Customer Reviews

Complete Ballad of Halo Jones (2000 Ad)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Ballad of Halo Jones is one of the more extraordinary things ever to have been published by the British comic 2000AD; it exemplifies much of what was good about that publication (subversiveness, risk-taking, an openness to new ideas) whilst at the same time marking a significant break with its usual biases and...um...proclivities. To whit: this is a story about women, told as the epic "ballad" of one emphatically ordinary woman: a story in which women go into space, go to war, fall in love (sometimes with each other, as one superbly subtle and tender scene reveals), get disappointed, get betrayed, get older...if the vividness and depth of Moore's Mina Harker (in _The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen_) impressed you, remember that he's been writing humanly believable, *real* female characters for a long time. Halo Jones is one of his best.

THE BALLAD OF HALO JONES is a wonderful story about an ordinary woman who rises from hazardous poverty in a slum on Earth to genuine - but quiet - heroism in and after an interstellar war. Like Neil Gaiman's SANDMAN series, it's a collection of short stories with an overarching plot, where seemingly minor incidents and characters turn out to be incredibly important later. The moral of the ballad seems to be that there *are* no minor or unimportant people (or even unimportant rats). And if you don't like comics, close your eyes and have someone read "I'll Never Forget Whatsisname" to you. Highly recommended.

The "Ballad of Halo Jones" is one of Alan Moore's earliest works, and orignally appeared in serial-form in Britain's 2000AD magazine during the early 1980s.

Ballad is set in the far future, and chronicles the eponymous heroine from the age of 18 to 35. The great strength of this series is the strong and diverse characterization of the mostly female cast. Frankly, I think that sympathetic female characterization has been a problem with Moore (look at his masterpiece, Watchmen, where all of the female characters are neurotic at best), but in this early work, Moore does an outstanding job. The storyline is also very strong and poignant with a beautiful ending.

Overall, Ballad isn't quite Moore at his best (Watchmen and From Hell), but it's ranks with his "2nd tier" work like Miracleman; and it's head and shoulders over more recent fare like League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

One negative: this trade from Titan reprints the full storyline in the original black and white, and format-size, which is much larger than the standard comic book format. During the late 1980s in the US, this series was reprinted in color and in standard size. I wish that this format had been retained...frankly, this is a big book on the bookshelf.

Extremely likeable comics novel from the 1980s that could easily pass for one of the Robert Heinlein "young adult" science fiction novels from the 1950s (like the two mentioned above, or TIME FOR THE STARS, or HAVE SPACESUIT - WILL TRAVEL, etc.). In each of the Heinlein stories, an adolescent hero leaves home to struggle through a series of traumatic and otherwise character-building experiences that ultimately transforms him or her into an adult.

Such things happen in this story to young Halo, who trades in the futilities and disappointments of her childhood Welfare State environment for adventure in outer space -- which of course proves to have futilities and disappointments of its own.

The last third of the novel deals with Halo's experiences in the military --like Heinlein's STARSHIP TROOPERS or SPACE CADET -- although Alan Moore's take on space combat is decidedly less gung-ho than Heinlein's. Closer to Joe Haldeman's THE FOREVER WAR.

I am a fan of Alan Moore's work. Or, perhaps, it is better for me to say that I am a fan of his work up to the 1990's or so. Sorry, but I have yet to hit upon a title under "America's Best Comics" done by Moore which is near the quality of work he did in the '80's. So, instead, I've been going back to his '80's work and finding gems like "The Ballad of Halo Jones" to keep me company. Although the stories begin slow and you'll likely be saying to yourself "what the hell is going on here," I assure you that it picks up and the book gets great by halfway through. Without giving much away, I will leave it like that and let you enjoy it on your own. Peace.

Between living in an America where whole neighborhoods are now sealed off from the outside world, simple tasks like supermarket runs becoming ordeals fraught with tension & peril, as well as the mysterious (and brutal) murder of one of her closest friends... you can't really blame the young Miss Jones for desperately wanting to get away from the 'it all' that the 50th century provides for the folks of Earth. But will a new life in the reaches of outer space prove to be any easier? Maybe, maybe not. Still, for Halo-- and the course of the universe's history-- (to say nothing of the reader), there is no turning back.

An underrated gem from Moore (at least on our side of the pond, from what I've heard).

Was shipped in a timely manner and the product arrived as specified. No damages or unusual wear and tear either from shipping or storage! A+

Someone's got to be making a movie of this. Read it before it is reduced to that. I read this for fun. Though provoking story with surprises. The "different drummers" foreshadowed the 'boom boom' cars of today. Delves into the human condition. Excellent sci fi (with a strong, yet normal, female lead). Highly recommended, one of the best.

This graphic is awesome! Halo Jones is a well thought out girl from the mind of
Alan Moore. I read it quickly and after I finished it, I wanted to keep on reading about Halo Jones' subsequent adventures. I hope Mr. Moore revisits the Halo Universe again one day, cuz I'll be waiting.

B&W comics still have a lot going for them, and this reprint shows why.

It starts with Halo and her room mates in a dystopic future. Poverty has been "solved" by rounding up the impoverished and barricading them out of sight - a poignant reminder that this comic dates back to Reagan's America. After one of her friends is killed and another lost to the trance of brain implants, Halo escapes that man-made purgatory into space ...

From then, Moore gives us the ongoing saga of Halo's life: stewardess, drifter, soldier, and the promise of more in the future. Her life cycles through adventure, loss of the people that have become important, and departures for new worlds. Somehow, though, the adventure looks grittier from up close, and the departures are more desperation or wandering away than bold excursions.

I remember the Halo character from way back when, and was happy to see these reprints living up to my memory of her. This collection ends on a departure - a step into a new episode. I don't know Halo's original story, but I hope that episode is still available and comes back into print.

//wiredweird