iFanboy Video Podcast
Show Notes
This week, iFanboy takes a good long look at the work of Alan Moore. If you’ve ever wondered which Moore books you should be reading, this is the place for you. Batman: The Killing Joke, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, V for Vendetta, Top 10, Watchmen, and others. And what’s the deal with that Lost Girls book? Can iFanboy get through a discussion of a book based entirely on sex? At any rate, we tried our best.
What’s your favorite Alan Moore book? Is he the best writer in comics today or is he overrated?
Magic!
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Snazzy tie Josh!
I honestly haven’t read too much Moore, but I loved the heck out of Batman: The Killing Joke
After years of thinking it was lost forever, I opened a box in my basement a month ago to find The Killing Joke sitting right there. I was so happy I almost cried. (Give me my little moments.) I have been carrying it around in my bag ever since, untouched; after all this time, I’m almost afraid to read it again.
I checked the site at work and saw the new show was on Alan Moore. I immediately raced through the folder on my desk so I could watch the it. Suddenly, I flashed back to fourth grade when I would be doing my math homework and Batman: The Animated Series would come on. Bizarre.
I think the first Alan Moore story I read was his run on Supreme. I snobbishly thought this guy just ripped of Superman… but it was so much better than any Superman comics at the time. Then I went on to Watchmen and V for Vendetta.
Hi.
Uhm, Not Safe For Work, guys.
Not. Safe. At all. For watching at Work.
Because of the boobies. (Lost Girls.)
I’m blushing.
Juuussssst curious 🙂 which one of you owns the gigantic lost girls book?
And (the next sentence will be in bizarro speak) where do I not find these Miracle Man books that are supposedly out-of-print, you cannot e-mail directly if you do not keep it private : – ( ( the smiley face is in bizarro speak too).
Great show guys. Ron acting like a twelve year old through the whole Lost Girls segment had me laughing my ass off.
Keep it coming… BOOBIES!!!
You should have seen the pages we didn’t use.
Great episode. I’m really glad you got the point in about “Why is it ok to spend so much time on violence but not sex?” My wife read Lost Girls and loved it…her quote was “this guy understands some things about women”. That’s a pretty strong endorsement. Interesting point too about how Not liking something means it isn’t good. That suggests that absolutely everything is subjective, which I don’t think is so…Storytelling of any kind does have certain techniques and ‘rules’ and there are some things that lead to an effective story told well. Does not liking a technically proficient story mean the story isn’t good? Why is the onus always on the story and not on the reader? Maybe the story isn’t deficient…maybe the reader is…
Another great episode. And very timely, as well — I’m right in the middle of “From Hell.” I’m enjoying it quite a bit, but I have to say, reading a comic has never been such hard work. Keep it up, fellas! Oh yeah, ditto on Bizarro Aaron’s request re: Miracle Man. I’ve never been able to get my hands on those.
Ron – you should go pick up “Exile on Main Street” right now. Best. Stones album. Ever.
Great show guys. I’ve been a big Alan Moore fan ever since I read Watchmen. I love that book. I really like V for Vendetta, although I had to read it like four times before it made sense. That is one dense political book.
I think one of the points that wasn’t touched on is that people who look to comics for mindless fun would probably be turned off from Moore. I know a guy that hates everything he writes because it’s too high brow. I know this might speak ill of my friend, but he states, “If I wanted to read something hard, I would have gone to college.”
I’ve also perused through a friend’s copy of Lost Girls. I think the image you guys showed is one of the few that only had one panel of boobs. For reals.
I’ve always wanted to check out his Swamp Thing run, so when I’m finally un-broke, I might scoop up the first trade.
As always, props for a job well done.
I will say that it is dangerous business in some circles to call Alan Moore overrated. I did it once, and while I’m not one to use the word “dogpile” it did earn me the prestigious Conorboo. None of which made From Hell any better. (I should have known I was in trouble when the lettering was credited to “A Chicken We Got Drunk.”)
Of course, V For Vendetta, Watchmen, and certainly the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen more than make up for it. Pity his work has been so poorly translated into film thus far; if you listed his work to a non-comics fan, based solely on movie title recognition they’d think you were some kind of idiot. And that’s before you explained the kiddie porn.
(If they had released Lost Girls exactly as it is in every way but credited it to Chuck Austen, how do you think it would have been received?)
You should have seen the pages we didn’t use.
He aint lyin baby
It is gra-phic
but also quite good
Great show guys! But, uh, why is Josh dressed like Shaun of the Dead? 😉
I’ve been gettting back into comics over the last couple of years (after a long, long absence), so I’ve read V For Vendetta and Watchmen both within the last 12 months–and I’m reading From Hell now. Alan Moore is incredible! At least 2 of my 5 Desert Island books are his (and I’m thinking From Hell will be another). Lost Girls is next on my list to read–comics and sex, could it get any better? 😉
Thanks for doing this topic, I didn’t know Alan Moore did a Superman story–or Swamp Thing, those are going on my buy-list today.
Oh, and Josh: you’ve got red on you. 😉
Need I point out that Shaun committed the ultimate wardrobe faux pas, by wearing a tie with a short sleeve short. I shudder.
Some days you need to wear a tie…
I think my most prized original comics are my original issues of “Whatever happened to the man of tomorrow?”.
