Evil twin brother of Father Christmas

Photograph: Phil Fisk for the Observer.

Moore's third person autobiography from the pages of The Saga of Swamp Thing N. 25 (1984).

"He currently lives in Northampton, England. For relaxation he enjoys staring at a fixed spot in the middle distance for hours at a time, fainting, and talking about himself in the third person. When he is an old man, he will look like the evil twin brother of Father Christmas."

Alan Moore by Daniele Serra

Art by Daniele Serra.

Above a creepy awesome Alan Moore portrait by acclaimed Italian illustrator and comic artist DANIELE SERRA, from my personal collection.

For more info about Daniele Serra visit his website: here.

Alan Moore re-engaged with poetry

Test Centre Six, cover artwork by Ross Adams.

The the sixth issue of Test Centre magazine contains a poem by Alan Moore, the first poem he has published for many years. The issue is dedicated to poet Lee Harwood, and features a number of pieces written for and about him. 

Jess Chandler, co-director of Test Centre Publications, revealed that "The poem is called 'The Town Planning in Dreams' and is 3 verses of 6 lines. In his biography at the end of the mag, Alan says that 'After a forty-five year diversion he is currently attempting to re-engage with poetry.' So we're hoping that there will be more to follow soon!"

The magazine - A4, stab-stapled, 64pp., published in a limited edition of 250 copies - can be ordered HERE.

Gibbons: "Alan is like Mozart, Frank is Miles."

Watchmen N.1, page 8. Art by Dave Gibbons.

Excerpt from an interview published on 13thDimension.com.

Dave Gibbons: [...] I’ve always thought of Alan as being like a Mozart. He hears the whole symphony in his head and he writes out all the parts and the artist or the orchestra is the interpreter of that and actually kind of realizes those notes and those marks and those suggestions and those chords, whereas Frank is more like a jazz virtuoso, a Miles Davis or something. He’ll take a basic theme and then run with it and, you know, change things on the fly. We hardly changed anything when we were doing Watchmen. I would talk to Alan about what we were going to do, Alan would write the words, I would draw the panels and that was kind of done. With Frank, again, we would talk but then based on what I gave back to him, he would put new ideas in or change things around or… It was much more free form and organic and I enjoyed both approaches. The most important thing is to work with a writer who’s prepared to put as much effort into it as I’m prepared to put and certainly that’s one of the things that distinguishes Alan and Frank, their absolute dedication to what they do. That, to me, is the most important thing, As for the actual circumstances and the actual details of how you perform it, that’s not so important.

The Alan Moore Appreciation Society by Jason Hall

Above and below, you can read the hilarious contribution realized by comic book writer JASON HALL for Alan Moore: Portrait of an Extraordinary Gentleman book (2003, Abiogenesis Press, page 236-237).

Could this be a possible Alan Moore sighting? You decide!

THE ALAN MOORE APPRECIATION SOCIETY

Name: Jason Hall 

Member number: 424494-B
Height: 6'
Weight: 140 lbs.
Age: 30
Favorite Alan Moore books: From Hell, The Killing Joke, Top 10, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Miracleman, Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow, Watchmen, V for Vendetta 

Influence: To attempt to discuss how Alan Moore has influenced comics is quite a daunting task - and one that will most likely be done with more eloquence and intelligence than I could possibly muster in these meager few words - which is why I took a picture of myself in a goofy wig and terribly fake beard instead... But I do have an interesting (okay, humor me...) example of how we perceive the esteemed Mr. Moore's influence on comics.
In an issue of Gotham Adventures I recently wrote, I had a scene transition between two panels - the first showing a close-up of a lipstick mark on Mr. Freeze's glass helmet, the second showing a close-up of a lipstick advertisement billboard with a large pair of neon lips in the same exact position as those in the first panel. One of my best friends remarked that he thought it was very cool, but very "Alan Moore - Watchmen". I thought about that (taking it as a compliment) and pointed out to him that Alan Moore certainly wasn't the first person to do this type of visual scene transition in comics - plus they've been doing that sort of thing in movies forever. But his comment did make me realize something... While there certainly are numerous storytelling techniques that Alan Moore has invented, there are also those that we just think he's invented. And the reason for that is simple - it's because he does them so well. He improves upon them. He makes them his own. And he continues to show us that the comics medium has no limitations.

