Monsieur Shropshire et al.,

      I felt a great compulsion to share some thoughts about the Birth
Caul and defend its supremacy over Promethea and the bulk of the ABC
output. First, let me begin by saying that I am really pulling at hairs
(the short ones, even) because I can see that you have a great respect
for Mr. Moore and his groundbreaking work.
      But, I think that the Birth Caul is the best thing that I have
ever read from Alan Moore. Why? First of all, Moore is not writing out
of a tradition here. Much of what makes him so powerful to read is his
masterful re-working of themes that have been hammered on since the
onset of the comic era. This, however, breaches completely unknown
territory but in a much more effective way than the Alan Moore
songbook.
      Upon my first reading, I was immediately reminded of T.S. Eliot's
The Wasteland in the amazing scope of this piece. I, like many, live
under the sad impression that I have a lot in common with Moore (the
hair, the red eyes, the need for Howard Hughes-like privacy). From
beginning to end, I felt like Alan had reached inside my own life and
culled this material from its remnants. This feeling is one I equate
with great art, because the author is able to remove their own ego and
discuss what it means to be "human", even while using extremely
personal anecdotes to do so.
      I think Promethea is certainly the best ABC title, even though I
love them all. I think Promethea is revolutionary in both its portrayal
of women and the supernatural. I think Promethea is a lot of things but
it is definitely not better than the Birth Caul. Ultimately, without
the language and symbols of superherodom, Promethea means nothing.
     The Birth Caul, though, should and maybe will be included in anthologies
used to educate our children about what it will mean to be a part of this
world.
     Besides, when's the last time that someone sat down and wrote
and poem about "LIFE" that a) was comprehensible to the reader upon its
completion and b) didn't bore you to tears. The fact is, most people
can't be bothered by poetry anymore. It's slow and dense to digest.
Using pictures to expound on the symbols within is perfect and extends
a tradition last visited by the great William Blake in the 18th century.
     Great site. Hail the Mighty Moore. Legalize hemp and don't forget to
eatyour vegetables.

	Thank you, Throbbin Rob Vollmar, Norman Oklahoma 

"The human countenance at such extremes of its transition, is a fearful
holy thing, a moment of eclipse we may not view except through the
necessary filters, lest we are made blind" AM (You can check out more of Rob's work at:
http://www.comikaze.com/reviews)

Gosh, I don't know what to say. Maybe I was wrong and should give it another
read. Keep in mind that I really like Alan Moore's non superheroey stuff. 

I thought Brought To Light and Big Numbers were extraordinary. 
In fact, Big Numbers blew me away. I heard that they're going to complete that
series in an interview comic that featured Bill S. I also think both of these books
are a lot better than the Birth Caul. The other point you bring up here and on your
website is that this is work that stands apart from genre hero comics. But when
ever that happens you have to compare this work with the great body of literature 
that's out there. Autobiographical stream of consciousness might be a new cate-
gory for comics, but not for literature. 

Generally speaking, I think Alan Moore beats the Steve Engleharts and John Byrnes
of the Earth anyday of the week. But autobiographical stream of consciousness? Does 
it beat Kerouac or Ginsberg or Henry Miller? Please, gimme a break. Hey, I'll give you the
Wasteland, but Tropic of Capricorn, no way. But I'll read it again, maybe I'm missing 
something.