From Hell

From Hell is a graphic novel by writer Alan Moore and artist Eddie Campbell speculating upon the identity and motives of Jack the Ripper. The title is taken from the first words of the "From Hell" letter, which some authorities believe was an authentic message sent from the killer in 1888. The work is dense, multilayered and immensely detailed; the collected edition is about 572 pages long.

Related Topics:
Graphic novel - Alan Moore - Eddie Campbell - Jack the Ripper - "From Hell" letter - 1888

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The early chapters of From Hell were originally published in Taboo, but after it ceased publication, the story was continued in 10 volumes published by Tundra Publishing and Kitchen Sink Press between 1991 and 1996. An appendix, From Hell: The Dance of the Gull-Catchers, was published in 1998. The entire series was collected in a trade paperback and published by Eddie Campbell Comics in 1999; the trade paperback is now published by Top Shelf Productions.

Related Topics:
1991 - 1996 - 1998 - Trade paperback - 1999 - Top Shelf Productions

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

From Hell takes as its premise Stephen Knight's theory—widely criticised as inaccurate and nonsensical by experts—that the murders were part of a conspiracy to conceal the birth of an illegitimate royal baby fathered by Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence. See the article on Jack the Ripper royal conspiracy theories.

Related Topics:
Stephen Knight - Conspiracy - Royal - Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence - Jack the Ripper royal conspiracy theories

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In an appendix added to the collected From Hell, Moore writes that he did not accept Knight's theory at face value, but considered it an interesting starting point for his own fictional examination of the Ripper murders, their era and impact.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

While From Hell is admittedly fiction, Moore and Campbell conducted significant research to ensure plausibility and verisimilitude. The collected From Hell features over forty pages of page-by-page notes and references, indicating which scenes are based wholly on Moore's own imagination and which are based upon specific named sources. Moore's opinions on the reliability of those references are also listed, which often disagree quite dramatically with experts on the Ripper case and history.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Hughes Brothers adapted From Hell into a motion picture, released in 2001 and starring Johnny Depp, Heather Graham and Ian Holm.

Related Topics:
Hughes Brothers - Motion picture - 2001 - Johnny Depp - Heather Graham - Ian Holm

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~