From Hell

Title: From Hell
Writer: Alan Moore
Artist: Eddie Campbell
Published: Originally 1989
Genre: Crime/horror
Pages: Very many.


Some months, maybe a year ago, before buying the actual Kindle, I bought From Hell as a Kindle version, since it was for sale and, you know, it's such a good story. It's also a very thick print volume, and heavy. So heavy, a strain on my poor fragile little wrists.

I wrote a more in-depth report some years back on the graphic novel itself; this one's more on the Kindle version. Reading a comic book/graphic novel (I'm just going to write comic as it's short and easy, although not a grand enough word for this work of art) on the mobile screen or on a tablet doesn't sound like a very good idea, since the pictures, not to mention words, would be so small. On the Kindle you can easily tap and zoom on one picture at a time, and move onto the next as easily as if turning a page. About 90% of the pictures in From Hell are the same size and shape, which happens to fit perfectly on the Kindle screen. So that's lucky! Some were a bit more challenging, and there were a few pages where some images were skipped completely, and some zoomed only in part. 

The images were a bit fuzzy, though, since they were much bigger on screen than they are on printed page. But, you know, I didn't need to see what was happening to Mary Kelly in that high a definition. Thankfully From Hell is completely black and white. So is the Kindle Paperwhite, so reading a coloured comic would lose something. Colours show up on the mobile screen, of course, so there it wouldn't be a problem.

Just to be thorough, and procrastination, I just checked how the comic looks on my mobile. It's a Samsung SIII so the screen is reasonably large. The Kindle app shows the whole page at once, and upon tapping a single image, it enlargens it slightly. Very slightly. It's still readable, but not much detail shows. So, Kindle wins that round, but printed comic takes the cake.


   "Do you possess materials for writing?"
   "Over on the side there, sir, but..."
   "Splendid! Then you shall write whilst I dictate. We're going to write a letter, Netley."
   "A letter? 'oo to?"
   "Oh, Mr. Lusk, perhaps, or his Whitechapel Vigilance Committee. I wonder, Netley... how would you begin a missive of this kind?"
   "Uh, well... I suppose I'd put "Dear Mr. Lusk", sir..."
   "Oh, come, now. Are you not aware that one begins a letter with one's own address? "From Hell", Netley. Write that down. From Hell."


Damn it. I only went to look for a nice quote. Now I want to read it again. With all the little Appendix-details.