Steve Moore (comics)

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Steve Moore
Born(1949-06-11)11 June 1949
Tom Strong's Terrific Tales

Steve Moore (11 June 1949 – 16 March 2014) was a British comics writer.[1]

Moore was credited with showing writer Alan Moore (no relation), then a struggling cartoonist, how to write comic scripts. His career has subsequently been quite closely linked with the more famous Moore – the pair collaborated under pseudonyms (Steve's pseudonym was "Pedro Henry", Alan's was "Curt Vile") on strips for Sounds, including one which introduced the character Axel Pressbutton, who was later to feature in the Warrior anthology comic, as well as a standalone series published by Eclipse Comics.

Biography

Moore has long been linked to Alan Moore, who has known him "since he [Alan] was fourteen" referring to him as "a friend... fellow comic writer [and] a fellow occultist".[2] The two have so often been linked together that Alan joked that Steve would have 'no relation' engraved on his tombstone.[3]

Moore was an editor of

Bob Rickard's long-running UK-based "Journal of the Unexplained" Fortean Times. In later years, he also edited that publication's more academic sister-publication Fortean Studies. He is listed as a 'specialist contributor' to the Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained, which also notes that he compiled the Fortean Times' General Index, and several derivative books. He was a freelance writer on diverse topics, and said he "lives in London [where he] interests himself mainly in ancient and oriental subjects".[4]

UK comics work

Steve Moore began working for Odhams Press' comics division while still in his teens, and in 1971 he created the UK's first comics fanzine, Orpheus. Moore's comics work has featured in most of the major British comics, particularly in anthologies. He was involved with 2000 AD from its earliest days, writing the second story-arc of their Dan Dare-revival "Hollow World" (Progs 12–23), and devising the Future Shocks format for Prog #25 with his "King of the World".

Later work for 2000 AD includes "Red Fang" (with artist Steve Yeowell), "Valkyries" (with American artist John Lucas) and a series of one-off short fantasy stories collected under the name Tales of Telguuth (with multiple artists).

He wrote the earliest back-up stories, focusing on supporting characters or aliens, for

Abslom Daak (with artist Steve Dillon) for the publication. Many stories were reprinted by Marvel and Marvel UK, including as back-up features to Jamie Delano's Captain Britain in The Daredevils. Also for Marvel UK he wrote Hulk and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. stories in Hulk Comic
.

He also wrote several stories in Warrior, including, as Pedro Henry, a revival of his Axel Pressbutton character from Sounds.

He was featured in the anthology A1 (including a strip with fellow-Fortean Hunt Emerson on Fortean Times in #2).

Alan Moore-related work

He wrote "Young Tom Strong" and created the character

Tom Strong's Terrific Tales, a 12 issue anthology series from Alan Moore's America's Best Comics
line.

He wrote the

David Lloyd
.

In 2006 Alan Moore released a biographical essay on Moore called Unearthing, which in 2010 became an audiobook.

At the time of his death, he was co-writing The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic with Alan Moore, planned to be published by Top Shelf.[5]

Asian themes

Steve Moore had an abiding, and scholarly, interest in the history and mythology of China. Somehow, in the early 1980s this came to the attention of Bob Guccione who commissioned a three-part series on Brothels of the Orient for his soft-porn magazine Penthouse. Steve objected that he had never even been to the Far East, let alone resorted to its brothels. Guccione's advice was to 'just make it up.' While Moore found the subject matter distasteful, he was promised a very substantial fee. Consequently, Moore accepted the commission on condition that it be published under the pseudonym "Pedro Henry". This name was an amalgam of Pedro McGregor (author of Brazilian Magic, a book which he was reading at the time) and O. Henry, the short-story writer. The articles appeared under Moore's own name, causing him no little embarrassment. He claimed that his subsequent use of the 'Pedro Henry' pseudonym was an attempt to distance himself from Steve Moore the lascivious denizen of oriental houses of ill-repute.[6]

Moore was also a dedicated student and practitioner of the

Royal Asiatic Society
as a Fellow.

From 1995 until its final issue in 2002, Moore edited The Oracle, The Journal of Yijing Studies.[7]

He was a co-author of I Ching: An Annotated Bibliography, published in 2002.

Other

He scripted

Octopussy
, published in Marvel Comics Super Special #26 (1983).

His work has also been published by

John Bolton's Halls of Horror, as well as Axel Pressbutton
and Laser Eraser and Pressbutton.

