“The greater part of London’s story is not writ in words. It is instead a literature of stone, of place names and associations.”
Comics are one of the most versatile storytelling mediums devised by humankind. You can do practically anything you put your mind to within those pages. It’s not limited by budget. Only by imagination. You can tell any kind of story fiction, non-fiction, a blur of both. From common four colour fantasies with superhero fisticuffs to moving, soul-searching memoirs that feature flights from war-torn countries. A dive into professions not often seen in the medium offering rare flavours to one of the most horrific series of killings that arguably gave birth to the 20th century.
And even within that latter, the whyfores and hows of it could take deviations. Not just a simple plan of a madman murdering prostitutes in Whitechapel, it became something bigger in Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell‘s From Hell. It became an accusatory finger pointed at the failings and viciousness of the monarchy, a rebuke of aristocracy, and took a hard look at a man in William Gull who thought he was using mythology, masonry, and more to complete a Great Work. Part of that becoming clear in Chapter 4, “What Doth the Lord Require of Thee?”.
Where previous chapters and the prologue set up the impetus for much of the story, the characters, and the catalyst of a child born to a prostitute from someone within the royal line, Chapter 4 sets out the commission of a full cover-up. And the logic behind what the murderer is going to do. In doing so, it takes a detour through a guided tour of bits of the occult history of London. Stopping at the sites of Nicholas Hawksmoor’s churches, other significant architecture, and a rolling dialogue on the history of Freemasonry and an interpretation of solar-phallic myths supplanting lunar-yoni goddesses. It’s definitely something.
Remember, though, that Gull, the mouthpiece for the travelogue, is an unreliable narrator. Not to say that the historical or architectural information is wrong in any way, just that his conclusions and interpretations are not necessarily meant to be taken at face value. And that one of the key points of this part of the story is not just his convictions and beliefs, but that his assistant, through this tour, has come to the conclusion that Gull is quite possibly thoroughly insane. It’s impressive how what’s kind of a lesson on occult history, sacred geometry, and deliberate geography. All with a thoroughly bonkers application of misogyny. Ironic when it comes from an edict set forth by Queen Victoria.
From Hell as a whole by Moore and Campbell is a challenging work. One that has been thoroughly researched, painstakingly thought-out, and meticulously crafted in both dialogue and art. A piece that strives not just to tell the story of one of history’s most notorious serial killers, but also push at the boundaries of what the medium can do. It’s one that I’ll continue to revisit in the future, though Chapter 4: “What doth the Lord require of thee?” continues to stand out, even within that incredible work, as its own unique magickal working. Something that blends history, mythology, the occult, and character-building into one heady narrative.
From Hell – Chapter 4: “What doth the Lord require of thee?”
Writer: Alan Moore
Artist: Eddie Campbell
Art Assist on original black & white version: Steve Stamatiadis
Publisher: Top Shelf Productions (Master Edition) | Mad Love (first b&w serialized collections) | SpiderBaby Grafix (original publication)
Release Date: December 13 2018 (Master Edition) | June 1993 (first b&w serialized collections) | 1991 (original publication in Taboo #5)
Available collected in From Hell (black & white) and From Hell: Master Edition (colour)
