Week Thirteen In-class Post: Alan Moore & "Promethea"

The comic "Promethea" is one whose narrative is tightly wound with a storyline told much like a myth. Because of this, the authors utilize the idea of the symbol to convey the significance of the myth throughout the main narrative. the symbol that stands out to me to me the most is definitely the sun motif that is present on every single page. It's hard to miss; and initially it seems to represent the idea of Promethea's overarching significance as a type of god figure. When you look closer you can tell that there are two types of sun motifs used. One style, an older-looking, more natural-colored sun signifies that the story is in flashback mode, showing Promethea's beginnings; the other style is brighter and newer-looking, and signifies that the story is now taking place in the present tense.

I found it interesting that the authors were able to tie in the ancient mythology into a present-tense, modern setting. Utilizing connections between the past and the future alone I think furthers the relatability of this story. Often I find that stories told in a 'mythological' style that take place hundreds of years ago are harder to connect with, as they seem so alien. I enjoyed seeing how the troubles of the Promethea of the past-- religious visions and demonic curses-- clashed with the modern-day troubles encountered by Sophie, that is, dealing with the crude way her friends talk and the stress that comes with dealing with people who are much older than you. I always like a story that features primarily female leads also, which is not something you often see.

I could honestly probably enjoy the story a lot more in another medium. I'm not entirely partial to the art style that the story is drawn in-- I love superhero comics such as Hellboy but even then, Hellboy's art style is one that I think is pretty innovative in this specific genre. A lot of superhero comics these days have been very successfully adapted to action movies, and I think Promethea would be a perfect source material to adapt a movie from. There's a lot of movies that are being made right now set in biblical times (for example, exodus) and I think Promethea fits snugly into that genre, while also bringing a female superhero lead character as well as nonwhite characters to the table of the superhero movie adaption genre. If I were to make changes to the comic itself, I'd probably redraw it in such a way that is much less dated than it looks to me-- though I'm always more partial to strange or more interesting comic styles.