Alan Moore wrote a long biographical essay about Steve Moore, entitled "Unearthing" and included in the

Top Shelf Comics.[9]

Later work includes

Radical Comics which was adapted for cinema by Brett Ratner in 2014.[10] He followed that with Hercules: The Knives of Kush, a 5-issue limited series set in Egypt.[11]
At the time, Moore said this was his final comics work for now, although he was still writing in other areas:

for the last couple of years I had to care for a disabled relative [his older brother, Chris, who suffered from ALS], which meant that I had little time for any other work than Hercules. As he’s recently passed away, I now find myself in a position where I can retire from writing mainstream comics, so once I’ve seen Knives of Kush through the press, I’ll be gone. [...] As far as comics are concerned, I’m hanging up my hat and turning to non-fiction. A couple of short pieces for Fortean Times, hopefully dusting off my research for a book on

Yijing.[12]

In October 2011, Moore released a novel, Somnium: A Fantastic Romance, published by nthposition press. The story follows a young man who is trying to write a book based on the legendary romance of Endymion and the moon goddess Selene. It is thus, in part, self-referential as Steve was writer who worshiped Selene and who saw himself in the role of Endymion, her mortal lover. The parallels are limited though, as he did not, for instance, have a sister.[6] The book is set in a real inn, called The Bull, at the summit of Shooters Hill. It was Steve's "local", being within five-minute's walk of his home. The story is remarkably static as it happens entirely within the confines of this inn but includes excursions into the 16th, 18th, and 19th century episodes (also occurring in The Bull) which reflect the obsessions of the central character.

In popular culture

Moore was portrayed, as himself, in

Lion.[13] In the comic, the fictional Moore admits to having signed the so-called "Official Secrets Act," which ensured that the fact that IPC characters were actually real would be kept secret from the public. Albion was plotted by Alan Moore, written by his daughter Leah Moore and her husband John Reppion, with art by Shane Oakley and George Freeman
.

Bibliography

Comics

2000 AD

Work for 2000 AD include:

