Since the end of November, Urban comics offers the first volume of Promethea in a unified edition: imagine a reinterpretation of Wonder Woman infused with nineteenth-century novels and magic. Will you be enchanted by this masterpiece of the screenwriter of Watchmen?
A major screenwriter on the loose
Alan Moore is often considered the best writer in comics. Several older titles demonstrate this (Watchmen, V for vendetta, Swamp Thing) but the Promethea series is part of one of its most prosperous periods. Tired of the constraints and disrespect of DC Comics, the writer gets his own label – America's Best Comics (ABC) – in Jim Lee's publishing house. It is in this place protected from any editorial constraint that his imagination is freed. He created The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (available at Panini comics), Top 10 (already at Urban) and Tom Strong (at Delcourt) but Promethea is resolutely apart. The British writer takes advantage of a superhero story to declare his flame to the imagination and describe his perception of the occult. 
Promethea, a fictional heroine entering reality
Sophie Bangs is finalizing her thesis topic which, as always for these students, perplexes these friends — the different iterations of the mystical heroine Promethea. But Sophie, passionate, seeks to meet the wife of a writer who used this character. Her situation becomes frankly strange when this legendary heroine arrives in reality. Worse, Promethea tells him that she is his new avatar and, at the turn of the millennium, she is the herald of the apocalypse. This adventure is mixed with a reflection on literature and the power of the imagination. Alan Moore never starts from scratch but appropriates old stories to give a new version. Inevitably, Promethea is reminiscent of Athena or Wonder Woman. Indeed, Sophie finds herself in the plains of Immateria, the land of myths and imagination where she meets the ancient – or the old – incarnations of Promethea while discovering her enemies. It is like reading Aristotle but more fun because this imaginary world is just as important as the real. In the drawing, we find these many references – for the most obvious, Little Red Riding Hood or King Kong. The character of Barbara Shelley also refers to Frankenstein or the modern Prometheus. Immersed in all these threads, the reading becomes vertiginous because all these references are not a fun detail for fans but are part of the story. Each reader may find a different interpretation. Alongside these real references, the screenwriter adds false ones.
Promethea, the visual magic
Over the course of the volumes, the screenwriter adds themes and concepts making Promethea an abundant story. This abundance may be reminiscent of Hal Jordan: Green Lantern released this summer. For example, through the successive avatars of the superheroine, the artistic duo also shows different facets of the feminine. These strong women are not all young bimbos with perfect bodies but can be old, overweight … Even if it is not explicit, these women have sex. The screenwriter also takes advantage of this heroine from ancient Egypt to develop a reflection on the clergy and mysticism. The first episode is totally built in connection with tarot cards. But, do not be afraid, one can enjoy the book without the need to enter a cult. You will probably want to know more. Moore's scripts are sometimes served by cartoonists struggling to reach the level of complexity of the text. This is absolutely not the case here with J.H. Williams III. This talented American artist is at the top. J.H. Williams III adapts in each episode to the genre highlighted. Its layouts are both fluid and the reader can spend hours contemplating every detail. Charles Vess shoulders him to tell part of the story set in thenineteenth century in chapter four. 
The case is up to the story because the publisher Urban comics does not just reprint the old episodes. The pearly white cover surrounded by gold lettering is beautiful. In addition to all the covers, including those by Alex Roos, this edition begins with a foreword by Alan Moore and concludes with an afterword by writer and screenwriter Brad Meltzer. Purists will be happy to compare the original script of episode three with the pages of J.H. Williams III. We can salute the work of the translator Jérémy Manesse who had already produced some volumes of the previous edition. In a podcast, he admits to having spent a day translating some boxes. Here he can finally translate the whole to resume his previous work which was one of the first translations. Promethea is the event of the fall. Visually splendid, Alan Moore's dense scenario plunges the reader into a world These first twelve episodes of a series planned in three volumes are a must for the comic book fan and the magician's apprentice. The hardest part will be waiting for the sequel scheduled for March. This month, you will find in another genre, the release of Batman Death Metal on this link.
