Alan Moore gets animated

Damn you Alan Moore, when the hell is The Black Dossier going to be published already!? It's over a year late, dammit!

Wizard Universe conducted an interview with Moore about his animated stint on The Simpsons as well as some tidbit info on his new League of Extraordinary Gentlemen book:


ALAN MOORE GETS ANIMATED
The acclaimed writer discusses his upcoming turn on ‘The Simpsons’ and teases a bit about The Black Dossier

By Kiel Phegley

Posted November 16, 2007 1:00 PM

After creating a body of work that’s illuminated comics fans on topics from the darker side of Victorian literature to how to be a practicing magician, Alan Moore has discovered a new path to happiness he’s more than willing to share with his fans.

“It is quite nice to see yourself with three fingers and yellow,” laughs the legendary writer. “It’s probably something that everybody should try to do once in their life.”

Moore is, of course, talking about his impending guest spot on Fox’s long-running animated series “The Simpsons,” which airs at 8 p.m. Sunday. In the episode “Husbands & Knives” the writer of comics classics from Watchmen to Lost Girls plays himself arriving in Springfield in the company of fellow renowned comics creators Art Spiegelman and Daniel Clowes when a new, high-end comics shop (run by a character voiced by actor Jack Black) springs up to compete with longstanding shop The Android’s Dungeon.

“I met Art Spiegelman once, but that’s it,” notes Moore of his onscreen chum. “I’ve not actually met Dan Clowes. I guess that, for what it’s worth, that would be some sort of virtual meeting.”

Moore did have an actual meeting with producers from the show when it came time to record the episode’s dialogue in his hometown of Northampton, England. “We’ve got a local recording studio here which I used for two or three of the CDs that I recorded my performances on a few years ago. It’s a little tiny studio that’s been useful for shooting little television interviews and things like that. So I think that I suggested it to the ‘Simpsons’ people when they got in touch with me. We went down there with Tim Long, who’s one of the writers, a very, very nice engaging chap. I’d been sent the script sometime before that and so we just went down to the recording studio and I ran through my lines, and they seemed to be quite pleased with the performance.”

And although the writer has yet to see the final product, he did give approval for his animated counterpart’s look. “I saw the character sketches that they had done of me,” he says with a chuckle. “I think that they showed me my printout on the Net. Yeah, I looked very good. They probably caught my essence, and I shall probably have to get one of those coats that they’ve dressed me in—otherwise my audience will be disappointed when they see me on the streets.”

It’s a busy week for Moore, at least in terms of releases bearing his name and/or likeness: Wednesday finally saw the release of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier—the long-delayed new entry in he and Kevin O’Neill’s series of “Victorian Literature Adventure Comics” although as with anything the writer works on, there’s much more to the book than the base description.

“With The Black Dossier, which is a very bittersweet book for both me and Kevin, in some ways it’s one of the best things we’ve ever done,” explains Moore. “It’s a completely new form. It manages to take the elements that have always been there—the text features and the comic strip sequences—and it adds a few more things to the mix, then puts them together in what I believe is a fairly unique way.”

Despite the complications leading to its release, both Moore and O’Neill are excited at the prospect of the book reaching audiences, particularly so they can show it off. “I suspect that it does make a lot of the other product being put out look a little bit lazy and perhaps a little tiny bit illiterate. But you have to judge for yourself. I might be blowing my own trumpet too much.”

As for his own future and the future of the League, both will be moving to indie publisher Top Shelf in 2008, a move which Moore believes synchs up well with modern trends of publishing comics for a broader audience. “A lot of the big-time, serious, legitimate book publishers are getting in on the act and bringing out a huge number of really entertaining books,” he says. “Increasingly, there’s interesting books in the graphic novel section of the chain bookstores over here along with all the superhero collections. I hope that this signals a general absorption of comic book material into mainstream culture, which would take it away from these little enclaves that have controlled the destiny of comics for the past…goodness, man, can it really be 70 years?