  • Dan Dare: "Hollow World" (with Massimo Belardinelli, in 2000 AD #12–23, 1977)
  • Tharg's Future Shocks
    :
    • "King of the World" (with Blasquez, in 2000 AD #25, 1977)
    • "Food for Thought" (with Horacio Lalia, in 2000 AD #26, 1977)
    • "The Runts" (with Pat Wright, in 2000 AD #41, 1977)
    • "Fly Guy" (with Jose Luis Ferrer, in 2000 AD #49, 1978)
    • "Brain Drain" (with Ron Tiner, in 2000 AD #95, 1979)
    • "Fish in a Barrel" (with Eric Bradbury, in 2000 AD #208, 1981)
    • "Slashman, Kowalski and Rat" (with Mike White, in 2000 AD #213, 1981)
    • "New Cruise Blues" (with Steve Kyte, in 2000 AD #218, 1981)
    • "Hen-pecked Henry" (with Jose Casanovas, in 2000 AD #220, 1981)
    • "The Red House" (with Jesus Redondo, in 2000 AD #231, 1981)
    • "Once Upon an Atom" (with Alan Langford, in 2000 AD #235, 1981)
    • "A Little Problem" (with Johnny Johnstone, in 2000 AD #237, 1981)
    • "The Masks of Arazzor" (with Jose Casanovas, in 2000 AD #241, 1981)
    • "The Last Supper" (with Frazer Irving, in 2000 AD #1205, 2000)
    • "Dwellers in the Depths" (with Wayne Reynolds, in 2000 AD #1206, 2000)
    • "Home from the War" (with Boo Cook, in 2000 AD #1208, 2000)
    • "Skeleton Crew" (with Frazer Irving, in 2000 AD #1209, 2000)
    • "The World Next Door" (with Andrew Chiu, in 2000 AD #1210, 2000)
    • "Escape Ship" (with Dylan Teague, in 2000 AD #1211, 2000)
    • "War Games" (with Graham Higgins, in 2000 AD #1265, 2001)
    • "Skin Game" (with Boo Cook, in 2000 AD #1268, 2001)
    • "Decontamination Procedure" (with Anthony Williams, in 2000 AD #1269, 2001)
    • "Property Rights" (with John Charles, in 2000 AD #1272, 2001)
    • "Marooned" (with Shaun Bryan, in 2000 AD #1278, 2002)
    • "Warped" (with pencils by Ben McCloud and inks by Cliff Robinson, in 2000 AD #1295, 2002)
    • "Black Jack's Revenge" (with pencils by Ben McCloud and inks by Cliff Robinson, in 2000 AD #1457, 2005)
  • Judge Dredd: "Whitey's Brother" (with Mike McMahon, in 2000 AD Annual 1978, 1977)
  • Ron Turner (1–5) and Carlos Ezquerra
    (6), in 2000 AD #113–118, 1979)
  • Agent Rat (with Alan Langford, in 2000 AD #273–274, 1982)
  • Tales of Telguuth:
    • "A Little Knowledge" (with Greg Staples, in 2000 AD #1191, 2000)
    • "Talking Heads" (with
      Paul Johnson
      , in 2000 AD #1192, 2000)
    • "Music of the Spheres" (with Siku, in 2000 AD #1193, 2000)
    • "The Eternal Bliss of Zebba Horath" (with
      Simon Davis
      , in 2000 AD #1194, 2000)
    • "To Become a God" (with Paul Johnson, in 2000 AD #1195, 2000)
    • "The Bride of Ballakruz-Krim" (with Dean Ormston, in 2000 AD #1196, 2000)
    • "Men of Snakewood" (with Siku, in 2000 AD #1197, 2000)
    • "Uhuros the Horrendous" (with Carl Critchlow, in 2000 AD #1198, 2000)
    • "The Conqueror Wummb" (with Paul Johnson, in 2000 AD #1199, 2000)
    • "The Transfiguration of Tesro Karnik" (with Siku, in 2000 AD #1227–1229, 2001)
    • "The Oscillations of Taramasellion" (with Siku, in 2000 AD #1235–1236, 2001)
    • "The Caverns of Garnek-Spay" (with Carl Critchlow, in 2000 AD #1240–1242, 2001)
    • "The Hunting of the Veks" (with Siku, in 2000 AD #1249, 2001)
    • "The Vileness of Scromyx" (with Siku, in 2000 AD #1258–1260, 2001)
    • "The Infinite Return of Varkor Gan" (with Siku, in 2000 AD # 1263, 2001)
    • "The Atrocities of Pagafruuz Jeel" (with Siku, in 2000 AD #1283, 2002)
    • "The Colossal Wealth of Karn Foul-Eye" (with Stefano Cardoselli, in 2000 AD #1284, 2002)
    • "The Wheels of Fortune" (with
      John Stokes
      , in 2000 AD #1285–1286, 2002)
    • "The Rousing of Rezik" (with Jon Haward, in 2000 AD #1287–1288, 2002)
    • "The Black Arts of Skrixlan Nort" (with Jon Haward, in 2000 AD #1329, 2003)
    • "Pagrok the Infallible" (with Jon Haward, in 2000 AD #1330–31, 2003)
    • "One Cold Winter Night…" (with Jon Haward, in 2000 AD #1332, 20030)
    • "The Iniquities of Snedron" (with Jon Haward, in 2000 AD #1333–1334, 2003)
    • "Holding the Fort" (with Jon Haward/John Stokes, in 2000 AD #1369, 2003)
    • "The Eternal Life of Emperor Ygg" (with Dave Kendall, in 2000 AD #1370, 2003)
  • Red Fang (in 2000 AD #1200–1211, 2000)
  • Killer (with pencils by Staz Johnson and inks by David Roach, in 2000 AD #1264–1272, 2001)
  • Tharg's Terror Tales:
  • Past Imperfect: "Otherworld" (with Cam Smith, in 2000 AD #1346–1349, 2003)
  • Valkyries (with John Lucas, in 2000 AD #1377–1382, 2004)

Marvel UK

Warrior

Other

Books

Fortean Times

Fortean Tomes
Fortean Studies
Other

Notes

  1. ISSN 0307-1235
    . Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  2. ^ Alan Moore interviewed by Barry Kavanagh for Blather magazine, 17 October 2000. Retrieved 5 March 2008
  3. YouTube
  4. ^ The Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained team. Retrieved 5 March 2008 Archived 2 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Catalog > Top Shelf Productions
  6. ^ a b c Steve Moore, personal communication with Mike Crawley.
  7. ^ Yijing Dao website. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  8. ^ Santala, Ismo. Interview with Alan Moore, Ready Steady Book for Literature... (23 May 2006).
  9. ^ Johnston, Rich (4 February 2008). "Unearthing Unearthing". Lying in the Gutters. Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  10. ^ Moore Talks "Hercules: The Thracian Wars", Comic Book Resources, 4 December 2008
  11. ^ Steve Moore on Hercules: The Knives of Kush, Comic Book Resources, 14 May 2009
  12. ^ Lamar, Andre (16 July 2009). "Steve Moore: Crafting a Demigod". Comics Bulletin. Archived from the original on 20 July 2009. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  13. ^ Contino, Jennifer M. "Andrew Sumner & Albion," Comicon.com (22 Feb. 2005).

References

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