'The End' of 'the Ballad of Halo Jones'- according to Alan Moore

[JOE SOAP]

The dreams that are only dreams...

On Halo Jones

Well, I'd got the idea that she'd go through fabulous adventures, the next adventure would have probably been when she was a female space pirate with Sally Quasar, who was somebody that I'd mentioned, and I would have been basically going through all the decades of her life, with her getting older in each one, because I liked the idea, at the time, of having a strip in 2000AD with a seventy or eighty year old woman as the title character. And also because – it's probably true in my work that – I mean, I wrote Marvelman when I was in my, what, twenties?

It would have ended up with Halo Jones upon some planet that is right at the absolute edge of the universe where, beyond that, beyond some sort of spectacular lightshow, there is no space, no time, and it would have ended up with Halo Jones – all the rest of the people on this planetoid because, actually, time is not passing; you could stay there forever, potentially – and what would have happened is that Halo Jones, after spending some time with the rest of the immortals, would have tottered across the landing field, got into her spacecraft, and flown into the psychedelic lightshow, to finally get out. And that would have been the ending. So, you've saved me a lot of writing, and you a lot of unnecessary worrying.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/03/17/alan-moore-interviewed-by-padraig-o-mealoid/

[mygrimmbrother]

That sounds perfect. I can almost picture the Ian Gibson panels to accompany such a description.

[JOE SOAP]

It certainly does sound perfect, amazing continuation of the story's themes of escape and the physical/mental effects of opression.

The 'ending' suggests an inversion of book three where 'Moab' has a massively dense gravity that distorted and compressed time whereas here -at the edge of the universe where there is less matter and density than at the centre I presume- Moore is suggesting that there is less pull and opression to weigh on the mind and body making it free-er, clarifying the need for Halo to fly into oblivion.

[eggonlegs]

bollox!
i was just about to post this

[Emperor]

Oh I know it looks all fine and dandy in my headbox, but I'd give my third nut to see this in all its comicy glory.

[O Lucky Stevie!]

I can almost picture the Ian Gibson panels to accompany such a description.

Yes, it's almost as if one is holding the prog in one's hands, isn't it?

Mr Moore certainly doesn't shirk from extrapolating the ol' narrative to its ultimate, logical coclusion, does he?

Bless.

That's just earned him a nomination for Best Newcomer in next year's Eagle Awards

[TordelBack]

This is certainly what I wanted to see, back then.  Now, I'm happy to settle for three perfect books (lesson I learned from Star Wars).  In some ways the story-as-written places us in the same position of uncertainty as Ms. Kopek and Dr. Brunhauer, and thus within the story of the myth of Halo, rather than watching it from outside.

And now I'm off for a re-read.   That'll do me.

[Large48]

As far as I am aware Ian wrote Book4 and was trying to get Alan to sign off on it.....

Mind you this was a few years ago!

[Dandontdare]

Interesting, I wish he'd carried on writing these at the time, but the moment has passed.

And why does he have to specify that she'd be a "female space pirate" - what other kind would she be?

[Kev Levell]

I want to read that in comic form and I wish that he could find away to write for 2000ad again.

[JOE SOAP]

If you manifest yourself -or your hand in a puppet- as a Snake-God, appear above his bed one night and order him to fulfill his duty and finish Halo Jones, it should do the job.

[Jared Katooie]

Commission from Ian Gibson perhaps?


If he ever comes back to 2000AD I hope it's to do more D.R. and Quinch - now there was a masterpiece! Of course, given that it's the piece of work he seems least proud of, this in not very likely. 

[Jedit]

It certainly does sound perfect, amazing continuation of the story's themes of escape and the physical/mental effects of opression.

The 'ending' suggests an inversion of book three where 'Moab' has a massively dense gravity that distorted and compressed time whereas here -at the edge of the universe where there is less matter and density than at the centre I presume- Moore is suggesting that there is less pull and opression to weigh on the mind and body making it free-er, clarifying the need for Halo to fly into oblivion.

The ending is not an inversion. Halo's surroundings reflect what she is escaping from; the Hoop is hopelessness, the Clara Pandy is disappointment, Moab is control.  In that context, the planetoid is total freedom and the ennui that accompanies no longer having anything to challenge you.  That is the reverse of Moab, but the rules haven't changed, only the scenario.

Each book of the Ballad sees Halo escape only to find herself in a bigger cage.  Her final cage is the size of the universe, but even that proves too small.

[JOE SOAP]

That is the reverse of Moab, but the rules haven't changed, only the scenario.

In the context of the 'physical-effect-of-gravity' relating to Moab in which I framed it and part of my point, it's an inversion.

In that context, the planetoid is total freedom and the ennui that accompanies no longer having anything to challenge you.

Proving the irony and the point that total freedom is a myth as that 'ennui' becomes another version of captivity otherwise she wouldn't need to get 'out' yet again, even if getting out finally means death.

[Jedit]

That is the reverse of Moab, but the rules haven't changed, only the scenario.

In the context of the 'physical-effect-of-gravity' relating to Moab in which I framed it and part of my point, it's an inversion.

You're suggesting that Moore is using gravity as a metaphor for control, but it's actually time that is the metaphor.  The gravity on Moab is just a way to provide a physical representation of Halo's time not being her own.  Likewise, the immortality granted on the planetoid is a physical representation of her literally having all the time in the world.  There's nothing to suggest the planetoid doesn't have gravity, though, only that it doesn't have time. 

I don't want to start a row about it because I think we're in agreement on the fundamental points.  I'm just saying that the setting reflects the theme but does not direct it.  The whole thing could have been set on Moab, and it would have meant the same.

(On a side note, I had a humorous thought while thinking about this.  At the end of book 3 Luiz Cannibal tells Halo to warm up the space yacht while he gets something from one of the unshielded zones... which are all subject to time dilation.  "Wait here, love, I'll be back in a week."  )