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He's the high priest of comic books. Fans call him a ‘mad genius‘. We call ALAN MOORE an extraordinary gentleman. Miles Fielder
n the l‘lh’lix. the no\\ deiuiict indie pop hip hop clii\\ti\c‘l
hand l’op \Vill l1at ltxeli' ieleaxed a iecoid on \\lilcll (lint
.\lan\ell )clled: ‘.-\lan .\loore l\liti\\\ the \coiel' \\cl|. MN | nia} lia\e long \lllc‘L‘ \uccunihed to the late theii naine \iiggcxted. htit \lanxell and co new on the inone_\ about Home. \xlio l\ \\ idel) regarded a\ the high priext oi coinic hook xxiiting
In l‘)t\'o .\loore “role a llpart coinic hook called //1( liki/t'liiiit'ii. and :illiitHl \ingle-liandedl} redelined lli.llll\llc‘.illl coinicx. line. he had been inno\ati\e in the c‘tilllle\ ineditiin \ince the beginning ol~ that decade llllti\l notahl} \\ itli tlic grotindhreakiiig Sunni/h. htit l/lt’ Hurt lllllt II \\a\ the pinnacle oi ior“ard~thinking. l’tihlixhed h} l)(’. hoine oi Stipciiiian. Batiiian et al. it took the comentionx ol~ the \paiide\ clad \upeihcio genie and turned them on their head.
'l'hix \ei'iex tlL‘lii}lliHlUgl\L'tl the \uperliero (ione new the lilackx and \xhitex oi' the philanthropic \tipeiheio and niixanthropic \uper\illain. While the \pande\ remained. the ‘heroex‘ had PHI—helliex and di\ttirhed PL'I'\Uli;lllllL‘\. ()ne 'liei'o' “as \C\ll;lll} inipotent. another replaced the \pande\ \\ itli a diit} raincoat. .\lean\\hile. 'I'lit' lliiIc/init'ii‘x etlunalent oi Stipeinian \til'i'ered lroiii a (iod eoinple\ \o otit ol control that he engineered an apocal_\p\e ‘iii the name oi \xorld peace'. l'.l\L‘\\liL'lL'. ilie ironicall) —nained (‘oniedian went to \xar l'oi' hix prexident. raping and pillaging in Vietnam.
This e\eniplil'iex another \\a) in \\lllL‘li .\loore rexoluiionixed mainstream coiiiicxz introducing lll\ \ocial and political concernx. Sure. politic\ ha\e been a inainxta} oi the medium \llict‘ ne\\\paper ‘l'iinnies' at the turn oi the laxt L'L‘llllll'}. continuing through to the .»\inerican underground coini\ political [itil‘iitlle\ ol the late l‘Nillx and earl} l‘)7ii\. Btit .\loore \\;t\ one ol the lll'\l to initixe lliilllhll'L‘tilli CUIHlL‘\. ptihlixhed h) a leading coinpan}. \\ iili \a\age \ocio-political ci'iticixin.
.'\e\theticall_\. too. Hie lliilt'liiiit'ii remains a hiin \xater mark (it\ the onl_\ coinic \\ inner oi the [H‘L‘fllgltilh \erl'i lltigo .'\\\ard i. Working \iith ttl'll\l l)a\e (iihhonx. he created in [In Him ll/Hi'll the perl'ect relineinent oi' the three eleinentx oi coinic hook \tor}telling: \\Ul'tl\. picture\ and the reader'\ imagination. 'I he lll‘\l l\\o \\oi'l\ in \mnderitil harinon} tor llhl ax iinprexxnel} in jtixtapoxillonl \\liile inducing the reader to make coiiiiectioiix and come to L‘UliL‘lll\lUli\ clexerl} hinted at.
It's a textanient to their \lIL‘L‘C\\ that uhen lilininaker 'leri'} (iilliain attempted to adapt Hie lllllt'lllllt’ll ior cineina. he ga\e tip alinoxt hei‘ore he'd \tarted. \a} ing: "l‘hiiik oi \xhat \\ ill hax e heen loxl. l\ it worth ilk."
.\loore ha\ a coinicograph} longer than lll\ ai'in. (ilancing W Hill} in er it. a number ol‘ other groundbreaking titlex jump out: Saga ()fI/ll‘ .S'iiuni/i 'I'lii/ig tthe lll‘\l ecological \tiperheroi; l' [or Hair/elm (an ()i‘uellian nightinare \xritten during Margaret 'l‘hateher'x reign oi' terror); [iii/mun: 'l'lul Killing .IoAv iuidel} regarded ax the best .loker \tor} e\ er told. and certainl) among the \ick'est and llit)\[ shocking Batinan tale e\er committed to page): I’m/n llt'l/ la l;ih_\rinthine I'L‘c‘till\ll’tlclltili oi' the .lack the Ripper llllll'thl'Ni and Moore's latext and ongoing \ei'icx. ’/'/it' l.(‘(lL‘lI(' n/ litImon/imuji‘ (hail/(men.
You can we the lilni \erxion ol' ’l'lit' l.(‘(lL’ll(’. \xith that lioar} old Scot Sean ('onner} in the lead. in a couple oi~ inonthx. Better. though. to go to the \otirce. Building. perhapx. on the notion oi \uhVerting ll'Ulli \xithin that ix exeinplil'ied h} The Hillr‘llllu’ll. .\loore hax plundered Victorian liction to create a 'xtiperliei‘o team' comprising Allan Quarterinain. .\lina .\lurra} ton \\l1()lll ('ount Dracula's nihhledi. l)r Jek_xll and i'riend. (‘aptain .\'eino and the Imixihle Man. In \‘Ulllllic one. the League (Mex hattle \xith liu Manchu and an evil ll];i\ICl‘llllllLl \\ ho a etilixllllllig