Anecdote: I unfortunately don't have any personal Alan Moore anecdotes to share, so I'll have to use one from a friend of mine (actually, the same person that I was talking about earlier), which I think successfully demonstrates the effect Alan Moore has on his readers and just how much his work means to them. My friend became politely obsessed with Alan Moore when Moore took over Writing Swamp Thing - and he had that epiphany you have when you realize you've just discovered your FAVORITE writer (or musician, or film-maker, etc.). He was so impressed and moved by the stories that he began buying extra copies of the book each month in the store and giving them to people he didn't even know, telling them that they just "had to read this". He was spreading the word. From there it was Marvelman and V For Vendetta and then everything Moore wrote that he could get his hands on. He read somewhere that Alan Moore enjoyed the work of musician (and performance artist) Laurie Anderson - and also that Moore was going to be at the San Diego Comicon that year ('85 or '86), which would be my friend's first comic convention. So he decided to buy Alan Moore the then new four-LP Laurie Anderson Live record set as a way of saying thanks for all the meaningful entertainment Mr. Moore had provided him. My friend presented him with the gift and whenever Alan Moore was at the DC booth, he spent all his time talking his ear off about upcoming projects or things he'd read about Moore in interviews. My friend is quick to point out that it was his first convention, so he didn't know about giving creators "space" - and he did let other people talk to Moore as well. And it's not like he followed him around when he wasn't at the DC booth. He wasn't that fanatical. But my friend does wonder if he falls into Alan Moore's category of fans he's scared of. Could he be the reason Alan Moore doesn't attend conventions anymore? Perhaps! And that is why his identity must remain safely anonymous...

Now I don't have a four-LP record set to offer Alan Moore, but I do want to thank him for all the years of innovative, enlightening, and moving stories he's provided us all – and for being such a huge inspiration in my own work.

Alan Moore by Dario Grillotti

Art by Dario Grillotti.

Above an intense Alan Moore portrait by Italian illustrator, comic artist and urban sketcher Dario Grillotti. 

For more info about Grillotti visit his tumblr: here.

M for Metterton

Art by by sTUDIOpAZZIA.

Above, a portrait sketch of Frank Metterton (from Jimmy's End) by sTUDIOpAZZIA (note that it has been drawn the 18th of November, Moore's 62th birthday).

Alan Moore by Otto Gabos

Art by Otto Gabos.

Above an enigmatic and mysterious Alan Moore's portrait drawn by well-known Italian comics artist and graphic-novelist OTTO GABOS in the occasion of Moore's 62th birthday.

Moore 62

Alan Moore by Claudia "Nuke" Razzoli.

This year we celebrate MOORE's 62th birthday with... a little help from my friends: MAMMAIUTO, an acclaimed Italian collective of comics artists. 

For the occasion, Claudia Razzoli, Samuel Daveti, Giorgio Trinchero, Laura Camelli and Lorenzo Palloni specifically drew a set of intense Moore portraits. Enjoy!

And... Happy birthday, Bearded Magus! 

Italian version here.

Grazie, Mammaiuto.

Alan Moore by Samuel Daveti.

Alan Moore by Giorgio Trinchero.

Alan Moore by Laura "La Came" Camelli.

Alan Moore by Lorenzo Palloni.

Barry Windsor-Smith, Alan Moore and Miracleman

Barry Windsor-Smith cover art for Miracleman N. 24 (Eclipse Comics).

Excerpt from The Comics Journal N. 190 (September 1996).
"[...] Within my parameters, my overview, say, when I was in my mid-20s, I honestly believed the comic books I was creating had value to them … not all of ’em mind you, Avengers #100 didn’t really rise above street level, y’know, but I had pride in something about those books like Conan, Doc Strange, and stuff I forget now. My drawing wasn’t always the greatest but I believe my storytelling had integrity because I had a background in books and plays and other literary endeavors that wasn’t just comic-books: Hell, I read Steinbeck when I was 14.1 don’t see intensity in modern Marvel and Image and what have you, no matter how abstracted it might be for the sake of the superhero genre, I can’t see it. 

