Light+of+Thy+Countenance

//Evelyn Hett//



//Light of Thy Countenance// is a short story by Alan Moore, which was first published in the anthology ‘Forbidden Acts’, in October 1995. It was originally written as what is sometimes called a “freestyle beat poem,” (Beat Poetry) and was written as a first-person narrative. It was adapted by Antony Johnston into graphic novel form, painted by Felipe Massafera, and was published under Avatar Press in 2009.

The poem explains the decline of television, the culture it created, and the immense and powerful sway it can hold on it's audiences. It begins with a woman named Maureen Cooper, a British TV soap star played by actress Carol Livesay. However, the character and her actor are soon revealed to be nothing but an extention of a higher power - television. They are no longer people, but the medium itself. The characters in the soap-opera world begin to change and forget that the show has already been recorded; they react as Maureen explodes into the visual representation of the God/Goddess of television.

The poem transcends this singular example and continues on, detailing the history of television and the history of what television has covered. Slowly it speeds through time, reminiscing about it's birth and coming of age as a new media. TV is portrayed as being mankind's one true friend and lover. It will always be there and will never let you down. It gives ultimate choices, and so is never boring. People are said to know the people in the programs they watch better than they know anyone else. Reciprocally, TV also knows the viewer better than any person can ever hope to.

In essence, the poem suggests that television is the ultimate escape; it is a dream eternally and reliably accessible.

Because of this escape people become slaves to television, ardent and unwilling followers of the cult. It is a dark story indeed.

Johnston and Massafera do the poem justice in their graphic novel interpretation. The painted panels are beautifully spread out to create a chaotic flow of color and contrast.

A warning to those who prefer less reading and more pictures - this comic is chock-full of tedious and elaborate words and phrases that can be, at times, quite confusing. It's very wordy, but worth the time it takes to read it if the reader likes to sit and ponder intricate philosophical conundrums.

(More information will be up as soon as I can find it!)

//This WikiSpace was created by Evelyn Hett. No copyright infringements are intended. All rights are reserved for Alan Moore, Antony Johnston, Felipe Massafera, and Avatar Press.//