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Friday, September 3, 2010
Alan Moore @ Comic Box Pt. 2
So, last week we got some insight into Moore and From Hell this week we get the rest of the story
Alan Moore @ Comic Box PT. II Interview by Lise Benkemoun - Comic Box Everybody agrees that Alan Moore is a genius. He’s weird (some say crazy), he’s keen on black magic and all forms of esoterism and rarely leaves his Northhampton (that’s near London, UK) mansion. However, he agreed to talk a bit about one of his most talked about books, From Hell, the 9-11 events and a certain fellow named Harry… So, last week we got some insight into Moore and From Hell this week we get the rest of the story… Comic Box (C.B.) : After a sinister legal imbroglio with MarvelMan (which has been re-named MiracleMan thanks to the House of Ideas) you swore to never work for Marvel again. Yet, you contributed to the commemorative book « Heroes » made after 9-11. Was that because the cause was superior to your disagreement ? Alan Moore (A.M.) : Yes. And I also did 6 pages for the Dark Horse 9-11 album. I did accept to write a few pages for Marvel in the 80s for a charity book also, and as I wasn’t paid, I considered it was compatible with the position I took of not working for them. This time again, I put my opinions aside and thought about the beneficiaries of that comic-book first. To be honest, I have another problem with these two albums made for the victims of the 9-11 attacks : to communicate my vision of the truth to people who had never been bombed in the past. Let me explain : I think that the United States, as a nation, are still in the early stages since nothing really perilous had happened before that day of September. Pearl Harbor had touched the symbol of America but not America itself. It’s the first time that the country had lived a bombing involving innocent civilians. Thus, since the 1930s, since Guernica(1) precisely, every other nation or most of them has lived this kind of event. 
A.M. : Yes. Of course, I have compassion for all, whatever their nationality is, who were sentenced to die under tons of stones. But today, America is so on the defensive that the sole fact of claiming that the political or historic context has possibly interfered with the motivations of the terrorists, is seen as a form of support of these terrorists ! On one side you have G .W.Bush, privileged son of a millionaire who says « you’re with us or with the terrorists ». And on the other side you have O. Bin Laden, privileged son of a millionaire who says « You make Jihad with us or you’re an enemy of Islam ». They divided the world in two and, to be honest, I have sympathy for none of them ! I refuse to get in that game. I tried to explain that point of view in the Dark Horse book, trying also to remain concerned by the primary objective which was a book dedicated to the victims. C.B. : In the end, they’ll tell you that you can’t understand because you’re English… A.M. : Unfortunately, there is an anti-European wave in the USA nowadays. It’s something I unable to understand. Letters for American readers were published in the Press here saying « you think you’re superior to us, you mock our President ! ». But, yes, of course, that man is a jester, how possible is it not to mock him ? And I’m sure that it was the opinion of 70% of the American before this war began. In general, I don’t wish to shock the readers but I try to send a message here. My opinion on the world hasn’t really changed since I did « Brought to light » (in 1988)… 
C.B. : As a specialist of magic stuff, how do you look at the Harry Potter phenomenon ? A.M. : Well, I try to think about it the least possible ! I don’t want to be rude or insulting for Ms J.K.Rowlings, because it is a wonderful destiny for a young mother celibataire to succeed in making a worldwide hit book, written on her spare time. I bought the first book when it came out, because I liked the illustration on the cover, but I never read it. When everybody started talking about it I remember it was that book. So, I forced myself to read the first twenty pages, but I wasn’t convinced. Maybe, it is because it is aimed at children… Still, usually I love children books. I just find that the quality of Harry Potter in terms of writing is not up to the standards I’m used to for children books. C.B. : You have to admit that considering your style, it’s a surprise to hear you like children books ! You do everything in your power to look scary ! A.M. : And it’s not going to change ! (laughs). My wife offered me a very very long coat for my birthday. Very gothic, I must say, like the monks’ robe, very frightening (laughs) I like it a lot… But I wouldn’t like to see somebody dressed like that coming out of the mist ! I was already scary without the coat ! One night I was coming home, I petrified a group of men going out of the pub ! And when I moved away I heard them say : « Phew ! I don’t even want to know what THAT was ! » (laughs). 
C.B. : And you also have a lot of rings ! Kids remark that… A.M. : That’s true. But they don’t seem to be scared by that. They don’t necessarily have the references to be scared by someone like me, they’re my greatest fans ! I have also some success with the old ladies. When they realize that I won’t kill them or steal their bags, they are so relieved that they find me pleasant. Now I have to convince the people between the young and the old, who represent the major part of humanity, and I should do something good ! Interview by Lise Benkemoun for COMIC BOX © 2003 Comic Box/All Rights Reserved. (1) Guernica : the name of the Spanish civil war (1936-1939) immortalized by a painting by Picasso of the same name. Editor’s Note : This was added late from Alan to Lise to be an addendum to the great interview. NEWS ALAN MOORE EXPOSED ! By Fabrice Sapolsky - Comic Box In 2004, Charleroi (in Belguim) will be the place to go if you’re an Alan Moore die-hard fan. Between feb.14th and Apr.4th, 2004, the Palais des Beaux Arts of Charleroi will welcome the famous writer’s most famous pieces. To set up this exposition, the people of Charleroi called Paul Gravett. This fine gentleman is an an english historian, comic-book specialist, counselor of the London Institute of Contemporary Arts where he organizes, once a year, the Comic Art Festival. So, what will include this expo ? Expect to see magic. « Alan has described art as being one way to see magic in work » quoted M.Gravett. « The goal is to show how he works as a writer ». And not only with words but with pictures also. Some of the original scripts from Moore will be seen for the first time and we’ll be able to see how he communicate with the pencillers. How he usually adds panels and drawings in the pages to explain his vision of a scene. There will be material from his ABC line (Tom Strong, Promethea) and complete chapters from From Hell, V for Vendetta and Swamp thing. There’ll also be some stuff from The Watchmen and MiracleMan/MarvelMan. To sum all that in numbers : there will be 5000 documents and 200 originals (art, pages, sketches). • Alan Moore, Les dessins du Magicien : Feb.14th-Apr.4th,2004. Palais des Beaux Arts, Charleroi (Belgium). © Comic Box. All Rights Reserved Editor’s note (2nd) : It should have been mentioned in Pt. 1 of this great piece that it was originally done in French and Lise and Fabrice (@ Comic Box) took much time and effort to translate it into English. For this we are very thankful.
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April 22, 2008:
February 4, 2008:
November 20, 2006:
A Comic-Con without the Captain
