Alan Moore is Rorschach [Video]

This clip is from "The Mindscape of Alan Moore" where he talks about magnum opus - Watchmen - and how he and artist Dave Gibbons thought of the issues that they raised through out the book. Its good stuff especially coming the mastermind of the greatest comic book of all time.

But arguably the best part of this clip is down the 3 minute mark, where Moore himself reads some of Rorschach's lines, and damn.... its eerily creepy and awesome at the same time. No disrespect to Jackie Earle Haley, but fuck - Alan Moore IS Rorschach.

The number one reason why I love comics.

It is this magnificent scene and dialog from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' highly touted Watchmen (1986) - known by many as arguably the greatest comic book of all time and the only graphic novel that was included in TIME Magazine's Top 100 Novels.

 

(Click on the images to enlarge.) 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful prose, amazing artwork, and a whole lot of meaning than any other title in the medium packed in just 10 panels.

And this is not even the whole 12-issue book itself. 

If you haven't read Watchmen yet, please do pick it up and read it before you die. Its one of the greatest stories mankind will ever have and one of the rare books that gets better and better after every re-read. Its just that damn good.

Face-Off: Frank Quitely's Alan Moore & Louie Joyce's Frank Miller

Two of comics' most celebrated creators get their own title/typefaces.

Click image to enlarge, and try to spot the hidden messages on his beard.

Alan Moore might not be the nicest person around, but there is not doubt that he has done a lot to revolutionize the industry through his masterful writing skills and though-provoking stories, making him arguably "The Greatest Comic Book Writer Of All Time". Frank Quitely captured his presence perfectly with this sketch.

Check out Moore's mighty beard. It says a lot. See if you can find them.

Click for biggie. Its amazing to see all these words forming a human face.

Frank Miller is known for his works in the 80's such as the black-and-white crime-noir novel Sin City, 300, and the popular The Dark Knight Returns and sparked a trend in the comic book industry that pointed towards more mature and "dark" storylines partnered with  more aggressive and provocative imagery and dialogue. Here Louie Joyce created an astonishing Miller portrait made up of some of his titles and quotes from his works. 

I bet you already saw the infamous "Goddamn Batman" line even before you read this.

[via ComicsAlliance and BleedingCool]

Comic Book Review: Superman: 'For The Man Who Has Everything'

 "For The Man Who Has Everything"

Written by Alan Moore

Illustrated by Dave Gibbons

Published by DC Comics

Before Alan Moore alienated himself away from DC Comics, he was on a roll writing the greatest comic book novels we could ever imagine and  literally "owned" every other writer back then. And in 1986, he did some of the best superhero stories, including this one which was published in Superman Annual # 11.

It is Superman's birthday, so Wonder Woman and Batman together with Robin (Jason Todd) decided to go to the Fortress of Solitude to greet the Man of Steel and surprise him with some gifts. Instead, they were the ones surprised with great horror as they see Clark in a state of limbo, with an alien plant on his chest, wrapped around his torso.

Apparently, this is the doing of the evil alien known as Mongul, and as he shows himself to the heroes, he explains what is the thing that has caused Superman to go in to a coma state: the plant is known as "Black Mercy" and it basically creates a very realistic dreamworld for the host based on his/her's deepest desires - and in Superman's case: he is living on Krypton with his father Jor-El and Lara very much alive, and he's also got a loving wife and two kids - a dream he is having trouble to let go.

From there, its up to Wonder Woman, Batman, and Robin to figure out everything and hope that they could save their friend before Mongul kills them all and continues on with his plans of conquering the world.

Just like their 1986 magnum opus Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons gives an extremely detailed story with them showing a lot of Krypton's rich history. Moore delivers a very innovative story that transcends the superhero despite not having a lot of room for more creative angles, mainly because of the restraints the superhero genre puts a writer into. And though this is clearly not his best stories - not as good as his previous novels like the aforementioned Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Swamp Thing, and From Hell to name a few - he is still able to put forth a story that has a lot of muscle in it, but at the same time, also intellectually and emotionally entertaining.

