Promethea: Collected

Comics narrate the story of university student Sophie Bangs as she fights mystical places and spirits to unveil the truth behind mythical warrior woman, Promethea.

Alan Moore, like Neil Gaiman, constantly flirts with the too-smart-for-his-own-good aesthetic without alienating his readers. Promethea weaves Moore's trademark scholarly mysticism with wild, fun swipes at post-everything culture in a complex tale based on the importance of story. Following a teenage girl, whose interest in an obscure and possibly real heroine leads to her assumption of the heroine's role, Promethea draws on a century of comics art to express themes of history and fiction. Action, intimacy, fantasy, and ennui all find their place, and when it's over, the reader will hunger for the next collection. --Rob Lightner