But when I read the entirety of Alan Moore’s Miracleman I was thrilled by his diverse experience and knowledge — you don’t find that depth in Youngblood." [Barry Windsor-Smith; the complete interview can be read here]

Excerpt from George Khoury's Kimota! book.

"[...] The fact is that Moore made me a fan again. He was one of the reasons that I returned to the field. He rekindled my spirit, my sense of wonder, and my foundering faith that the medium can be an artform." [Barry Windsor-Smith]

Miracleman by David Hitchcock

Art by David Hitchcock.

Above, a stunning Miracleman portrayed by British artist David Hitchcock.

For more info about David Hitchcock visit his blog: here.

Mr. Griffin by Ben Templesmith

Art by Ben Templesmith.

Above, from page 214 of Alan Moore: Portrait of an Extraordinary Gentleman book (2003, Abiogenesis Press), Mr. Griffin, the Invisible Man from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, portrayed by acclaimed comic artist and illustrator BEN TEMPLESMITH. 

Posted on this blog with the artist's permission. 

For more info about Templesmith visit his website: here.

Chris Riddell, Neil Gaiman and... Alan Moore!

Art by Chris Riddell.

We already talked about the poetry written by Neil Gaiman to celebrate Moore's 50th birthday. The piece was published in 2003 in Alan Moore: Portrait of an Extraordinary Gentleman tribute book. 

You can also read it here.

Now, Chris Riddell - Master illustrator, well-known political cartoonist and Gaiman's frequent collaborator - realized an illustrated version of the poetry and posted it on his Instagram page.

Here all the links. Enjoy!

Title

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3 

Page 4

Page 5

Page 6 

Page 7

Page 8

Page 9

Art by Chris Riddell. Page 2.

Miracleman by Simon Bisley

Art by Simon Bisley.

Above, a Miracleman convention sketch by the legendary Simon Bisley.

Alan Moore by Arturo Lauria

Art by Arturo Lauria.

Above, a sharp portrait of Alan Moore by Arturo Lauria, artist of Colonus published by Dark Horse.

V by Ben Oliver

Art by Ben Oliver.

Above, a great V for Vendetta commission by artist Ben Oliver.

More info about the artist at his Facebook page and blog.

The Show: "doing it our way again"

Signed Show Pieces!

Excerpt from Orphans of the Storm news page:

"[...] Next stop.....THE SHOW! Alan's screenplay is now in the hands of our trusted fellow Orphan, David Crabtree. David has been the most supportive first AD that any director can have. He is now in the process of producing our shooting schedule, the plan being to start shooting the feature next summer. We have had so many serious offers of big cash from Networks, both terrestrial and digital, the issue being that they all seem to require more jeopardy and want to get Alan to re write things to fit their vision! Hmm, lets think about. So, we are doing it our way again. More money doesn't mean better but it can mean less imagination." [Orphans of the Storm]

Teenage Moore

Art by mladen.

Above, a portrait of Alan Moore as a teenager that I found on Deviantart. Art by mladen. 

I suppose it's based on photographs like.. these ones (which were originally published in The Extraordinary Works of Alan Moore).

Big Nemo: Alan Moore on Winsor McCay

Big Nemo. Story: Alan Moore. Art: Colleen Doran. Colours: José Villarrubia.

Electricomics is out there (for more info and details visit the official site here) and Alan Moore contributed with a story titled Big Nemo (art by Colleen Doran and colours by José Villarrubia) which is a clear homage to the legendary Winsor McCay's creation. 

In an interview published on BleedingCool, Moore says:

"[...] With “Big Nemo”, the whole pitch is basically within the two word title. I was thinking, “What would have happened to Little Nemo if he had grown up? Would he still have the same relationship with dreams? The America around him, how would that have changed?” Of course, if he had grown up at any kind of realistic rate, he would have grown up into a Depression.

I’m a huge fan of McCay and Little Nemo, in particular. I’ve probably been toying with pastiches of it since I was a teenager. I thought that actually, with this new technology, there were possibilities. Not to outdo McCay, because I don’t think that anybody ever will. The fact that he was doing this with paper and ink alone puts us to shame. But that said, there were opportunities. I was thinking, “How would McCay have used this if he was alive?” These elements of movement which are very subdued animation. Because the last thing you’d want these comics to be is unsuccessful animation.

