here to tell you that THIS COMIC IS AMAZING! It is the best comic ever made - better than Watchmen, The Dark Knight, Cages, Sandman, Maus, Love and Rockets, etc, etc. Moonshadow surpasses them all! It is so good that it easily qualifies as a "real book" and should be required reading on College campuses across the country. I have read Moonshadow over and over during the past ten years or so, and I always enjoy it. The reviewer before me complained about the changed ending, and yes, the previous ending was better. But all we are talking about is two pages! And anyway, Moonshadow is about life and the paths we take - the ending isn't important; just how we get there. And believe me, the adventures Moonshadow, Ira, etc take before they reach their conclusion are fantastic...this is work filled with the beauty of life, and everyone alive should read this book. It is a work of art that has had a profound effect upon me, as well as many others. Find out for yourself and be amazed

Does the story have a charming and youthful protagonist? - Will it play host to an irascible, yet somehow delightful, supporting cast? - Is the tale in question a larger-than-life, inspired chronicle that integrates the finest aspects of fantasy and science fiction into one yarn? The answer to these queries, I am happy to report, can be summarized in one word: "yes."
The Compleat Moonshadow is a graphic novel whose story revolves around the life and times of the eponymous hero. Born in a space zoo to the epitome of a flower child named "Sunflower," and a seemingly omnipotent, smiley face bubble called a G'I-Doses, Moonshadow longs for, and acquires, adventure out amongst the stars. A lascivious and ill-tempered alien named Ira, along with Moonshadow's ever faithful housecat, Frodo, accompany him on this miraculous journey.
Timeless subjects such as war, love, and mortality are presented to the reader under the guises of awesome quests and situational farces. One can thoroughly enjoy the action sequences from a global battle for supremacy, yet still be reassured that there are valuable insights to uncover on the machinations and consequences of combat. By the same token, Moonshadow's often hilarious attempts to win Ira's affections belie an anxious, nearly neurotic, compulsion for friendship.
John Marc DeMatteis' writing is highly romantic. However, it avoids the pretentious pitfalls that quixotic writing is prone to through its sincerity. The reader feels every bit of genuine emotion that went into the creation of the narrative, and thinks the saga better for it.
To add authenticity, DeMatteis' writing directly mirrors that of Moonshadow's; therefore, the prose has such adolescent mainstays like cynicism and doubt creep into the idealistic work as Moonshadow reaches his teenage and mature years.
Likewise, the art of Jon J. Muth evokes pure sensation. His proficient understanding of form and perspective, coupled with his judicious use of color, engages the reader's sensibilities and never loosens its hold until long after the story is finished.
Muth also employs exceptional page layout and storyline sequence in Moonshadow. Foregoing the classical approach in most comic books (picture squares with text in them) except when warranted, Muth applies a chic blend of children's storybook layouts (one or two pictures to a page) and his own inimitable, visually innovative arrangements.
The Compleat Moonshadow is an endearing and highly imaginative tale that will find acceptance and warmth among its readership.

In case anyone had any doubts that the graphic novel can not only compete with, but transcend, mere words, "Moonshadow" puts them to rest. At is heart, this is a simple tale of a boy growing up on the "journey to awakening" that we all take in one form or another. But because it is set agains the backdrop of the entire univese and populated with characters absurd enough to belong in "Catch-22" and deep enough to have sprung from Dickens, the reader is easily fooled and entranced into a story grander and more exciting than any "space opera" that ever hit the big screen. J.M. DeMatteis truly has a gift for language - his words are both poetic and real. "Moonshadow" is a collaboration, however, and DeMatteis's words are never any more, or less, important than Jon Muth's painted images, which go way beyond suggesting simple action and instead draw the reader in to the complex reality that is Moonshadow, our narrator,'s world. Read it not just to see the artistic power of the confluence of words and images, but to feel the anguish and the joys of coming of age in a way only a story too absurd, and yet too real, to be true can depict. I give Moonshadow more than my highest recommendation - I give my pledge that no open-minded person can help but be entranced by it (and if you think I'm wrong, I'd LOVE to hear from you).

As Mike Zulli said in his introduction, comics these days tend to be all frosting and no cake. Well there is an awful lot of cake in Moonshadow. It's hard to call this just a comic, because it is so damned ambitious. The formidable talents of both writer and artist are stretched to the maxx here. What first drew me too Moonshadow was the art of course, comics being a visual medium. I just opened to a random page and was amazed by the artwork. The watercolors lend a certain woozy, dreaminess to the comic that complements the writing style nicely. The illustrations by themselves would make the comic worth buying, but there is so much more. It is the tale of a young boy's journey to manhood. I know it doesn't sound too original but the writer, John DeMatteis, puts a spin on it. He uses the whole galaxy as his playground. Moonshadow certainly isn't a sci-fi story, but there are a lot of aliens and spaceships. It seemed to me that the writer was using the universe and everything in it as metaphors and literary devices. Earth just wan't big enough to encompass the story of Moonshadow, so DeMatteis expanded his horizons a billion fold and threw the readers into outer space. While it is a very literate story, Moonshadow doesn't talk down to it's readers. DeMatteis isn't afraid to get down and dirty. Though vulgar and raunchy at times, this is offset by moments of heart-breaking beauty. Moonshadow is both smart and funny. It's one of those stories that you don't quite get right away. But you know it's wonderful anyway. And the more you think about it, the more sense it makes, and the more special it becomes.

Fantastic artwork, thought provoking writing. The only drawback being the size and legibility of some of the print (origional in larger format?) I'm using a big magnifying glass but it's well worth the extra effort.