Lost Girls is a story of Alice, Wendy, and Dorothy coming together at a Austrian hotel on the eve of WWI. These three women from popular children's literature at the turn of the century, of which it shouldn't be hard to guess as they are famous literature that have at one time had cartoons made my Disney (Except maybe Dorothy). So these three women, as they are grown up, find love and fulfillment in each other by telling their individual stories and through sex. Moore turns each of their wonderful stories into sexual allusions. For instance, Captain Hook is an arthritic pedophile that is afraid of aging and women. Or the Tin Man is a farm smith, that is methodical/mechanic in his sexualism. It is throughout that these Neverlands are the women's ways of coping with their sexuality and exploration of their Jungian interior.
Now having said that, this book sucked. I read some reviews online that called this graphic novel art, and the art is very good and very colorful. Their was nothing left unsaid in the art, and at times the art had more meaning than the words, if that makes sense. The use of symbols, shadows, and the way each girl's story was presented was unique. But, the constant portrayal of sex became tedious. And the portrayal of sex was direct with nothing left unsaid. Even much of the dialogue, which again was well written by Moore's smooth style, was frank sexual talk. The entire third act was a tedious orgy interspersed with Edwardian smut stories. And these stories I did find offensive. One of the stories was about a father and mother having sex with their children, but it almost celebrated the fact these two children were daily getting raped by their parents. Oh, yeah, the artist saw fit to illustrate this story. What was Moore thinking? Some sexual taboos do not need to be said, especially in a graphic novel. Does this book count as child pornography because of the depiction of children? But that isn't an isolated event. Wendy had sex with her brothers. Dorothy had sex with her father the great and wonderful Oz. And all of this was depicted in the artwork. So just to make myself clear, this book sucked.
What also bothers me is that Moore, one of the greatest comic book writers, chose to do this book and not something else that his multitude of fans would really want. Why did he spend his talent on this? And I am probably not the only Moore fan that read this book expecting Alan Moore to be amazing and then walk away offended. This is how I end my winter in Yellowstone with a big letdown.
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