It Came From the NYPL
The Extraordinary Works of Alan Moore
Interview conducted by George Khoury
Published by TwoMorrows
When this book came out, slightly over seven years ago now (how time flies, I thought it was maybe two years ago!), it intrigued me, but didn’t strike me as something I wanted to keep on my bookshelf for eternity. I finally got around to borrowing it from the library, and it’s a perfect library book. Enjoyable, but unnecessary.
For the occasion of Alan Moore’s fiftieth birthday in 2003, Khoury conducted a book-length interview with the celebrated author, touching on nearly every aspect of his career. Rounding out the book are birthday tributes from Moore’s famed comic book collaborators, and introduction and an afterword written by his two daughters, a detailed bibliography of Alan’s published works.
The interview is engaging and insightful, with plenty of material that has been covered in other places, but many nuggets that I’d not encountered before. Remembrances of his childhood, family photos and other early-life details round out the picture of Alan as a person, and tie in, in surprising ways, to the themes and subjects his writing would explore over the rest of his life (to date). All his major comic book series are touched on, as are Alan’s conflicts with the mainstream comics industry. Through it all, Alan’s love of comics and storytelling shines through, as does his belief in the form’s continued artistic possibilities. In short, The Extraordinary Works of Alan Moore works as a fine tribute to one of – perhaps the – most influential comics creator, while granting fans an insightful peek behind the curtain of a creative and highly individualistic author.