Rolling Stones over rated? No way. Old as hell, yes. Not over rated. Greatest rock band ever. Listen to Exile on Main Street. It’s their pinnacle.
You people may be able to get me to read Sandman, but I sure as hell ain’t going anywhere near the Rolling Stones. Ick with a capital I
Just to say that I really enjoyed the show and to let you know that a lot of really great Alan Moore stuff from 2000AD and Marvel UK is available in trade reprints….
First up is the excellent run on Captain Britain for Marvel UK which you briefly mentioned – one of my favourite stories in comics. Art is by Alan Davis. Alan Moore + Alan Davis = ’nuff said.
Then there are his 2 much neglected (in the US at least, they are big favourites over the pond) strips for 2000AD. ‘The Ballad of Halo Jones’ is a drama about inter-galactic space war & shopping – absolutely not to be missed, art by Ian Gibson. ‘D.R & Quinch’ is a hilarious collection of shorter strips starring a couple of fun loving alien weirdo’s. Art again by Alan Davis.
Thanks a lot for that Marbles. We don’t hear very much about those books at all over here, so I appreciate the heads up.
I have The Ballad of Halo Jones. It’s in my big post-San Francisco stack of things to read.
You people may be able to get me to read Sandman, but I sure as hell ain’t going anywhere near the Rolling Stones. Ick with a capital I
So I take it you’ve never heard it. Then I have pity…..
I am so relieved to hear someone else say that about the Stones; it’s like I have some kind of allergy to them. I hear their quote-unquote best songs on the radio and think, “Man, I wish somebody would do a good cover of this song.” Granted, a lot of people feel the same way about the Who, and they were always one of my faves growing up. Your mileage may vary.
I seem to remember something about Alan Moore’s Captain Britain trades having some kind of printing problem in the U.S., word balloons on the wrong pages or something. Does anybody know anything about that?
Never mind, found it:
“Moore had been in dispute with Marvel Comics in the 1980s after they had reprinted some of his Marvel UK work without his permission. Since then, he had blocked any further reprints. This led to a falling out with his collaborator on Captain Britain, artist Alan Davis, as he was denied reprint fees and exposure for his work. In 2002, Marvel Comics’ editor-in-chief, Joe Quesada, attempted to persuade Moore to contribute new work (Moore had already contributed to Marvel’s 9/11 tribute comic, Heroes), and convinced him the company had changed. Moore agreed to the publication of a reprint collection of his Captain Britain stories, on the understanding that he would receive full credit for his characters. Unfortunately, Moore’s credit was omitted due to a printing error, and despite Quesada’s apologies and the error being corrected in subsequent printings, Moore declared he would no longer consider working for Marvel.”
It’s like the gang that couldn’t shoot straight.
He’s got a twitchy trigger finger at this point.
But I can’t say I blame him.
You know, you would think that after screwing up the first time, Quesada himself would have been running those presses. That’s just crazy.
the Who, and they were always one of my faves growing up.
I think there’s a really good chance we’re related.
The Clash – the only band that matters…
Well if I have to pick only one band that mattered it would be the Jimi Hendrix Experience. But I don’t care what any of you say the stones are the bomb. Especially when Mick Taylor was in the band.
By the way, I loved the ‘All along the watch tower’ thing they had going on in Battlestar Galactica. Also there are a lot of subtle Hendrix and other classic rock references in the comic God Land. That comic is great. If you’ve never done acid, you may not get it.
Personally, I think Frankie Yankovic’s “Polka Time” is the end all be all music experience.
Nice vid, dudes. Love the podcast and I love the in-depth shot at Alan Moore. There is a lot to be made of his love of Silver Age comic iconography (briefly mentioned), and I’d love to see a fuller examination of it in the future. I’m personally available via a light appearance fee, of course.
So I take it you’ve never heard it. Then I have pity…..
Oh, I’ve heard it…I worked for like 7 years in a record store…this is not an ignorant taste choice..Stones just don’t do it for me…
I’ve always wondered about things like 2000ad and Judge Dredd in the US. They always seem totally ignored or unknown. They were what got me into comics in the 80’s. I reread the Ballad of Halo Jones last year and I still think it’s one of the great comics.
I’ve always wondered about things like 2000ad and Judge Dredd in the US. They always seem totally ignored or unknown.
They usually are either unknown or tough to find, or just take too much effort to get into. It’s funny, because I’m sure most Americans know Judge Dredd from the movie, and much like League of Extraodinary Gentlemen, it’ probably not the best of introductions.
I know for me that, for whatever reason, I’ve never been too interested in Dredd (see my comment about the movie), and 2000AD always seemed to huge to me, and while I know there’s great stuff in the history, I didn’t know if the current book is always worth picking up.
Funny this should come up, I just bought a copy of issue #1528 of 2000AD (3/14/07) and it was really, really good. If your store carries it or you can get it, I’d check it out
Issue # 1528?!? Good gravy! Now that’s back issue hunt for the ages!
Did anybody hear about how Alan Moore claims to have met John Constantine a character he created 3 times in real life.
I definitely need to check out Lost Girls 😛
@ robbydzwonar: Lost girls is nothing special. I’ld put it at the end of the list as far as Alan Moore goes. If you haven’t gotten all the ABC stuff I’ld go for that after V and Watchmen.