Well as was discussed here a while back (in the Star Wars addiction thread) Dark Horse are releasing an Omnibus called 'Wild Space' which has a load of the odds and sods of Star Wars comics collected, often never before reprinted stuff. Its out Wednesday and there a very nice preview over at CBR, which includes a complete 6 page Alan Moore strip.
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=16667 (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=16667)
Which is kinda cool. I'm sure this used to be in black and white?
A quick look at the contents, and it would seem that all the previously hard to get Marvel stuff is included, which makes this a must.
And yes Colin, the Moore penned stories were originally printed, in black and white, in the pages of Star Wars Weekly. They never saw print in the US til Dark Horse released them (in colour) in the mid-90's.
How ever nice and subtle that colouring job is, its a clear case for me where the addition of colour actually subtracts from the art.
Those old Moore Star Wars stories ain't up to scratch. He was knocking better Future Shocks and Doctor Who stories out at the time.
"I have no interest in Star Wars; I have no interest in Dr Who. Nothing against those who have, but I thought Star Wars was an utterly dreary film ... I was trying to have as much fun as I could with characters that weren't very appealing to me, but that was my general strategy back in those days. Don't turn anything down. If it isn't something that's interesting to you, then try and do something with it that will make it interesting to you."
Moore built his Star Wars stories around the science fiction elements of the mythology rather than its character-driven heroic aspects. One of Moore's Star Wars strips, indicative of the "endearing sloppiness" that permeated Marvel UK at the time, went to press with the last page missing"
From Alan Moore: storyteller by Gary Spencer Millidge (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alan-Moore-Gary-Spencer-Millidge/dp/1907579125)
I don't think he had too much interest in BatMan either as the best of the two Bat-Munch stories he did, Mortal Clay, incuded Batman as nothing more than a cameo and his Twilight of the Superheroes treatment had Bats more or less in the background of a greater drama.
Quote from: JOE SOAP on 27 May, 2013, 07:27:21 PM
Those old Moore Star Wars stories ain't up to scratch.
They aint so bad. Quite a different take on all things Star Wars - as that quote mentions.
Quite like 'em, actually.
But the vast bulk of that collection
is made up of second tier/inventory stories that had been stockpiled up in case of emergencies. I suppose you had to have read 'em at the time to love 'em now.
From a completist's point of view, im happy to see this collection.
Quote from: JOE SOAP on 27 May, 2013, 08:00:10 PM
I don't think he had too much interest in BatMan either as the best of the two Bat-Munch stories he did, Mortal Clay, incuded Batman as nothing more than a cameo and his Twilight of the Superheroes treatment had Bats more or less in the background of a greater drama.
And yet his Batman in
Swamp Thing is an impressive character, and the most sympathetic superhero that Swampie encounters (the Phantom Stranger may get more actual panel-time).
The covers that John Higgin's was producing for the Star Wars comics at the time that Moore's strips were appearing were just deadly.