The Complete Ballad of Halo Jones (2000 Ad)

Product Information

Halo Jones is bored. Trapped in The Hoop, a futuristic world where jobs are scarce and excitement non-existent, Halo sets out to see the galaxy any way she can and to rewrite her destiny. From drudge work on a glamorous cruise liner, to serving in a brutal war zone, Halo experiences love and loss and she grows up into the woman who will change the course of the galaxy’s history. The artwork is kind of a mixed bag. On one hand the artist is the master of drawing the contrapposto figure, but on the other he seems to have skipped all head-drawing classes. Every character has the same unappealing face and the same stiff expression: hooded eyes, catfish frown, and oddly-rendered cheeks. The alien designs are pretty cheesy too. Everyone speaks highly of Alan Moore’s “Watchmen” but rarely do I ever hear anyone [other than those of us in the know] discuss “The Ballad of Halo Jones” which I still consider his greatest work in the field of comics/graphic novels. The first story shows us Halo at eighteen, living in the slums of 'The Hoop', an artificial city in the middle of the Atlantic. It starts off quite light-heartedly, though Halo's world is quite dystopian, and it's hard to define where that sense of humour comes from. Life on the Hoop is going nowhere, but it's not until she loses two of her best friends - one murdered, the other simply giving up - that Halo hardens her resolve to get out. She and her remaining friend Rodice leave, but jobs are few, and Halo gets the one they can find, hostessing job on a beautiful antique ship - thanks to her seriously uncool ability to speak Cetacean. This is where it feels like the story gets started, the first book giving Halo the impetus to leave - with an agreement to meet up with Rodice in a year's time, in a bar on another world.

Clara Pandy (luxury space liner): Toy Molto, Glyph, Mix Ninegold, Cézanne Goleiter, Kititirik Tikrikitit, Rat King, Lux Roth Chop, Captain Slovik Eye Scream: It's apparently standard military training to learn how to put an enemy's eyes out with your thumbs. In 2012, a new stage adaptation covering Book One and Book Two of the series was performed as a fringe theatre production in Manchester. [6] [7] Leah Moore attended one of the performances. [8]Ian Gibson Interview Part 1". 2000AD Review. 4 December 2002. Archived from the original on 5 December 2002. This book leaves most comics and shounen manga in the dust when it comes to realistic depiction of people - Alan Moore's writing combined with the Ian Gibson art droid's panels make a subversive and accessible mix. It’s a shame that there was never a fourth book or beyond for Halo Jones, because it feels like stories with her could have been endless. She’s also very unique in both 2000AD‘s canon and Moore’s catalogue. The Ballad of Halo Jones by Moore, Gibson, Potter, and Starkings is an enthralling adventure of a woman who just wanted out to go everywhere. Classic Comic Compendium: The Ballad of Halo Jones Overly Long Name: The Proximen have to buy words to add to their names, making name length an indicator of class. A Proximan in a position of political power, for instance, is called 'Procurator Bandaged Ice That Stampedes Inexpensively Through A Scribbled Morning Waving Necessary Ankles', whereas one encountered by the heroine at a bus stop tells her, "Name is Snivelling. When can afford second word in name, will be Snivelling Earthquake." Things become much more livelier by the second book and there are some intriguing premises and classic story devices used here that kept my interest. Of course, almost anything would have been an improvement over the first one. Here, near Shakespearean or classic Greek drama of love, betrayal, and something called a rat king are introduced. Also, by this time the jarring and unfamiliar slang starts becoming more understandable and for me even warmly embraced.

In his introductions to the three 1986 Titan editions, Moore described its genesis. The story was designed from the outset to avoid the typical 2000 AD story elements: "guns, guys and gore." Moore said that he had "no inclination to unleash yet another 'Tough Bitch With A Disintegrator And An Extra Y-Chromosome' upon the world". The idea to base the strip around an ordinary, unremarkable woman, typical of the society she lived in, was also very different for 2000 AD. Dystopia: The Hoop, but then again the whole galaxy is swarming with terrorists, cyberpunk gangs and warfare. Try to Fit That on a Business Card: The Proximen acquire extra words in their names as a sign of increased status.Excellent. I thought the actors really brought the characters to life and sounded pretty much as I used to imagine them. I liked the addition of Halo narrating certain parts (It was a comic strip!) but doing it as she was writing letters. Of course, Moore and Gibson set their series dozens of centuries in the future and created a high-tech tableau for their story and plenty of social commentary woven throughout. As far as I know, all the collected editions of the “Halo Jones” strips are all basically the same, but not exactly – you get all three books of “The Ballad of Halo Jones” and maybe a couple of sketches or covers. At least one version includes an introduction by Alan Moore. This one doesn’t. So what we’re left with, via Rebellion circa 2010, is a group of stories from 1984-1986 that must stand on their own. A saga of a young woman growing up and living and loving and suffering and overcoming and…well…the problems begin in the opening few chapters. Prog 2000 featured Halo beating Hap Hazzard and Finn before getting blown away by the Missionary Man in that issue's character Deathmatch.