Dave Gibbons as usual does his thing here and his work is not something that I'm not really surprised with because he just does the art department so good that you can't complain. He knows how to really pay attention to every detail necessary in order to bring Moore's dialogue and story into life. I would say that Alan Moore is really lucky because he got to work with artists such as Gibbons who are able to think in the same way as him and who is able recreate his vision into something visually compelling.

An example of Moore and Gibbons' genius is shown in this particular panel where Superman battles Mongul with his back against the wall. Superman is not known to hurt anybody using his "heat vision", but in this panel ,he delivers some nice, bad-ass dialogue before blasting Mongul with fiery energy from his eyes:

That's some fucking good badassery right there. Superman doesn't has to be cute all the time, and Moore and Gibbons' understood that. (Now if only Zack Snyder could do this in his upcoming Man of Steel movie).

Another panel I really liked is the very last page of the book. Gibbons' gives us a Where's Waldo kind of  portrait, with him drawing a lot of familiar DC characters and inserting some long-haired and heavy bearded guy somewhere in it: fucking Alan Moore himself. Can you find him and name all the characters in this image? :

"Where is Alan Moore?"

Finally, though this whole thing is really really good and is one of the greatest Superman stories ever told in my opinion, that doesn't mean that there isn't one questionable panel to say the least. Like this one where Wonder Woman finally revealed her gift to Superman:

Fuck this.

Tell me if that doesn't tell anything that deserves to be in "The Greatest Whore/Douchebag Moments In Comic Book History". Just look at Batman and Robin's facial twitches.

Finally, for those who don't know Alan Moore and is interested of reading this works, let me tell you this: if there are two things that you should understand about the guy, that would be (1) he is a  genius;  (2) he has contributed a lot more for the comic book industry THAN ANY OTHER creator or writer alive now or has lived on God's green earth; and finally (3) he's never going to work for the industry again. 

Saw "Watchmen" For The Nth Time...

After watching Zack Snyder's masterfully filmed comic book movie Watchmen (based on the critically acclaimed graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons) a gazillion times, I'm still enjoying it. And even though the movie has its fair share of critics, most notably one of the co-creators of the graphic novel where it was based from - the great Alan Moore - I have to say that it was a success and undoubtedly one of the best comic book movies. 

Synopsis via IMDB:

In a gritty and alternate 1985 the glory days of costumed vigilantes have been brought to a close by a government crackdown, but after one of the masked veterans is brutally murdered an investigation into the killer is initiated. The reunited heroes set out to prevent their own destruction, but in doing so discover a deeper and far more diabolical plot. 

Trust me, that snyopsis is deceiving. Deceiving in the sense that it was described as having too simple of a plot. My friends, this movie is MORE than that.

The movie is as real as you can possibly get and you can never go wrong with the cast  (which doesn't include A-list names that actually made the film even better) and Zack Snyder's directing. And the heart-stopping climactic twist is perfectly brought to life like it was Just torn off of a page from the comic book itself which, actually describes most of the movie too. Everything was just fit together as if these guys were destined to do this adaptation of one of the most acclaimed graphic novels of all time.

I have read the original 1985 graphic novel itself and honestly, Snyder nailed it with this flick. It gave me a lot than I could ever hoped for a Watchmen adaptation and I applaud Snyder for staying true to the source material because it might not have worked if he tweaked it too much and thus making the whole movie a big disappointment. The comic book scenes and dialogues are amazingly the same, the fight choreography is very much realistic, the characterization is just splendid,(I still remember every line from Moore's writing while watching the film) the story is still as powerful and engagingas it ever wars 24 years later, and Malin Akerman's slow motion sex scene with her tits exposed are not that bad either despite that whole scene's awkward-ness (at least for me). I'm just glad to see this absolutely classic brought back to life.

