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| Tweet by Leah Moore |
Neil Gaiman's replied:
Mar 30, 2022
The Ogre or rather... Time is a loop
Mar 29, 2022
Remixed Watchmen
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| By AlanMooreBr |
A photograph is in my hand.
I've been holding this photograph since 1986 when Watchmen #4 was published.
Mar 27, 2022
BBC Maestro: gangsters, intro, authentic characters
Some preview videos are available for free on YouTube:
Mar 25, 2022
Watchmen by Michael Zulli
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| Art by Michael Zulli |
Above, on auction at Heritage, a stunning Watchmen illustration by the great American artist Michael Zulli.
Created in Acrylic on Bristol board with an image area of 27" x 19". It is signed, dated and inscribed in pencil just under the image. There is handling, and edge wear, corner creases and bumps, and creasing in the borders. In Very Good condition.
At the moment, current bid: $1. Time left: 16 days.
Mar 24, 2022
Jeffrey Lewis and Alan Moore (again)
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| Art by Jeffrey Lewis |
In the past days, I was lucky to exchange some emails with the great NYC comic book artist and musician Jeffrey Lewis. He suggested that it would be better off including all his various Moore-related stuff "in one post, because it's more valuable for people to see it all in one
place for discussion, rather than parcelling it out to various posts
where people won't see it all at once (which is, essentially, the
situation all this material currently exists in, some on my FB, some on my website, etc)."
So, here I am with this second post that integrates the first one I did (here). I am not sure it is the complete thing but... I tried my best, Jeffrey. ;)
Before starting, I highly recommend Lewis' The Complete FUFF Comix Collection: you can order a copy HERE!
Above, a Watchmen-inspired illustration posted on the 15th of March. Of course it's referred to the terrible, terrible war in Ukraine.
On a lighter note, in 2013 Lewis created the lo-budget biopic The story of Alan Moore (listen and watch here) and that same year, during his UK tour, he met... The Man Himself! Below, some pictures that Lewis sent me to share. Photographs by Heather Wagner.
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| Alan Moore and Jeffrey Lewis, 2013. |
- Watchmen, of course - "[...] it's a work of literature in a way that no other comic has even attempted. It's not even the best of what it does, it's the only thing that has ever tried to combine that kind of narrative richness in the comic book form. [...] I like the fact that it really can't be assimilated into literary culture because it is so lowbrow, and yet it's undeniably of a level of richness to which no other comic has ever come close. [...]" Read the complete piece here.
- V for Vendetta - "[...] nobody could make a list of the ten greatest comics of all time and not include V For Vendetta. Probably half the greatest comics of all time are Alan Moore comics [...]" Read the complete piece here.
- A small killing - "[...] This is probably the best Alan Moore book, in terms of sheer consistency, because it was written as a piece. [...] It's a paranoid fantasy that keeps revealing different layers of this ad executive's life. It's very sharp, page for page, the way that the story unfolds. There is a sense of revelation and unfolding mystery as you read it. [...]" Read the complete piece here.
- Swamp Thing - "[...] Probably the best artwork in any mainstream comic of all time. Steve Bissette, John Totleben and Rick Veitch did really incredible artwork. And probably the best writing in any mainstream comic of all time. [...]". Read the complete piece here.
Back to Watchmen, which is a fundamental influence: Jeffrey Lewis wrote his college thesis on Watchmen and since the end of the '00s he gave lectures dedicated to Moore & Gibbons' masterpiece.
"I'll just be talking about things that I've found in the book and my
theories on what they mean, hopefully sufficiently backed up by evidence
from the book so that people don't just think I'm crazy. I'll be
projecting slides of certain panels that I refer to, but just using
projections when it's necessary to point out certain details or certain
panels or compare certain panels. Mostly I'll just be talking. I suppose
I'll do a Q&A session after the talk. It's definitely for people
who have read Watchmen, probably boring (and definitely a "spoiler") for those who haven't." More details here, dated 2019.
In 2010, he drew a whole Watchmen page homage for his sketchbook, featuring ROM, his favourite character, a recurrent appearance in Lewis' works. See below.
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| Art by Jeffrey Lewis |
In 2015 Lewis was interviewed by The Comics Journal. The introduction said: "For 18 years, he has been sporadically working on a book about Watchmen." In March 2017 Lewis wrote on his Facebook page: "After a mere 20 years of re-re-re-editing this I'm just about getting ready to draw a book-cover for it and call it done (I hope)." See picture below.