“It would be nice to think that the basic structure of the industry is changing, that the traditional comics industry is perhaps withering and dying. I, for one, am quite interested in seeing what springs up to take its place.”

---

For more on The Black Dossier, check out Wizard #195, on sale in comic shops Nov. 21.

"Heroes" Worship: Nov.12, 2007

I read one of Wizard Universe's columns and they've highlighted Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier as a "best bet" for value. Does this mean that this super super SUPER late title is finally shipping in the next couple of weeks or so? I haven't seen it in any of the shipping lists yet!

Anyway, it's time for another Heroes recap...ALREADY!?


‘HEROES’ WORSHIP: NOV. 12, 2007
Get caught up on last night’s episode of ‘Heroes’ with our in-depth recap!

By Wade Gum

Posted November 13, 2007 10:15 AM

In case you you just stepped off the space shuttle and missed last year’s television season, “Heroes” is NBC’s newest hit show masterminded by Tim Kring. The series follows ordinary people with extraordinary abilities and their attempts to sort out their lives and save the world.

Last season’s chief protagonist was Peter Petrelli, a male nurse who has the ability to absorb and retain the power of any other superpowered being he comes into contact with. He was relentlessly pursued by Sylar, a murderous villain who can also take powers, but only by killing other people who possess them. Throughout the season, Peter and his allies worked to prevent an apocalyptic vision in which New York was destroyed from coming true.

Hero Roll Call

Claire Bennet—The biological daughter of Nathan Petrelli. A cheerleader with regenerative powers.

Noah Bennet—Adoptive father of Claire. Possesses no superpowers and once worked for the villainous Primatech Paper Co.

Monica Dawson—The cousin of Micah Sanders. Possesses the ability to mimic any physical ability she sees demonstrated.

Alejandro and Maya Herrera—A brother and sister from Central America. Maya has a deadly power and is afflicted with a disease that kills superpowered individuals. Alejandro seems to have the ability to counteract his sister’s power.

Takezo Kensei—The legendary Japanese hero, who actually turns out to be a scumbag with the power of regeneration.

Hiro Nakamura—Son of Kaito Nakamura. Has the ability to manipulate time.

Matt Parkman—NYPD officer with the ability to hear people’s thoughts.

Nathan Petrelli—Brother of Peter Petrelli. Former politician. Has the power of flight.

Peter Petrelli—Brother of Nathan Petrelli. Has the ability to absorb and retain powers.

Micah Sanders—Son of D.L. and Niki. He has the ability to “talk” to technological devices.

Niki Sanders—Wife of D.L. and mother of Micah, with an alternate personality that possesses super-strength.

Mohinder Suresh—A genetics professor in search of superpowered individuals.

Sylar—The show’s central villain. His power is the ability to determine how things work. With this ability, he kills superpowered individuals and is able to steal their abilities.

Molly Walker—A young girl with the ability to concentrate and locate anyone in the world. Adopted by Matt Parkman.

West—A teenage boy who attends the same school as Claire. Has the power of flight and was tagged by Noah when he still worked for Primatech.

Previously on ‘Heroes’

We learned who our new villain is when the identity of the mysterious Adam was revealed. Hiro left the past after getting into a big fight with Kensei. The fight ended with an entire camp full of gunpowder exploding and Kensei presumed dead. Either Kensei’s healing factor is insanely good and prevents aging or he’s a time traveler, because he showed up in present day claiming to be Adam, the man responsible for murdering all the elder superheroes recently.

Peter is the one who learned about Adam, after returning from the post-apocalyptic future. He unwittingly used Hiro’s time-traveling ability and got both himself and Caitlin stuck in a future world where the Shanti virus has decimated the world’s population. Once there, Peter ran into his mother, Angela, who jogged some of his memories about childhood and made him remember a bit about who he is. Peter accidentally sent himself back into the past, stranding Caitlin in the future.

