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| Art by Officina Infernale |
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| Preliminary art by Officina Infernale |
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| Art by Alan Moore |
Alan Moore has dedicated his life to his art. Had he not achieved the status of the most influential writer in his field, the admiration of millions of fans, including many household names, and not had his work adapted into major budget movies, I have no doubt that he would still have done exactly the same thing: he has the attributes of most great artists: he is dedicated, lives simply, shuns the hype and bullshit of those who simply exploit art for commercial gain, public adulation, or to cynically latch on to the current zeitgeist. He is also generous and supportive of other artists, across genres. I owe him much, and am glad to call him ‘friend’.
Northampton, the town (or ‘Teyn’) of Alan’s and my birth, which is both loved and hated, by many of its inhabitants, is sadly near or at the bottom of the nationwide pile for ‘artistic engagement’; it has been known as ‘the Glasgow of the Midlands’, being, as that city once was, a place of disrespect and indifference to artists, and a fearful, potentially deflating prospect for any performer.
In Northampton, we have a wealth of phenomenal performers, sharing Alan’s attributes, and especially astonishing musicians across ‘roots’ genres who are marginalised.
Over four years and thousands of voluntary hours, in a truly unique partnership with the town’s Garibaldi Hotel, our project ‘The Garibaldi LIVE’ has nurtured our outstanding musicians, brought some of the most acclaimed performers, nationally and globally, to the venue for them to collaborate with , and ‘The Gari’ has also gained a superb reputation across the country as a ‘must play’ gig. It has taken this long for the initiative to gain traction and it has now reached an exciting and critical stage. Performances are non-ticketed to ensure access for all and we rely on a non obligatory collection for those that can afford to give. We have been informed that we are eligible for funding, which, if we are successful in our bid, will not come to fruition for many months. We need support now. For this reason, we are grateful to Alan for his donation of a rare, original, and characteristically thoughtful signed artwork, ‘Bless’, to auction for much needed funds - rare, particularly, as Alan always maintains that he’s a writer, not an artist.
This is an opportunity to own a unique original artwork and to also make a great investment in great artists, not to mention this outstanding, people powered project.
Our deep gratitude to you for reading this far to understand the basis of Alan’s support for ‘The Garibaldi LIVE’ and our town’s need for it. We hope you will make a bid or, at the least spread the word.
Health, happiness, and thank you.
Andy Shaw.
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| Cover art by John Coulthart |
The most acclaimed writer in comics history, Alan Moore, joins his late mentor Steve Moore (no relation) for one last graphic grimoire: a sprawling and stunning introduction to magic in all its timeless forms, brought to life by five wondrous and whimsical artists.
Splendid news for enquiring minds, and guaranteed salvation for humanity! Messrs. Steve and Alan Moore, current proprietors of the celebrated Moon & Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels (sorcery by appointment since circa 150 AD) are presently engaged in producing a clear and practical grimoire of the occult sciences that offers endless necromantic fun for all the family. Exquisitely illuminated by a host of adepts including Kevin O’Neill, John Coulthart, Steve Parkhouse, Rick Veitch and Ben Wickey, this marvellous and unprecedented tome promises to provide all that the reader could conceivably need in order to commence a fulfilling new career as a diabolist.
Its contents include profusely illustrated instructional essays upon this ancient sect’s theories of magic, notably the key dissertation “Adventures in Thinking,” which gives reliable advice as to how entry into the world of magic may be readily achieved. Further to this, a number of “Rainy Day” activity pages present lively and entertaining things-to-do once the magical state has been attained, including such popular pastimes as divination, etheric travel and the conjuring of a colourful multitude of sprits, deities, dead people and infernal entities from the pit, all of whom are sure to become your new best friends.
Also contained within this extravagant compendium of thaumaturgic lore is a history of magic from the last ice age to the present day, told in a series of easy-to-absorb pictorial biographies of fifty great enchanters and complemented by a variety of picture stories depicting events ranging from the Palaeolithic origins of art, magic, language and consciousness to the rib-tickling comedy exploits of Moon & Serpent founder Alexander the False Prophet (“He’s fun, he’s fake, he’s got a talking snake!”).In addition to these manifold delights, the adventurous reader will also discover a series of helpful travel guides to mind-wrenching alien dimensions that are within comfortable walking distance, as well as profiles of the many quaint local inhabitants that one might bump into at these exotic resorts. A full range of entertainments will be provided, encompassing such diverse novelties and pursuits as a lavishly decorated decadent pulp tale of occult adventure recounted in the serial form. Completing this almost-unimaginable treasure trove is a lengthy thesis revealing the ultimate meaning of both the Moon and the Serpent in a manner that makes transparent the much-obscured secret of magic, happiness, sex, creativity and the known Universe, while at the same time explaining why these lunar and ophidian symbols feature so prominently in the order’s peculiar name. (Manufacturer’s disclaimer: this edition does not, however, reveal why the titular cabal of magicians consider themselves to be either grand or Egyptian. Let the buyer beware.)
Art by Kevin O'Neill
A colossal and audacious publishing triumph of three hundred and fifty-two pages, beautifully produced in the finest tradition of educational literature for young people, The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic will transform your lives, your reality, and any spare lead that you happen to have lying around into the purest and most radiant gold. -- a 9" x 12" hardcover
Art by Rick Veitch
Book design by John Coulthart. Co-published by Top Shelf Productions & Knockabout LTD (UK).
[...] A couple of things are worth noting now that the book is about to enter the world. The first is that the contents are a little different to the press release from 2007 which announced a book of 320 pages, with 78 of those pages being brand new Tarot card designs. The authors subsequently realised that creating an entirely new Tarot deck is a huge task in itself, especially if, as was the intention, you wanted it to be as wide-ranging and authoritative as the Crowley/Harris Thoth deck. [...]The other thing to note is that this book is as much Steve Moore’s as Alan Moore’s, something which I’m sure Alan will want to emphasise but which news reports and reviews are inevitably going to overlook. [...]
Art by Ben Wickey
The Bumper Book may superficially resemble a children’s annual but this isn’t a book for children. The essays include discussion of the use of drugs and sex in magic, and there’s a lot of nudity (also a fair amount of sex) in the illustrations. The book is a serious study, but not, I hope, a boring one. [...]
I could say more about the contents but I’m not going to spoil things. I’ve been immensely grateful to Alan, Tony and Chris at Top Shelf for not pressuring me to get this one finished. I’m often complaining that publishers don’t give you enough time to work on things but that wasn’t the case with this book. I just wish Steve Moore was still here to see it (and Kevin O’Neill, an artist whose work I always admired but I never got to meet). October this year is going to be lunar and serpentine. We’ll see you in the Theatre of Marvels.
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| Art by John Coulthart |
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| Art by Gary Spencer Millidge |
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| Art by Isabella Mazzanti |
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| Art by Alexander Bustamante |
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| Cover for Metal Hurlant n. 10 by Darius BakaArts |