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| Art by Jeffrey Lewis |
Last but not least, in December 2021, on his Facebook page, he shared some gems from his "autograph collection (circa 1990s)!" And... ta-da, Gibbons and that bloody smiley badge!
Mar 19, 2022
Enigmatic Moore by Marco Galli
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| Art by Marco Galli |
Above, a mesmerizing and enigmatic portrait of Alan Moore by Italian painter and comic book artist MARCO GALLI. Galli's amazing books have been published in Italy - mostly by Coconino Press and Progetto Stigma - France and Spain.
I looove Galli's art and, as usual, when I commission a new Moore portrait, I give complete freedom to the artist: the piece has to be a surprise to me. It was a real surprise and... I love it!!!
Foolishly, I asked for an explanation about some of the mysterious elements in the portrait, and Galli wisely replied: "Explanations are useless!" Great answer, man!
Grazie, Marco!
For more info about the artist (in Italian):
Mar 18, 2022
The Maestro's Lessons!!!
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| Alan Moore at BBC Maestro! |
Today BBC Maestro launched Alan Moore: Storytelling Online Course!!!
Join the maestro of storytelling and learn to create mesmerising fiction by mastering inventive language, characterisation, world-building and more.
33 Lessons, 6 hrs at 99 euros!
Available for pre-order now
Full course launches 24th March
33 Lessons, 6 hrs at 99 euros!
Available for pre-order now
Full course launches 24th March
"I would like to welcome you as an aspiring writer to this enormously important and timeless human tradition where you will be in a chain of people stretching back through the ages of shamans, magicians, above all, writers who have done so much to actually shape the development of the human story and of human history that you can become part of that marvelous tradition and play your own part however small, however large in this marvelous enterprise of expanding the things that humans can do, can say, can accomplish.
And more importantly, the number of ways in which they can talk about that stuff, the number of things that they can say, and the number of ways in which they can say it."
And more importantly, the number of ways in which they can talk about that stuff, the number of things that they can say, and the number of ways in which they can say it."
1. Alan's introduction [7 mins]
Welcome to Alan’s world. Where magic and storytelling intertwine, and good writing is valued over public opinion.
2. Writing as enchantment [6 mins]
Welcome to Alan’s world. Where magic and storytelling intertwine, and good writing is valued over public opinion.
2. Writing as enchantment [6 mins]
Delve into the history of writing modifying consciousness from stone-age magic and the bardic tradition to you, now, typing away.
3. Becoming a writer [4 mins]
Everybody can (and probably should) write. The first step is to develop yourself by cultivating an aesthetic and political viewpoint.
4. Four weapons [12 mins]
Learn about the four classical elements you should master as a writer – coins, sword, cup and wand.
5. Learning to read [8 mins]
How to read anything and everything with a critical eye and come away with learnings on effective writing techniques.
6. Imagination - Fire of the gods [8 mins]
Alan talks about mining your imagination for story gold without getting caught in a cave-in at the pit.
7. Language as Technology [9 mins]
Just how powerful are words? Understand how language is our foremost technology and makes up the entirety of our conscious awareness.
8. The Neurology of Writing [11 mins]
Discover how writing affects the brain and how a little wordplay can spark synapses in a very satisfying way. Just ask Shakespeare.
9. Hemingway vs Baudelaire [9 mins]
A consideration of the pros and cons of simple, plain English versus decorative, decadent language.
10. Fascinating rhythm [13 mins]
Develop your literary ear by learning to identify and employ rhythmic elements in your writing.
11. Inventive language [9 mins]
A few tips for keeping your reader engaged with innovative writing, and an introduction to the masters of literary invention.
12. Structure [10 mins]
Get your imaginative tale in order with a three-act structure and the perfect narrative format for your story.
13. Genre [8 mins]
Alan talks about getting to know the tropes of different genres so you can mix them up and break the rules.
14. Mode [11 mins]
Witty, horrific, satirical? Past or present tense? First or third person? With a slight shift you can change everything.
15. Time and Timing [8 mins]
Explore how time passes within the narrative and in the process of reading as well as how to employ pace, comedic timing and time travel.
16. Misdirection [14 mins]
How to delightfully deceive and betray your readership and have them thank you for it.
17. Character [20 mins]
Inhabit your characters with conviction to convince your readers they are real people. Here’s how.