Plus, it  probably has one of the best film intros ever made (probably because of the great "Times A-Changing" song by the immortal Bob Dylan, but still...) in history, with Snyder able to tell most of the story in less than 6 minutes. Its epic movie making at its finest. Here's the link if you haven't watched it yet (embed request is disabled): 

Watchmen Intro 

And if you haven't seen this thought-provoking movie, please do because this is nothing like you have ever seen and experienced before in a superhero film. Sure, it has its lows and horrible moments, but the good things simply outweigh the bad ones. It was simply wonderful and I won't get tired watching it over and over again.

Comic Book Review: Promethea

Promethea

Writer: Alan Moore

Artists: J. H. Williams III and Mick Gray

Published by Wildstorm/America's Best Comics

Whew. This was one hell of a magical comic book ride.

The whole book is set in fictional-futuristic New York City in the year 1999 and tells the story of Sophie Bangs, a young-college student who is the newest vessel of a powerful entity known as Promethea  - originally a young girl whose father was slain by a Christian mob in Alexandria back in 411 B.C who became a "living story" after the god Thoth-Hermes took her into the Immateria,  a different plane of existance made of pure imagination - who's purpose is to bring about the Apocalypse/Doomsday. Several human beings through time were able to "summon" themselves or others as Promethea by channeling her energy through imagination, most of them poets and playwrights (which Sophie meets as well early in the story).

At first you would think that this is an ordinary  "good vs evil" kind of thing because at the start, Sophie/Promethea battles lots of demons from hell disguising as human beings while trying to figure out how to cope up with her "other identity." She continues to fight them through issue #12, using her newfound powers and magic, but that's as far as the superhero-action sequences go, because the book immediately becomes some sort of  magic instruction manual, with Moore writing his own philosophic views and spiritual beliefs.

Sophie's first fight as the demi-Goddess Promethea

It kind of gets a little bit boring with those "lecture" issues, where Sophie/Promethea just travels into the Immateria itself trying to learn magic and stuff. Alan Moore shows a completely different world, leaving the "Promethea vs demons" story line and jumps into telling his philosophical views, even telling the story of how the whole universe and life came about through tarot cards! He also talks about the afterlife, on what happens and what we would see when our souls leave our earthly bodies and so much more. A lot of those things I don't really understand, but I found out that you don't really have to dig in everything that Moore writes in order to enjoy the journey. You just have to go with the flow of his masterful storytelling as he takes you to a journey into the vast oceans of the imagination.

Good thing he immediately got back on track after more than 10 issues of Aleister Crowley 101, continuing Sophie's saga as she starts to realize that there is no escaping her destiny (as the Doombringer) even if she changed names and ran away from New York (where she is being hunted down as a terrorist at this point since her and Promethea's many battles in the city against foul demons) and even if she didn't transform into Promethea for 4 years.

Now I'd like to point out one particular issue - # 10 (at least from what I remember): where Sophie agrees to have sex (in her Promethea form) with a certain old-balding magician called Jack Faust in order to learn more about magic, tarots, and the occult. This particular issue had the most erotic sex scene I have ever read... or rather experienced in any medium. Ever. Moore just weaves every word in to perfection, and making his readers feel what he wants them to feel at that time without being too lewd. I can't even describe it completely here without sounding like a perverted a**, but trust me when I tell you that you would understand what I'm saying when you get to read that part. It was a magical, and yes, tantric experience (no I didn't come or anything, you twisted freak). 

Jack Faust and Promethea before doing the deed.

Alan Moore's intricate writing and poetry while mixing elements of mysticism, magic, science-fiction, action, history, and mythology together with the superhero genre is something that isn't usually done in conventional graphic novels. This book shows just how good Moore is and how he is able to convey his own beliefs without sounding too preachy. He provokes the readers thoughts and makes them over think with his subtle allusions and symbolisms while entertaining them at the same time. 

Artist JH Williams and colorist Mick Gray's work in the art  department  is no easy task, but they managed to turn Moore's complex story telling into the most fascinating works of visual art I have ever seen in any comic book so far. Every page has a different kind of paneling that sometimes shows hieroglyphics, space-warps, and renaissance-inspired art to name a few. Some pages doesn't have any panels at all, and some are like upside-down reflections among many others - that goes to show that Williams isn't afraid of trying new things.