[...] It’s a very fine line. If you give them too much “enhancement”, they are on the verge of being a low-rent animated film and that’s not what you want. You have to really think through the processes that you’re using. I was trying to use each of the pages in mine to feature a different type of storytelling. I’m very pleased with the result. I think that, although it’s kind of depressing, it does look delightful." [Alan Moore]

Read the complete interview here.

Alan Moore, Sax Rohmer and Dr Fu Manchu

Lord of Strange Deaths published by Strange Attractor Press.

Strange Attractor Press is publishing Lord of Strange Deaths, a book dedicated to English novelist Sax Rohmer, creator of the master criminal Dr Fu Manchu (who played a key role in the first adventure of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen).   

"This is the first extended attempt to do justice to Rohmer, and it ranges across the spectrum of his output from music-hall writing to Theosophy. Contributors focus on subjects including Egyptology, 1890s decadence, Edwardian super-villains, graphic novels, cinema, the French Situationists, Chinese dragon ladies, and the Arabian Nights. The result is a testimony to the enduring fascination and relevance of Rohmer’s absurd, sinister and immensely atmospheric world." 

 The book, printed 500 copies, is only via Strange Attractor Press from 21 September: here.

Alan Moore contribution is titled Limehouse Variations and details the thinking behind the inclusion of Dr Fu Manchu in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. 

Also a colour plate from League drawn by Kevin O'Neill is included in the volume.

More info: here.

Art by Kevin O'Neill.

S. T. Joshi and Alan Moore

I am Providence by S. T. Joshi.

Excerpt from S. T. Joshi's blog, dated September, 1, 2015.

S. T. Joshi, is an Indian American literary critic, novelist, and a leading figure in the study of H. P. Lovecraft. He is the author of the fundamental H. P. Lovecraft: A Life biography.

"[...] a colleague of the great comic artist Alan Moore asked me to give him a call, since he (Moore) doesn’t have e-mail or even a computer. I was happy to make the call to England, and spent some 30 or 40 minutes in an engaging talk with Moore, who flatteringly holds my work in high regard. He promises to have his publisher send me copies of his ongoing Providence graphic novel, which looks like a most tempting item." [S. T. Joshi]

From more info and news about S. T. Joshi visit his site: here.

Rorschach by Paul Martin Smith

Art by Paul Martin Smith.

Above, a great Rorschach illustration pencilled and inked by Paul Martin Smith.

More information about it can be found here.

[...] I’d say Rorschach was like Mr. A only... with a shred of humanity left in him. [PMS]

Vital stats on Alan Moore 1999

Iain Sinclair and Alan Moore at Cheltenham Science Festival in 2011.

From Wizard Wildstorm special, 1999, "Vital stats on Alan Moore" box at page 54.

OCCUPATION: Comic book writer
BORN: Nov. 18, 1953 in Northampton, England
BASE OF OPERATION: Northampton, England

Frame from Insignificance.

FAVORITE MOVIE: "Insignificance", directed by Nicholas Roeg. "It's based on some tenuous real-life connections between famous people: Marilyn Monroe, Albert Einstein, Joe DiMaggio and Joseph McCarthy. Apparently, Monroe once said the person she'd most want to sleep was Einstein. Of course, DiMaggio was married to Monroe. McCarthy apparently had a sexual fixation with Monroe, and he also investigated Einstein at one point. These are the real-life connections. What the director did was imagine that they all meet one night at a hotel. There are all these coincidences that bring them all together. It's wonderful."
FAVORITE AUTHOR: Iain Sinclair [*]. "He's probably my biggest influence at the moment, and has been for a couple of years. There is stuff he can do in writing that I've never seen anybody attempt before."

Harvey Kurtzman's cover for Mad N. 1, 1952.

FAVORITE COMIC: Mad Comics. "Nothing has been able to touch that in terms of originality, experiment, sheer quality and the cleverness of the writing and the drawing."
MOTTO HE LIVES BY: "Keep in the dry place, and stay away from children."
HIS TAKE ON PEOPLE SEEING HIM AS A COMIC BOOK LEGEND: "I'm not one. People like to build up these big, imaginary pantomime figures in their heads. I say, 'Why not?' It's fun for them. It just doesn't have much to do with me."

[*] In the actual box the name is misspelled as "Ian Sinclaire".

