Comic Book Resources (Lying in the Gutters)
February 27, 2006

James McTeigue is making his feature directing debut on the Warner Brothers film, which was scripted by the Wachowski brothers, of Matrix fame, and produced by Joel Silver.

V for Vendetta opens on March 17, 2006.

Watch the new V for Vendetta promo!

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"Told with ruthless psychological realism, in fugal, overlapping plotlines and gorgeous, cinematic panels rich with repeating motifs, Watchmen is a heart-pounding, heartbreaking read and a watershed in the evolution of a young medium."

 

Moore, Campbell Unlease Disease of Language
Knockabout comics
October 18, 2005

Official Press Release

The Birth Caul and Snakes & Ladders, Alan Moore's visionary, highly personal magic based performance art pieces as adapted by Eddie Campbell, are collected together for the first time ever in  A Disease of Language. Along with an insightful and expansive interview with Moore conducted by Campbell, the creators of the multi-award winning From Hell, present an insight into the world of comics' most revered author. Challenging, revealing, and totally captivating, A Disease of Language is for anyone with an interest in art, magic, history, love, sex, life & death, and everything in between.

Born, raised, and still resident in Northampton, UK, Alan Moore is one of comics most respected creators. Beginning as an underground cartoonist in the 70's, Moore was soon working for the established British weekly comics, and before long was poached for work on the US title Swamp Thing. With his mastery of language, character and narrative, Moore — with such classics as Watchmen, V For Vendetta, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and From Hell — brought a level of literacy and sophistication to the medium that redefined the industry, and set a standard of quality that many creators today still see as the benchmark. Never content to rest on his laurels, Moore is also a novelist, performance artist, and practising Gnostic, and still continues to push the boundaries of graphic narrative.  

Scottish-born Eddie Campbell, now resident in Australia, is a comics legend in his own right. Rising out of the UK underground comics scene in the 70's, Campbell's autobiographical Alec developed a cult following. This was strengthened in the mid-80's with the publication of Deadface (later to be published as Bacchus) — a chronicle of the Greek god Bacchus, surviving in the present day. Beginning in 1989 Campbell began a 10-year collaboration with Moore on From Hell, as well as self-publishing Bacchus and Egomania in the mid-90's. This period also included his excellent autobiographical UK comics history How to be an Artist. Though no longer self-publishing Campbell is still an active presence, working on projects such as Batman: Order of the Beasts, and Michael Chabon's Amazing Adventures of the Escapist.

The Birth Caul, staged at the Old County Court in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on 18th November 1995 with music by David J and Tim Perkins, is a shamanic invocation of childhood: the amniotic membrane as a map through the lives of the author and his audience. In possibly his most personal work to date, Moore describes the discovery of his mother's birth caul in the wake of her death, and with this talisman as his guide, begins a return journey through his life; an elegantly poetic and quite literally magical evocation of the struggles we face from birth to death.

At it's simplest, Snakes & Ladders, written and performed to music by Tim Perkins at Conway Hall on the 10th April 1999, can be described as a history; of both London's Red Lion Square, and the figures who were associated with the place, most notably author and ritual magician Arthur Machen. Created at the request of the Golden Dawn Society, this work quickly outstrips its beginnings, transforming into an exploration of art and it's inextricable ties with the nature of ritual magic. Creativity as a conduit to the universe.

A Disease of Language, a 160 page hardcover volume published by Knockabout Palmano Bennett, will  be available January 2006 for a retail price of  $19.99 US   £12.99 UK

For further details contact:

 

DC Collects Every Moore DCU Story in One Volume
DC Comics
October 10, 2005

Official Press Release

Gathering every DCU tale written by Alan Moore under one cover for the very first time, DC UNIVERSE: THE STORIES OF ALAN MOORE TP features sixteen stories including the never-before-collected BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE and SUPERMAN: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MAN OF TOMORROW.

Topped with a new cover by Brian Bolland, DC UNIVERSE: THE STORIES OF ALAN MOORE TP features art by Bolland, Dave Gibbons, Kevin O'Neill, Klaus Janson, Jim Baikie, Curt Swan, Rick Veitch, Joe Orlando, John Byrne, Bill Willingham and others, in stories originally published from 1985-1988.

The book also includes an excerpt from Moore's proposal for BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE, as well as text pieces by Dave Gibbons and Paul Kupperberg.