18. Extreme character [16 mins]
How to make fantastical, impossible, detestable, reprehensible characters realistic and relatable.
19. Place [18 mins]
Learn about how place will help you develop your story and the psychology of your characters.
20. Creating place [15 mins]
Tips for creating new worlds, including a close-up look at how Alan built Neopolis from the pavement up.
21. Period [17 mins]
Using memories, historic details, speech and slang to immerse your readers in the time of your story.
22. Considering media [7 mins]
Comics, screenwriting for film or television, novels, theatre, poetry, song-writing – a lot of writing skills can be used across disciplines.
23. Comic cuts [23 mins]
‘The Orson Welles of comic books’ (The Times) tells the truth about the comics industry and the extraordinary power of comics as a medium.
24. Screen gems [23 mins]
Acquiring a cinematic vocabulary helps you write for film and television and learn skills for all types of writing. Here’s where to start.
25. Words, music and performance [12 mins]
See how writing for music is a great way to practice metre and rhythmic language, while performance gives you invaluable immediate feedback.
26. Future media [5 mins]
Looking ahead to writing and creating new worlds for virtual reality stories. What possibilities of consciousness might that bring?
27. The need for progress [8 mins]
Don’t get stuck in a rut. Alan talks about mixing up your writing, trying new things and dipping a toe in the avant-garde.
28. Forward movements [5 mins]
A look at literary innovators like Sterne, Woolf and Proust and how what was once radical has become part of the writer’s everyday tool kit.
29. Approaches to the future [10 mins]
Techniques you might want to try in your experimentation of progressive writing methods and interesting speculative fiction ideas.
30. Lost in the funhouse [14 mins]
A small warning about going too far and tips for creating progressive writing that is still entertaining and accessible.
31. The evolution of writing [3 mins]
How far writing has come, where it could go next and how you, as a writer, are joining a transformative human tradition.
32. Permission to write [4 mins]
Everyone can write; everyone should write. Alan shares a story about an atypical storyteller.
33. Extroduction [3 mins]
A new word coined just to say goodbye, fare well and send you on your merry way to write a better world.
Mar 16, 2022
Jeffrey Lewis: Comedians, Watchmen and.. all Moore
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| Art by Jeffrey Lewis |
A step back... Jeffrey Lewis is an American singer-songwriter and comic book artist who lives and creates in New York. Read an interview with the guy at The Comics Journal, here, watch him at his own home, here!
He wrote and talked several times about Watchmen (see here and here) and in 2013, to celebrate the 60th birthday of the Bearded One, he created a wonderful illustrated, rhymed biography of him! Watch here and here! Amazing!
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| Jeffrey Lewis: The Story of Alan Moore |
For more info about the artist: Official Web Site - Wikipedia entry
Mar 11, 2022
Alan Moore's pentagram
Excerpt from Iain Sinclair's Living with buildings and walking with ghosts, page 160.
Sinclair's refers to Rebecca Hind's Scintilla work.
[...] The Christ Church triptych is a cascade of waterlight scintillating against the assertive grandeur of Hawksmoor, that masculine insistence on 'terror and magnificence': a space stripped and painted for concerts, promotions and televised incantations. A ballroom of vanities in which I remember seeing the magus Alan Moore marking out a pentagram of spectral conjurings for the camera. [...]
Grazie to friend Omar Martini for this little discovery.
Mar 8, 2022
Vital Statistics 1984: Most Feared Form of Death
Above, from David Anthony Kraft's Comics Interview n.12, published in June 1984.
Interview by Guy Lawley and Steve Whitaker.
Most Feared Form of Death: Having a slate fall from a rooftop and slice my brain in two halves.
More details HERE.
Mar 4, 2022
Anecdotical Gibbons
Presented alphabetically, with informally written anecdotes that can be read from cover-to-cover or simply dipped into, Gibbons reveals unseen comics’ pitches, life as the first Comics Laureate, adventures in advertising and album cover design, and his journey from fanzine artist to infiltrating DC Comics in the 1970s. This book covers everything from his work on Doctor Who and meeting Tom Baker to his induction into the Eisner Hall of Fame. Gibbons also discusses, for the first time anywhere, the end of his relationship with fellow Watchmen co-creator Alan Moore. Packed with over 300 iconic, rarely seen, and unpublished art pieces and photographs, Confabulation: An Anecdotal Autobiography not only entertains, but peels back the layers of a fascinating career in comics.
Source: The Beat