ABC house ad art by Gene Ha

Art by Gene Ha.

Above, America's Best Comics house ad, dated 1999. Gorgeous art by Gene Ha, featuring Promethea, Tom Strong, Greyshirt and Toybox (from Top Ten).

Orphans of the Storm, Fellini and Ed Wood

Excerpt from Orphans of the Storm's Mission Statement. 

The complete text can be read here.

 

"[...] We promise you carefully themed and considered extensions of an idea rather than shamelessly strip-mined franchises. We promise you Fellini at Ed Wood prices. We promise you new concepts that are sufficient to their times, and not merely the reanimated corpses of light entertainment past, although we do have some of those as well. We promise you an antidote to the toxic amusements you’ve already thoughtlessly ingested, and we hope to God it’s not too late." [Orphans of the Storm]

The Extraordinary Gentlemen by Ricardo Venâncio

Art by Ricardo Venâncio.

Above, a great portrait of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen members created by Portuguese artist Ricardo Venâncio, originally published on Fistful of Fanart blog, here.

The original art is available here.

For more info about Ricardo Venâncio visit his blog: here.

Art by Ricardo Venâncio.

Watchmen pirates

Art by Joe Orlando, from Watchmen N. 5.

Above, illustration by JOE ORLANDO from Watchmen N. 5 (DC Comics, January 1987): it is the only page in the book not drawn by Dave Gibbons. Lettering by Todd Klein.

Warchild and... Farmageddon!

Above, an advertisement, dated 1995, promoting a Warchild miniseries (for Rob Liefeld's Maximum Press company) which was never published.

An interview - posted on OC Weekly which is not available any more on the Web - revealed some details:

Liefeld goes on to describe a comic book pitched to him by Moore that he still owns the rights to, entitled Warchild. Written shortly after Moore saw Pulp Fiction for the first time, it's a knights-of-the-round-table concept set in a Tarantino-esque inner city gangland setting.
 

"I have him on tape for 4 hours just talking about it; it’s my most cherished possession.

You haven’t lived until you’ve heard Alan describe the heroes – this is in the near future – getting trapped in an amusement park in Compton, where one of the rides you go on is a drive-by shooting.
 

A couple of the artists I gave it to handed it back. The first ten pages is some of the most difficult, visually, it’s hard to crack. We’ll probably publish it in script form. I can’t crack this, life’s too short.
 

There’s standing atop a building, looking in through the window at a certain angle, while the person is sitting doing their hair looking at themselves in the mirror...and the panel descriptions, you go, how do I shoot this? I could shoot it with a camera, but like all the storyboards? It’s just very difficult."

More information about Moore's unpublished works can be read here.

Titus Andronicus' last album and... Miracleman

Miracleman sketch by Barry Windsor-Smith.

Excerpt from an interview with American band Titus Andronicus focused on their fourth studio album titled The Most Lamentable Tragedy. The complete interview is available here.

"My biggest literary influence on this album was the comic book Miracleman, by Alan Moore. Miracleman, and Watchmen to a lesser extent, was an introduction to me for a lot of Nietzschean concepts. He was my other biggest influence, but I came to understand most of his ideas and how they applied to my own life through Alan Moore. Alan Moore was my Nietzschean interpreter. That's really pretentious.

They've led me on a journey. . . to discover the concepts that I find that pique my interest, that are relevant to my personal concerns. That whole übermensch thing, and the fact that the Miracleman comic talks about it — it would create a lot of fucked-up situations if it were real. That, to me, became an allegory for myself when I am a maniac. That's when I did every good thing I've ever done: write all the songs that everybody likes; put on a wild, entertaining show; deliver a boisterous, outlandish interview — all this stuff. I can do that stuff when I'm way up, but it's not the whole story of my life. That's the part that everybody likes, and yet, in my personal life, it's the part that everybody hates. It makes for a very annoying situation at home, because I can't turn it off." [Titus Andronicus leader Patrick Stickles]

Alan Moore by Michael Hacker

Art by Michael Hacker.

Above, a Lovecraftian portrait of Alan Moore drawn by Austrian illustrator, comic and gigposter artist MICHAEL HACKER for my personal collection.
Below, the preliminary sketch.

For more information about Michael Hacker visit his site (here).