DC UNIVERSE: THE STORIES OF ALAN MOORE TP includes:

DC UNIVERSE: THE STORIES OF ALAN MOORE TP will be solicited in the November Previews (Volume XV #11) and is scheduled to arrive in stores in January 2006.

It should be noted that DC releasesed a similar volume in 2003 entitled "Across the Universe: The DC Universe Stories of Alan Moore." Though the two volumes are similiar, "Across the Universe" did not include the stories "The Killing Joke" or "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow." DC has confirmed that the "Across the Universe" TPB is now out of print, and also that the company has run through their stock of the two prestige format versions of "The Killing Joke" and "Whatever Happened Happened to the Man of Tomorrow." DC opted to wait until all those items were sold out before making everything available in this new volume.

 

V For Vendetta film bosses have denied the terrorism themed movie is being delayed because of London's recent bomb attacks - they insist technical difficulties are responsible for the date change. The film stars Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving against the terrifying backdrop of bombings on the London underground, but producers are refusing to re-edit the scenes which closely mimic recent murderous events in the city. The movie release date has been moved from November until next year. A Warner Brothers source explains, "The film is still in post-production and the visual effects wouldn't be completed in time. That's why it's being postponed. There might also be some extra shooting days but none of the scenes involving the Underground are being altered."

 

Movie-maker Joel Silver is treading carefully as he oversees the editing of Natalie Portman's new movie V For Vendetta because he doesn't want to upset Londoners still reeling from terrorist attacks when the film comes out. The Matrix producer was given special permission to use London tourist attractions to film futuristic terrorist attacks in the film, and he had no idea fiction would become fact when bombers brought the city to a standstill earlier this month. He says, "When you make a movie that directly relates to something like that you've got to be very very careful. But this is a fictional story. It's smart and the good guys win."

 

Portman's 'Vendetta' To Keep London Explosion Storylines
IMDB, WENN
July 25, 2005

Producers of Natalie Portman's forthcoming film V For Vendetta have refused to edit out scenes of bombings on the London Underground train network, despite the recent terrorist attacks in the British capital. Fifty-five people were killed and over 700 injured when a double-decker bus and three trains were blown apart by suicide bombers on July 7. Last week, one person was injured during four failed terror attacks on different underground railway lines and a bus in east London. In V For Vendetta, a futuristic London is the target of a terrorist attacks and sees the tube lines destroyed by bombings. Executive producer Joel Silver says, "It's a great time for this movie. It's a controversial film and it's a controversial time. It's going to make people think." Fellow producer David Lloyd adds, "In terms of what happened in London it's important to try and understand what leads people to terrorism. There should be lots of movies made about terrorists." Director James McTiegue explains, "Terrorism is one of those themes that never really goes away."

 

Shaven Portman Stopped by Police
IMDB, WENN
July 8, 2005

Actress Natalie Portman was stopped by New York police recently, and has blamed her newly-shaven head on raising suspicions with officers. The Golden Globe-winning beauty, 24, was driving through the midtown tunnel - which connects the New York City borough of Queens with Manhattan — when she was pulled over for questioning. Portman has recently shaved all her hair off for her next movie V For Vendetta. She tells Newsweek magazine, "I've never had that happen to me before. It's supposedly random... My registration was expired because I had been out of town, and it was my first day back. I'd been in Israel and Berlin for the shooting. They wouldn't let me go in. But he said to take the bridge instead. And I didn't understand that logic. If you're a suspect, don't take the tunnel, take the bridge?"

 

Weaving explains Vendetta role
Moviehole
June 9, 2005

Australian actor Hugo Weaving spoke with The Herald Sun about replacing James Purefoy for the role of "V" in the upcoming film "V For Vendetta". "It just wasn't working out with him and the directors," says Weaving. "It was a kind of mutual thing, I think. In a way it was quite lucky for them that "Eucalyptus" had fallen through because I wouldn't have been able to do it otherwise."

The film is scheduled for a November 2005 release.

 

Straczynski reviews V for Vendetta film script
Lying in the Gutters
June 7, 2005

"V For Vendetta" has continued shooting in London this week and the crowd scene with everyone in V masks and costumes has been confirmed by onlookers and photographers. Joe Michael Straczynski emailed this column with his own take on the "V For Vendetta" script and the comments made by fan reviewers at Aint It Cool last week.