Matt Parkman confronted his daddy issues when his father, Maury, tried to kill Bob at Primatech. Matt used his abilities to rescue Molly Walker from her nightmare prison and trapped his father in one instead. Niki, influenced by Maury, ended up injecting herself with the Shanti virus in a moment of clarity. No big deal, right? She’ll just inject herself with Mohinder’s inhibitors and be cured again. Nope! The virus has mutated and now Mohinder’s inhibitors have no effect.

The tortured romance between Claire and West hit a speed bump when West discovered that Claire’s father, Noah, is the man responsible for tagging him back in the day. West flew off in a huff and Noah threatened to move the entire family out of California once he discovered Claire’s recent dating exploits. There may not be any time for that though, since Mohinder is on his way to track down Claire. According to Bob, her regenerative powers may hold the key for stopping the Shanti virus.

The Recap—‘Four Months Ago’

Tired of “Heroes” constantly jumping around in time with its narrative? Wish the plot would move forward instead of backward? Too bad! It’s time to jump back four months and explore the immediate aftereffects of Peter’s explosion. After returning to the present without Caitlin, Peter runs into Adam/Kensei. According to Adam, the Haitian is responsible for Peter’s amnesia. He tells Peter to absorb his healing power and use it to repair his mind. Of course, that triggers a series of convenient flashbacks to four months ago.

After Nathan sped off into the sky with Peter, Nathan’s face got horribly burned by the power he was giving off. Peter persuaded Nathan to let him go, causing Peter to expend his explosive power above New York. Afterward, Peter was okay and used his flying ability to catch Nathan and speed him off to safety. Peter carries Nathan into the emergency room and then tries to make his getaway. Unfortunately, he gets captured once Elle and Bob appear out of nowhere and zap him.

Peter wakes up in Bob’s office and gets a stern talking-to. Bob considers him a threat until Peter can learn to control his powers. Until he can do so, the Haitian will continue blocking Peter’s abilities. He’s put on a strict diet of pills to control his abilities. While in the program, he meets his next-door cellmate: Adam.

Peter forges a friendship with dear Adam and hatches a plan. With Adam’s healing powers, Peter hopes to heal Nathan of his injuries. Peter stops taking the Haitian medicine and uses the phasing powers he took from D.L. in order to break Adam out. They go to the hospital and use Adam’s blood to heal Nathan, but Elle and the Haitian are onto them. Elle subdues Adam with her electric powers, but the Haitian continues his ambiguous game by erasing Peter’s memory and locking him inside a shipping container.

In the storied life of Micah and Niki, D.L. barely survived his encounter with Linderman but doctors say he’ll live. Micah and Niki have a little family moment with D.L. and celebrate his recovery. Since Niki doesn’t have medical insurance, Bob picks up the tab on his bill. Bob is really dead-set on this curing of dangerous powers and wants to help Niki with her Jessica problem.

Niki agrees to take the medication that Peter was on but eventually stops doing it. As a result, she goes a bit crazy and develops yet another personality. She leaves Micah and D.L. behind to go shack up with another crazy drug addict, who ends up shooting D.L. once he arrives and killing him. Well, that settles that, eh?

Four months ago, Alejandro married a beautiful woman after knowing her for only four months. Maya was wary of the wedding from the start. During the reception, Maya witnessed her brother’s new wife getting busy with her ex-boyfriend, causing her to manifest her deadly powers and kill everyone at the wedding party. Alejandro wants Maya to surrender to the cops, but ends up discovering that his power can counteract hers and goes on the run with dear old sis.