Just one of the many examples of visual experimentation you would see in the book.

The art is mystifying yet glorious, and you will be hard-pressed not to be in awe of their spectacular artwork. Its like floating into a completely different world, almost like a woven dream. Moore is lucky to have guys like these that are able to completely create his visions the way they were intended. 

Like I said in the beginning, its a truly magical read. This is probably one of the most complex and mysterious graphic novels I have ever read in a while, and I really do recommend you to read this if you haven't yet. If you liked Neil Gaiman's Sandman or Alan's other works, then you will certainly like this. 

Simply put, Promethea is Moore and Williams at their very best touching your every senses.  Not an easy read if not because of Moore's "arcana cabana" tutorials, but its a real entertaining read showing you just how  powerful the mind, soul and imagination can be.

Random Ramblings: Current Reading ... Cinderella by Chrissie Zullo... Superman to be "physical"... and some cool art from K.Rocafort and Olly Moss

I immediately became a fan of artist J. H. Williams III after reading is awesome work and the latest Batwoman #0 issue to which I quickly searched for his previous works. Again, I am pretty much new to comic books so anything good before the 2000s for sure is out of my radar. But thanks to the wonderful thing called the Internet, I'm able to get my hands on one of this earliest works in 1999:

Promethea with legendary author Alan Moore 

Image courtesy of DC Comics

This has 32 issues in all and I have just started reading the first 10 issues, so I won't make a review yet (later I will), but this is one of a kind comic book that mixes the superhero-action genre with spirituality, religion, magic, mysticism, and history. I'm gonna save the other details after I read it. 

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I stopped reading Fables at issue #60 almost 3 weeks ago because I got a little tired reading the storylines I guess. Its not that its because of bad story telling or art - i guess its just that you have to pause a little bit and continue it later. You can't read the same thing and see the same characters all over again, can you?

Speaking of Fables, it spawned a couple of stand-alone spin-offs like Cinderella: Fables are Forever, which by the way has been released just yesterday!  . For your enticement, here is the awesome cover for its very issue #1, courtesy of the beautiful and talented Chrissie Zullo:

Superspy-ish, and chillingly sexy. Wow.

Do not forget to visit her blog and deviant page for more of her lovely artwork, and show some support by getting a copy of Cinderella Fables Are Forever # 1.

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Im a sucker for anything Superman so here's another "update" concerning the upcoming 2012(?) film to be directed by Zack Snyder. According toa n interview with SFX (via ComicBookResources), Snyder says that  he thinks "Superman needs to be physical" this time around. 

Oh hell yeah, he needs to be. There have been four Superman movies already and the last time I saw him in a lot of action is way back in Superman II. He's the effin' Man of Steel anyway - faster than a speeding bullet, leaps tall buildings in a single bound, and can lift a kryptonite land as big as Los Angeles without him dying - so there is no reason why Supes can't punch something or somebody's teeth off to outer space this time. Don't fail us Zack. 

We need less of these "Atlas" themed scenes. 

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Finally, two more pieces of sharp and mind-whacking art for your viewing pleasure from Kenneth Rocafort and Olly Moss:

Vicious. (Cover art for DC Comics by Kenneth Rocafort)

Wolverine or Two Batmans? (by Olly Moss)

Visit their websites at http://therocafortfiles.blogspot.com/ and http://www.moss.fm/

This is it for this week folks. Gonna take some rest 'cause its my day off. Have a great weekend everyone and take care! 

Comic Book Review: V For Vendetta

 V For Vendetta

Issues:  10

Writer: Alan Moore

Artist: David Lloyd

Published by Quality Comics (UK) and Vertigo Comics (DC)

Alan Moore strikes again. No doubt why he is hailed as "arguably the greatest comic book writer in history". Nobody paints a better story with great characterization like Moore, and it certainly shines once more in his cult-classic V For Vendetta.

Haven't watched the movie so I didn't have an idea as to what the premise was all about before reading the novel. I heard or saw it on TV before I dunno, but anyway...let's go on.

