Brighter Than You Think with Marc Sobel

This week on The Alan Moore Cast, we have our very first compilation episode, collecting the first eight guests and their individual Alan Moore origin stories.Guests include: Van Jensen, Dan Watters, Paul Jenkins, Dave Baker, Tim Callahan, Jean-Marc Lofficier, Joe Casey and Peter Hogan.What's your Alan Moore origin story?Theme music by Michael Pflug© Nathan Cabaniss Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer/artist Benjamin Marra (OMWOT, Jesusfreak) joins us this week to discuss 1963, Alan Moore’s pastiche of silver age Marvel Comics with Rick Veitch, Steve Bissette and Jim Valentino.We examine Moore’s deliberate return to Silver Age sensibilities, awe over the pitch-perfect recreation of classic Marvel Comics and consider what would have been if the fabled 1963 Annual had actually come out.Theme music by Michael Pflug© Nathan Cabaniss Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer/Artist Jim Rugg (Street Angel, Hulk: Grand Design) joins us this week to discuss Brought to Light/Shadowplay, Alan Moore and Bill Sienkiewicz’s secret history of corruption and cover-ups within the CIA.We discuss the use of nonfiction and documentary stories in comics, break down Moore’s extensive research on the work and awe at the unforgettable artwork of Bill Sienkiewicz.Theme music by Michael Pflug© Nathan Cabaniss Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer Marc Sobel (Reading Love & Rockets) joins us this week to discuss Brighter Thank You Think, his 2016 collection of Alan Moore stories.We break down each of the ten stories included, reflect on the different stages of Moore’s career and marvel at the versatility the writer displays across multiple styles and genres.Theme music by Michael Pflug© Nathan Cabaniss Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer/artist Tom Scioli (Godzilla Monsterpiece Theatre, Fantastic Four: Grand Design) joins us to discuss Twilight of the Superheroes, Alan Moore’s unmade DC Comics crossover proposal from the 1980’s.We dig into the various ways Moore designed this to be the perfect crossover, discuss the story’s role as the “ultimate end” to the DC Universe and reminisce on a time when Alan Moore seemed genuinely excited to work with DC Comics.And to check out Tom’s animated version of the pitch, click here!Theme music by Michael Pflug© Nathan Cabaniss Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

West Coast Davengers joins us this week to break down one of Alan Moore’s most controversial works: Batman: The Killing Joke, with artist Brian Bolland.We get into the story’s lasting impact on the Batman mythos, discuss the controversial fate of Barbara Gordon and ask the question… does Batman really kill the Joker in the end?Theme music by Michael Pflug© Nathan Cabaniss Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer/artist Michel Fiffe (Copra) joins us this week to break down one of the big ones: Miracleman #15, by Alan Moore and John Totleben.We get into the apocalyptic fight between Miracleman and Kid Miracleman, marvel over artist John Totleben’s mastery of superhero carnage and quiet moments alike and reflect upon the overall influence of the story on every superhero comic that followed thereafter.Theme music by Michael Pflug© Nathan Cabaniss Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Alan Moore Cast, we’re taking a look at Alan Moore’s work for Marvel Comics… or, more specifically, the lack thereof.Some of Moore’s earliest professional work was for the Marvel UK imprint, but after the early 1980’s, the writer’s work for the House of Ideas was few and far between. What happened between Moore and Marvel that ultimately caused Moore to swear off working for the publisher? How close did Moore come to writing for Marvel again in the early 2000’s? And which Marvel hero was Alan Moore most interested in tackling?EPISODE BIBLIOGRAPHY:Fantasy Express #5, “An Interview with Alan Moore,” Eddie Stachelski, 1983Arken Sword #11, “Alan Moore: Part Two,” Paul Duncan, 1984BLIMEY!: The Blog of British Comics, “The Daredevils (1983),” Lew Stringer, 2015Escape Magazine #6, Alan Moore, “An Impossibly Rich Celebrity’s Guide,” 1984Speakeasy #54, “Moore and Claremont Speak Out on Writing,” Unknown Author, 1986Miracleman #2, “M^^^^^^MAN: FULL STORY AND PICS,” Alan Moore, Eclipse Comics, 1985KIMOTA!: The Miracleman Companion, “Revival and Revelation,” George Khoury, TwoMorrows Publishing, 2001The Extraordinary Work of Alan Moore, George Khoury, TwoMorrows Publishing, 2003“The Alan Moore/Marvelman Interview Part II: A Crumpled Letter from Archie Goodwin,” Pádraig Ó Méalóid, comicsbeat.com, 2013Wizard: The Comics Magazine #119, “The Buzz Bin” in “News & Notes,” Wizard Staff, 2001“#46: Friendless,” Tom Brevoort, Man with a Hat, 2023Wizard: The Comics Magazine #125, "2002 Preview,” Mike Cotton, 2002Wizard: The Comics Magazine #130, “The Wizard Q&A: Alan Moore,” Mike Cotton, 2002Theme music by Michael Pflug© Nathan Cabaniss Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Editor Scott Dunbier joins us this week to reminisce about his time as the main editor for America’s Best Comics, Alan Moore’s exclusive imprint set up at Jim Lee’s WildStorm Studios.Scott tells us all about how the ABC line came to be, talks about what it’s like being Alan Moore’s editor and tells the full story of how he and Jim Lee broke the news to Moore that WildStorm was being sold to DC Comics.Theme music by Michael Pflug© Nathan Cabaniss Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer/filmmaker Bryan Hill (Ultimate Black Panther, Blade) joins us this week to dissect From Hell, Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s epic historical masterpiece. We get into what the Jack the Ripper case says about our own modern world, discuss the challenges facing the creative mindset when working on dark material and consider the lengths that power will go to protect itself.Theme music by Michael Pflug© Nathan Cabaniss Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.