Apr 29, 2015

Apr 27, 2015

Alan Moore and The Dark Knight

Batman: The Dark Knight returns.
Excerpt from the introduction written by Moore in 1986 for the hardcover edition of Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight returns.

[...] The importance of myth and legend as a subtext to Dark Knight can't really be overstated, shining as it does from every page. The familiar Batman origin sequence with the tiny bat fluttering in through an open window to inspire a musing Bruce Wayne becomes something far more religious and apocalyptic under Miller's handling; the bat itself transformed into a gigantic and ominous chimera straight out of the darkest European fables. 

[...] Beyond the imagery, themes, and essential romance of Dark Knight, Miller has also managed to shape The Batman into a true legend by introducing that element without which all true legends are incomplete and yet which for some reason hardly seems to exist in the world depicted in the average comic book, and that element is time.
All of our best and oldest legends recognize that time passes and that people grow old and die.

[...] In his engrossing story of a great man's final and greatest battle, Miller has managed to create something radiant which should hopefully illuminate things for the rest of the comic book field, casting a new light upon the problems which face all of us working within the industry and perhaps even guiding us towards some fresh solutions.
[...] A new hero.

Alan Moore
Northampton, 1986


Apr 25, 2015

Don Simpson's cover for In Pictopia

Art by Don Simpson.
Above, the inked commission created by artist Don Simpson for Alan Moore connoisseur Flavio Pessanha who requested a "cover" for the In Pictopia story. 

In Pictopia originally appeared in Anything Goes N. 2 (Fantagraphics, December 1986). It was subsequently reprinted in The Best Comics of the Decade 1980-1990 Volume 1 (Fantagraphics, 1990), and in George Khoury's The Extraordinary Works of Alan Moore (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2003). The entire story with original coloring by Eric Vincent can be read online here.

Excerpt from Don Simpson's blog:
Simpson: "I took a few liberties, young buck that I was at the time (all of 24 years old). First, the original title had been “In Fictopia,” which I promptly changed to "In Pictopia" - more visual, I thought (and if anyone objected, and nobody did, I could always change it back. We were doing this for free, after all). I also expanded the cramped 8 pages called for to a leisurely 13 pages, employing a Cinemascope “widescreen” panel to impose a steady rhythm."
 
The complete piece can be read here.

In Pictopia is ™ and © Alan Moore and Donald Simpson, all rights reserved.

Apr 22, 2015

Marvelman by Chris Weston

Art by Chris Weston.
Above, a gorgeous portrait of Marvelman by the great CHRIS WESTON. A generous gift by Chris for my personal collection.Thank you, Chris!

More info about Chris Weston and his works: here.

Apr 21, 2015

Alan Moore by Bill Morrison

Art by Bill Morrison.
Above, you can admire a Simpsonized Alan Moore sketch drawn by acclaimed artist BILL MORRISON.

Apr 10, 2015

Ed Brubaker favourite comic and writer

Cover for Warrior N.5.
During the recent WonderCon, acclaimed writer Ed Brubaker was asked what is his favourite comic book and writer. Brubaker answered: V for Vendetta and Alan Moore.

Apr 9, 2015

Alan Moore on Gabriel Andrade

Page from Crossed Plus One Hundred N. 1. Art by Gabriel Andrade.
Moore talks about Crossed + One Hundred artist Gabriel Andrade.
Excerpt from an interview conducted by Pádraig Ó Méalóid, posted on The Beat.

Alan Moore: [...] I’ve seen Gabriel’s art up to #4, which looks tremendous – Gabriel Andrade, real old-school brilliant. There’s been a lot of – funny, some of the stuff about working on Crossed has reminded me a bit of – the values of it, it’s reminded me a bit of working on 2000 AD, or something. All right, it’s a lot more sweary, and a lot more violent, and there’s a lot more sex in it but, I don’t know, we’re using that very regular six-panel grid, and it’s a science fiction story, so, yeah, there’s been – and it’s done with an artist like Gabriel Andrade who’s clearly not afraid of using a few blacks. He comes from an – obviously from, it looks like a black-and-white comics school. It’s like the artists from England, or the Philippines, or – most places other than America, really.

Apr 5, 2015

Alan Moore portrait by Brian Ralph

Art by Brian Ralph.
Above, a funny Moore's portrait by Brian Ralph, from the Watchmen sketchbook by a certain "Rickey". More sketches can be seen here.

Apr 4, 2015

Voice of the fire new edition

Cover by Dave McKean.
Subterranean Press announced a new edition of Voice of the Fire, the first novel written by Alan Moore, originally published by Gollancz in 1996. The book was later published in 2004 by Top Shelf Productions with colour plates by artist José Villarrubia and an introduction by Neil Gaiman (paperback edition published in 2009; new printing scheduled for August 2015).

The Subterrean Press edition will be published in June and it's available for preorder (here) with dust jacket and endpaper illustrations by Dave McKean, original introduction by Joe Hill.
Limited: 750 signed numbered oversize hardcovers.
Lettered: 26 signed leatherbound copies, housed in a custom traycase. This version is already sold out.