Set in a futuristic-dystopian England from the 1980s to the 1990s after the world was almost destroyed by a nuclear war, a Guy Fawkes masked anarchist/revolutionary named "V" aims to eliminate the totalitarian  and fascist government  and its leaders one-by-one. He then goes on to do vile acts of terrorism and violence in order to convince people to bring down the government and accept the idea of anarchism or  "ruling themselves". And as he goes on his own personal rampage, the lives of the people he encounters are changed in the process, leaving in each one of them his own mark.

Fascism vs anarchism plays an important part in this wonderfully crafted story about the essence of freedom and revenge. Moore again uses multiple plot lines to address the central theme of the story and he isn't afraid to show the "real world" in his characters and their respective dialogues. His writing is crisp, clear and his use of almost "Shakespearean" language when it comes to V's lines are nothing short but compelling. He guides his readers onto his fictionalized world and never lets them go until they reach the end. Its a mystery-thriller novel with a little bit of superhero in it, while retaining its own realistic aspects.

Now let us talk about characterization. Out of all the personalities in the story, the "protagonist" steals the show as always and I truly believe that "V" is an excellent but intricate work of fiction, and is sure one of the most complex of characters I have ever encountered.

V is masked right from the start and his face was never revealed, making him such of an enigma. But what makes this character as mysterious as he is, is his intentions, his goals, and his ways of implementing his elaborate and theatrical plan of destroying the fascist government. Its cruel and done in the most violent of ways, and you can't help but wonder if the guy is really a force of "good" or "evil". At first you might think that his goals are for the better good, but then as you go deeper and learn the history of this character and see the things he does as they unfold before your eyes, you will begin to question yourself and re-evaluate his whole image from scratch, up to the point that you don't really have a definite answer. 

Then it will slowly dawn on you... it all depends with the reader.

And that to me is what makes Alan Moore such a great writer. His dynamics and characterization is flawless, and he clearly blurrs the line between "what is right" and "what is wrong" in this novel. Nobody does it better than him.

Now pair that with David Lloyd's artistry that perfectly fits the "feel" and "tone" of Moore's storytelling genius and you've got one hell of a classic that truly transcends any form of literature. The 2006 movie of the same name and the use of guy fawkes masks during protests is a testament to the profound effect of this graphic novel onto society's consciousness.

Comic Book Review: Batman: The Killing Joke

All it takes is "one bad day".

The Joker escapes imprisonment and is planning to wreak havoc again.  Batman goes out after him, trying to figure out what he's going to do next, but he struggles. Then a series of flashbacks tells us about the Joker's possible origin, from his beginnings as a loving husband and father, to his transformation to a crazed, psychopathic mania who only lives to prove that life is all but a joke.

Arguably the greatest comic book writer of all time, Alan Moore delivers a story that is told from the Clown Prince's perspective, how he sees the world, life and Batman. He also showcases the symbiosis between DC's marquee characters which had never been done before.  Artist Brian Bolland is successful in bringing the panels and Moore's story into life, creating illustrations that takes insanity to a whole new level.

 

The book is hailed as one of the greatest Batman  and DC graphic novels of all time and it really is in my opinion. I got emotional and psychological satisfaction after reading it. The symbiosis between Bats and the Clown is something to dig in, and more importantly, seeing the world in a villain's eyes - or a psychopath rather - is nothing but perfect. We always get to see hero's saving the day, talk about justice and the right way to do things, but we have never seen an anti-hero take his turn and show us his side of the story, what he believes in, and what his ideals are.

Plus, a long running, central DC character gets mutilated here, and that particular event actually became part of the official continuity, which shocked readers all over the world. Talk about controversial.

Then finally there's the joke with Batman doing something that I have never seen before.  Trust me, you'll be surprised when you flip the last pages. Those were the most resounding and memorable comic book pages - especially the last one. Heh.

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A little piece of factoid here: Heath Ledger said in an interview before that he was given a copy of this graphic novel as a preparation for his character as The Joker in 2008's summer blockbuster movie, The Dark Knight.

Interesting.

Maybe this whole Joker thing really "caught up" with him.