Magic Words: The Extraordinary Life of Alan Moore by Lance Parkin
Release Date: December 1, 2013
Publisher: Aurum Press Ltd
Genre: Biography
ISBN: 978-1781310779
Source: Received from Publisher
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For over three decades comics fans and creators have regarded Alan Moore as a titan of the form. With works such as V for Vendetta, Watchmen and From Hell, he has repeatedly staked out new territory, attracting literary plaudits and a mainstream audience far removed from his underground origins. His place in popular culture is now such that major Hollywood players vie to adapt his books for cinema.
Yet Moore’s journey from the hippie Arts Labs of the 1970s to the bestseller lists was far from preordained. A principled eccentric, who has lived his whole life in one English town, he has been embroiled in fierce feuds with some of the entertainment industry’s biggest corporations. And just when he could have made millions ploughing a golden rut he turned instead to performance art, writing erotica, and the occult.
Now, as Alan Moore hits sixty, it’s time to go in search of this extraordinary gentleman, and follow the peculiar path taken by a writer quite unlike any other.
Before even diving into Magic Words: The Extraordinary Life of Alan Moore I marveled at this book which is probably the most beautifully packaged book of the year. The colors on the cover jump out at you and captivate you before you even know what you’re opening yourself up to. The black, purple and green color scheme on the outside and inside covers are just gorgeous. The edges of the pages (top, side, and bottom) are black. Normally, I’ll see a handful of books with the side pages lined with color but not a book covered from top to bottom. Gorgeous. The images of Moore’s work and other exciting things throughout the book, while in black and white, also bring this book to life. I just absolutely love the packaging of this book. Job well done.
Opening the pages, I found that this book is not just a biography of Moore’s life but a fascinating look into comic book history (and let’s not forget the drama) which I was thrilled by as I grew up with a comic book artist father and am familiar with many things but not everything and I’m a tad bit closer to everything after finding out what I did in this book. I know a lot more about the history with Doctor Who Weekly than I did before and that’s just one of many topics tackled here. Magic Words takes me back to a time when Neil Gaiman interviewed Alan Moore. To a time in 1985 on Moore’s second trip to America when San Diego Comic Con was attended by 6,000 fans. To a time when Watchmen released just months after Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. To a time of changes in the DC rating system.
Parkin delves into the parts of Moore’s life that inspired his work, his history with drugs, how he broke into the comics industry, his writing process and the importance of structure among other things, and so much more with a voice fit for teaching readers a thing or two and making them laugh along the way. Quotes from Moore as well as interview excerpts from Moore and others are scattered throughout the inconceivable amount of research Parkin did to make this book happen. I admit though, I did skip over much of what was written about Moore and magic and talk of worshipping a snake god and Lost Girls. Totally lost me there.
At almost 400 pages of research here, it’s a lot to take in during one sitting so I’d suggest taking this book in one day at a time, really soaking up all of the information here…because it truly is a lot. This is one of the most insightful, in depth biographies I’ve ever read. Call it an encyclopedia or even a bible for Alan Moore fans. If you’ve followed Moore’s career closely throughout the years, I’m not sure how much of any of this will be new to you but it is nice to have it all in one book. The back of the book includes references and an index which fans will find very helpful if say, they’re looking for all things V for Vendetta. Which I was. So Alan Moore fans, this one is for you.
Magic Words: The Extraordinary Life of Alan Moore by Lance Parkin is available today.