Hula from The Hoop

Art by Ian Gibson

Above, a fantastic page by the great Ian Gibson paying home to Moore and their fabulous creation Halo Jones, published in George Khoury's The Extraordinary Works of Alan Moore (2003, TwoMorrows). Well, I love Alan's suit!

Supreme and... Miracleman?

Excerpt from Kimota! The Miracleman Companion by George Khoury, published by TwoMorrows in 2001 (page 23).

Alan Moore: [...] I did have a vague idea that at one point, I remember talking to Rick Veitch: "Wouldn't it be cool if we maybe did a run of SUPREME where Supreme decides to journey to the absolute limits of reality?" Not just to the end of the universe but the limits of reality to try and find out about the nature of this strange form of reality that his universe existed with these constant revisions and the existence of Supremacy and things like that. And I got some mad idea--I don't know how I would have tied it in--that wouldn't it be cool if Supreme reached some place at the end of the universe and went into this room and there was Miracleman and maybe Rick Veitch's Maximortal and two or three other kinda clones of existing super-heroes, all trying to find the answer to the same problem, "Where are we? What are we?" That was the last time that I actually thought maybe it would be fun to have Miracleman turn up in a story. But that's never going to happen.

Source: Forgotten Awesome blog

A Chronology of Everything (almost)

Below, a timeline created by Alan Moore & Steve Moore for the Quality Universe, the shared universe for the Warrior's characters such as Marvelman, V, Alex Pressbutton, the Warpsmiths, and so on.

It was written some time between the SSI newsletter in 1981 and Miracleman n.16 in 1989 or later but it's possible that it was completed before October 1983 when it was mentioned (or something very similar) in Dreams of Empire Nightmares of Pressbutton, an illustrated article written by Pedro Henry and published in Warrior n.14.

[...] some time back I got together with the large and impressive Alan Moore to talk all this out (“Alan Moore", incidentally, is not a pseudonym for Pedro Henry).
Eventually we managed to write the entire history of the universe in under two pages, which we've been using ever since. This way, everything should tie in neatly together without you having to buy a separate book to find out which dimension each story's set in. We hope ...

[Pedro Henry (pseudonym of Steve Moore), Warrior n.14, October 1983]

The original text resurfaced for the first time in Kimota! The Miracleman Companion (2001) by the extraordinary George Khoury.

A CHRONOLOGY OF EVERYTHING (ALMOST)

by Alan Moore & Steve Moore

A "Quality Universe" Timeline by Alan Moore & Steve Moore

1400 - Renaissance of Firedrake activity on Earth (growing stronger over following centuries)

1700 - The Chronarchy (a race like Earth-2 Time Lords) attack the Warpsmiths of Hod. Warpsmiths wipe out all but a few of the Chronarchy with Death-Cats, the ultimate weapon provided by the Rhordru Makers.

1911 - Emil Gargunza born in Rio de Janiero.

1933 - The Qys (the race of body-changers - the Marvelman prototype race) become aware of Firedrake activity on Earth and launch expedition. Takes 15 years to reach Earth from Rigel (540 light years away).

1938- Gargunza starts working for the Nazis.

1940 - Mickey Moran born.

1941 - Dicky Dauntless born.

1944 - Gargunza defects to Allies.

1947 - Johnny Bates born.

1948 - Qys expedition crashes on Earth.

1952 - Project Zarathrustra (the Marvelman project) begins under Gargunza.

1954- Mickey Moran and Dicky Dauntless chosen for Proj. Z.

1956 - Johnny Bates chosen. Gargunza starts building Fate Computer.

1962 - Marvelman Family "released" by Gargunza. Fate completed.

1963 - Gargunza sussed, flees to Paraguay. Marvelman Family destroyed. Second Qys expedition arrives on Earth.

1966 - Mike and Liz Moran marry.

1982 - Marvelman reborn.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

 ALTERNATIVE REALITY ONE

1982 - Marvelman not reborn.

1988 - World War III.

1992 - Fascist take-over of Britain, controlled by Fate.

1997 - V debuts.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

1983 - Qys and Warpsmiths establish ambassadors on Earth. Marvelman's daughter born.

1984 - "Challenger Force" established, Silence built.

1985 - Return of Kid Marvelman.

1989 - Marvelman and Marvelwoman marry. Marvelman's son born.

2300 - Warpsmiths begin to take over Earth, providing more and more "advisors." Fate Computer "goes into hiding" and learns.

2350 - Marvelman descendants leave Earth, head off into space. Warpsmiths begin to purge Earth of super-heroes.

2400 - Warpsmiths take over Earth and reduce it to colony.

2450- Earthmen resentful, Chronarch agents stir up trouble.

2470 - Uprising on Earth (set up by Chronarchs). Large numbers of Warpsmiths come to Earth to settle trouble. Earth/Chronarch saboteurs damage Warp battery on Hod, marooning Warpsmiths on Earth. Qys attack and destroy Hod, using time-weapons provided by Chronarchs and urged on by same. Qys return home. Warpsmiths from Earth attack Qys homeworld with death-cats. Qys and Warpsmiths annihilated or reduced to negligible number.

2480 - Rhordru Makers clean up mess left by death-cats.

2700 - Remaining Chronarchs withdraw into the far-reaches of the time/space universe. Fate Computer comes out of hiding and uses all the knowledge and alien technology it's learned to help Earth recover and expand to nearby stars. No major alien races threaten Earth now.