‘Heroes’ Highlights

BIGGEST LIE: ‘I AIN’T GOIN’ NOWHERE’
Note to the viewer: On “Heroes,” if someone says something that seems totally innocuous and sweet, it means the ending is going to prove that phrase untrue with horrific irony. Case in point, D.L.’s seeming survival from the Linderman-induced gunshot wound and subsequent proclamation of domestic joy. The second the phrase left his lips, we knew it wasn’t going to end well, and thanks to Niki’s new “Gina” personality, that’s just what happened. On the positive side, if we lived in the world of “Heroes” we’d walk around all day going, “I ain’t gonna find a million dollars. I ain’t gonna find a million dollars.”—Staff Writer Kiel Phegley

DECISION OF THE WEEK: THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN
While “Heroes” generally does a nice job of pulling our sympathies one way or the other on certain characters, the revelation that Angela Petrelli willingly broke up her son’s marriage to hide the secrets of her own past settled our minds on mommy dearest. That woman has to die! Okay, maybe that’s a bit much, but her chances of being redeemed by volume’s end are as small as our chances of figuring out the exact dictates of her particular power before we’re told.—Staff Writer Kiel Phegley

POWER BOOST OF THE WEEK
So…Peter explodes but his clothes stay intact? He must’ve absorbed Tommy Hilfiger’s super-tailor powers. —Executive Editor Brian Cunningham

CHARACTER OF THE WEEK: ELLE
She can seduce you, electrocute you sadistically AND give you a mean haircut! She may be black as sin…but it’s tough not falling for this bad girl. Just don’t get too close—she’ll surge a thousand volts through your tongue! —Executive Editor Brian Cunningham

ODD CAREER CHOICE OF THE WEEK: A HARD SELL
D.L. becoming a firefighter makes sense, since it’s a noble profession and his phasing abilities would come in handy. But what’s up with Niki selling cars? Nothing wrong with putting folks in a shiny new vehicle (“Could I interest you in a Nissan Versa?”), but which personality would do the selling: Niki or Jessica? A bit of heated bargaining over free floor mats could send you through the showroom window.—Wizard Universe editor Eric Moya

SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF PARTS I AND II
When Alejandro’s bride sneaks into the closet to fool around with her ex-boyfriend, that’s just human nature, but admittedly, that’s a pretty messed up thing to do. But seriously, there was a deadbolt on that door. I’d think if you were going to cheat on your new husband the night of your wedding you would LOCK THE DOOR! The other part where I scratched my head? I was wondering how D.L. could become a firefighter after only a month or so. Even volunteer firefighters have to go through some training, right?—Editorial Director Mel Caylo

CLIFFHANGER RATING: 0
Okay, so this week’s rating isn’t exactly fair as an all-flashback episode almost certainly precludes any kind of dangling plot threads, but the revelations that Bob is behind Elle, that Niki has a third personality and that Mrs. Petrelli is the one who broke up Nathan’s marriage pretty much make up for it. Fingers crossed for next week.—Staff Writer Kiel Phegley

SPOILER WARNING!

Next Time on ‘Heroes’

Noah gets his family packed up and ready to leave the wild wild West Coast, but Claire is a petulant teenager and doesn’t want to leave her creepy stalker boyfriend behind. Hiro takes another jaunt into the past and teams up with Dan from “Journeyman” to save the world! Actually, he just makes a stunning personal discovery. Mohinder encounters Elle and lives to tell about it, and the Maya/Alejandro/Sylar “Three’s Company” story barrels onward.

Tom Strong is a knockout!

I've recently been reading Tom Strong TPBs which Dean loaned to me when he was at my housewarming. It's a really REALLY good read...hell, most of what Alan Moore writes is fantastic! But he seems to have a certain flair when it comes to superhero-type comics, infusing them with his own flavour and humour. He goes absolutely crazy when it comes to his own creator-owned work...check out and Top Ten and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to see how fantastic of a scribe he is in his recent comic work.

After reading Tom Strong, it kind of makes me wonder how good his other stuff for the America's Best Comics line (and offshoot of Wildstorm) are. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was the first series from that line and Tom Strong soon followed, along with Top Ten. Promethea is another highly acclaimed title and I wouldn't mind checking that out. Tomorrow Stories is another series from the ABC line and I'm betting that will be another super read.

Perhaps with more disposable income, I should collect all the comics that were published in the ABC line...TPBs of course since the single issues would be simply unaffordable!