Art by Michael Hacker.

San Diego 1985: an embarrassing afternoon

From American Comic Book Chronicles Facebook page.

Entry dated 1 August 2015:

"August 1-4, 1985: There were giants in those days. Fifteen years after the San Diego Comic-Con was founded, the legends that shaped the comic book industry mingled with the up-and-comers who were reshaping the present. For many, the highlight of that year’s show was its first annual Kirby Awards, honoring the best of 1984 and named in honor of pioneer and hit-maker Jack Kirby. The beloved comics icon was present to announce each winner, frequently sharing the stage with Alan Moore, whose Swamp Thing—in collaboration with Stephen Bissette and John Totleben—was the overwhelming favorite of the night. In his first—and, as it turned out, only—U.S. convention appearance, Moore was captured on stage alongside Kirby in a famous photograph by Jackie Estrada.

Sponsored and promoted by Fantagraphics’ Amazing Heroes, the nominees were chosen strictly by people already in the industry. Of the 238 ballots that determined the winners, 98 came from comic book creators, editors, and publishers while 140 comics retailers and distributor personnel accounted for the rest. Regrettably, the Kirby Awards were discontinued after the 1987 ceremony when a dispute over ownership of the awards resulted in two new awards: the Eisners (named after Will Eisner and overseen by former Kirby Awards manager Dave Olbrich) and the Harveys (named after Harvey Kurtzman and overseen by Fantagraphics)."

Moore won as "Best Writer". While accepting the award he said: "This is probably one of the most embarrassing afternoons of my life." [from The Comics Buyer’s Guide N. 615].

From The Comics Buyer’s Guide N. 615.

Alan Moore and his first wife Phyllis in a photograph from The Comics Buyer’s Guide N. 616.

Alan Moore and Basil Wolverton

Cover by Alan Moore.

In 1987 Dark Horse published Basil Wolverton's Planet of Terror! reprinting some classics tales by the well-known American cartoonist and illustrator and... Alan Moore drew the cover paying homage to Wolverton’s characteristic style.

But it was not the first time for a Wolverton-Moore connection! In Weird Tales of the Future N. 2, an anthology published by Key Publications, cover dated  June 1952, Wolverton drew a short sci-fi tale featuring... Alan Moore, space adventure!

More info here where you can also read the complete story.

Art by Basil Wolverton.

Alan Moore by Aldrin Booz

Art by Aldrin Booz.

Above, Moore portrait by Brazilian artist Aldrin Booz.

More info about Aldrin Booz at his site, here.

1986 Jon Haward's homage to Alan Moore

Art by Jon Haward.

Excerpt from Jon Haward's blog (posted the 15th of March 2012).  

"Another retro blog going back to 1986 when I was a fresh faced fanboy aged 21, still learning the craft of drawing and writing comic strips.
It's no secret to those who know me I'm a huge Alan Moore fan have been since his work for Warrior and 2000AD.
These scans are from colour photocopies that are 26 years old so the colour has faded and Alan's skin has turned yellow! [...]"

 

Jon Haward is a British comics artist. He has illustrated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Judge Dredd, Sinister Dexter and Biker Mice from Mars, among others. [Wikipedia]

The complete 4 page strip can be seen here.

Watchmen and... a bird table

"This is the Hugo Award that Alan Moore and I won for Watchmen. Alan, I believe, took his and put it in the garden upside down and used as a bird table." [Dave Gibbons]

The guiding intelligence of Alan Moore

Art by Nick Perks, colours by Derek Langille.

Above a great meeting of supermen by Nick Perks (art) and Derek Langille (colours).

A different version of the same image is available here.

no Big Ben

Art by Alan Davis.

From Alan Davis's website.

"The initial sketch for this Marvelman cover was a little too woolly and vague so Big Ben wasn't recognised during the approval process. Clearly visible in the final pencils I discovered  there were legal issues preventing Big Ben appearing so he had to be removed. Rather than  erasing the figure and risking damaging the page  surface I drew the correction on a separate patch which I inserted after Mark had inked both parts." [Alan Davis]

The whole cover process - rough, pencils, inks (by Mark Farmer) and modified part - can be seen here.

The final illustration has been used as cover for Miracleman N. 4 (Marvel Comics).