2891 - Fate reveals itself to a lady of the back-streets on Sirius planet. Fate makes her Empress Selene I, sets up a puppet Empire over all the Terran Worlds; a Theocratic Matriarchy. "First Empire" (23 Empresses, 2 Emperors) grows rapidly, later regarded as "Golden Age." Sirius planet renamed "Capitol." Empire expands to take in most of Western Spiral Arm of the Galaxy.

3600 - The Rhordru Makers, feeling threatened by Fate, give it an electronic nervous disease which slowly eats through its circuits, over thousands/millions of years, finally sending it crazy. Fate withdraws from interaction with humans for some time while attempting to cure disease. It manages to stay it considerably, but can't cure it completely. Unguided, First Empire goes into decline, due to unwieldy size and advancing decadence.

3802 - First Empire breaks up; partitioned into two major states (remnant of Selenite Empire and a confederation called the "Helix of Yi") plus minor breakaway states. Helix of Yi remains stable; Selenite Empire fragments further.

3940 - Start of civil wars.

3980 - Selenite Empire falls. "Capitol" burned by Helixiaca (a major cultural crime). Fate goes underground and out of sight.

3990 - "Second Empire," grown out of Helix of Yi, gains control of 80% of human worlds.

4123 - "Depravity" the sin world established.

4470 - Collapse of Second Empire, when chief seats of government decimated by alien plague; barbarism and chaos; billions slaughtered.

4530 - Ektryn the War Woman born Naglfar.

4562 - Ektryn encased in silver.

4580 - Dendrellian assassins formed.

4800 - Barbarism ends; numerous local states, ranging in size from 1 to 100 star systems, all independent but loosely confederated in that they are all human; free travel, free trade; "Merchant Princes" are powerful figures; money talks. After barbarism, live-and-let-live...

5057 - Axel Pressbutton born.

5076 - Mysta Nystralis cloned.

5086 - Mysta destroys Dendrellian assassins.

5087 - Pressbutton eaten alive by Vegan Green Fungus.

5089 - Mysta and Pressbutton meet on Crmuz.

5094 - Mysta and Pressbutton part company.

5096 - Foobl's bar established on the planet Barfo.

5103 - Pressbutton meets Dingbunger & Mupdook on Zutzbas.

5104 - Pressbutton and Mysta meet again on Depravity.

5105 - Pressbutton parts company with McGurk, Dingbunger, etc.

5111 - Pressbutton and McGurk killed on Zilchtron.

MILLIONS OF YEARS LATER...

Crippled Fate Computer sets itself up on Earth in Castle Core, where the disease rapidly eats its brain.

War with the Wur.

Castle Core flips out and cuts off Earth from rest of universe.

Jay Verlane arrives on Earth with Fylar...

Fantastic Fictioneers: Alan Moore

Art by Pete Von Sholly.

This June PS Publishing will release a 2-volume collection about the "History of The Incredible" and its fantastic fictioneers.  

The books are compiled, edited & illustrated by acclaimed artist and writer Pete Von Sholly.

Volume Two includes an essay about Alan Moore by George Khoury.   

More info HERE.

 

Comic Book Fever and... Alan Moore

Cover art by Alex Ross.

COMIC BOOK FEVER, the long-awaited new book by GEORGE KHOURY (author of The Extraordinary Works of Alan Moore and Kimota: The Miracleman Companion), will be finally published this summer by TwoMorrows. I can't wait to read it so... go and order your copy!

From the publisher's site.

Comic Book Fever 
A Celebration of Comics: 1976-1986
240-page Hardcover - by George Khoury

George Khoury [...] presents a “love letter” to his personal golden age of comics, 1976-1986, covering all the things that made those comics great—the top artists, the coolest stories, and even the best ads! Remember the days when every comic book captured your imagination, and took you to new and exciting places? When you didn’t apologize for loving the comic books and creators that gave you bliss? Comic Book Fever captures that era, when comics offered all different genres to any kid with a pocketful of coins, at local establishments from 7-Elevens to your local drug store. Inside this full-color hardcover are new articles, interviews, and images about the people, places, characters, titles, moments, and good times that inspired and thrilled us in the Bronze Age: Neal Adams, John Romita, George Pérez, Marv Wolfman, Alan Moore, Denny O’Neil, Jim Starlin, José Luis García-López, The Hernandez Brothers, The Buscema Brothers, Stan Lee, Jack Davis, Jack Kirby, Kevin Eastman, Chris Claremont, Gerry Conway, Frank Miller—and that’s just for starters. 
It covers the phenoms that delighted Baby Boomers, Generation X, and beyond: Uncanny X-Men, New Teen Titans, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Love and Rockets, Crisis On Infinite Earths, Superman vs. Spider-Man, Archie Comics, Harvey Comics, Kiss, Star Wars, Rom, Hostess Cake ads, Grit(!), and other milestones! So take a trip back in time to re-experience those epic stories, and feel the heat of Comic Book Fever once again! With cover art and introduction by Alex Ross!

I contacted Khoury and he replied with few extra bits of info: "There are many layers to this book. There are many things that I wanted to talk about. One thing I wanted to show was the evolution of the comics medium and industry over the years of 1976 to 1986. How comics went from a medium for kids into one for adults. How we began with Jack Kirby and ended with Alan Moore via this evolution."

Go and order your copy!