He writes, "I saw this and though everything in me yells against getting into these things, I have got to respond.

"Understand: I work with Marvel, I have no vested interest in defending DC or Alan or anyone or anything else.

"The anonymous individual who sent AiCN his 'review' has his head well and duly up his butt. That he had a copy of the script is obvious; that he understood it, less so. There's an old saying: a book is like a mirror, if an ass peers in, you can't expect an apostle to peer out. This person clearly has no idea what's actually going on in that script despite having read it (or having it read to him). You can take anything -- ANYthing -- and by casting it in a certain light, make it sound stupid. 'Oh, and at the end of Blade Runner, there's this REALLY stupid scene where the android guy's, like, hugging a pigeon and talking about moons on fire.' It's all in how you phrase it. Making fun of something is easy.

"About a month ago, I got hold of the V script, the very same draft that this anonymous assassin cites. As a fan of Alan's work, and the V books in particular, I sat down, eager to read it.

"What I read blew my brains out through the back of my head.

"I think it's one of the smartest, sharpest, insightful and well-crafted scripts I've ever read. It's emotional, evocative, heart-rending, biting, sharp, relentless and just plain garden variety powerful. It's not just a good film, it's an *important* film, and there's a great deal of subtlety and nuance in it that was clearly lost on the idiot that read the script so he could make fun of it and stir the pot.

"So there is no 'consensus.' All you've got is one anonymous guy who takes a few things out of context to make them look stupid, revealing his own mendacity and cupidity in the process. As someone who's not just written over two hundred produced scripts and read hundreds more, someone who is a fan of Alan's work, I'm telling you straight-up, with absolutely no agenda: the 'V for Vendetta' script is a work of freaking genius.

"As will be proven soon enough."

 

Paramount pulls plug on watchmen film
Variety
June 6, 2005

Variety reports that, after two months of speculation, Paramount, has pulled the plug on the action-adventure and put it into turnaround (which means the a project is no longer active, or has been abandoned by one studio and may be shopped to another) over the weekend. Producers Larry Gordon and Lloyd Levin were taking the project, with British director Paul Greengrass ("The Bourne Supremacy") attached, out to other studios.

"The Watchmen," is based on the DC Comics series Watchmen, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons. The film came under heavy scrutiny even before new Paramount chief Brad Grey's surprise move to replace Donald De Line with Gail Berman as studio president in late March. De Line found out about the change while in London meeting with Greengrass about "The Watchmen" and the need to cut its budget, rumored to be $100 million. Paramount had been aiming for a summer start but began releasing crews working on pre-production at that point.

"The Watchmen" was previously set up at Universal, where David Hayter (X-Men) signed a seven-figure deal in 2001 to adapt with an eye toward directing. Story, set in the 1950s, centers on an ordinary man donning superhero garb to track down criminals and being joined by other vigilantes.

 

Final V For Vendetta film scene filmed
This is London
June 3, 2005

The online website This is London, features an article from the London Evening Standard on the V for Vendetta film, as well as pictures of the climatic rebellion scene outside the Houses of Parliament.

Here's an excerpt:

Tanks were parked in front of the Houses of Parliament early today while soldiers with machineguns blocked a marauding mob dressed like Guy Fawkes.

The scene may have caused alarm to passers-by but it was only Hollywood's version of a futuristic British revolution. Overnight, filmmakers transformed Westminster into the largest location shoot in London for years. Whitehall was closed to traffic as 1,000 people worked until dawn to shoot scenes for a film that promises to be a winter blockbuster.

V For Vendetta, starring Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith in the Matrix films), is set in a dystopian Britain with the country in the grip of a totalitarian regime.

To read the entire article, click here.

 

AICN reviews V for Vendetta film script
Ain't It Cool News
June 1, 2005

Over at Ain't It Cool News, Kurt Hectic reviews the script for the upcoming V for Vendetta film, based on the graphic novel V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd.

Of the script, Hectic comments:

"If the Wachowski's could rewrite the first 30-40 pages of the script, they'd have a decent story on their hands, although the script would still need some massive doctoring. Granted, their handling of the passage of a year is paltry and the inter-governmental clawings are glossed over, but the overall structure of the story is preserved. There are no power struggles really alluded to until the very last act of the play where certain character's wife says, out of the blue, "This could be the chance we've been waiting for." Other characters, the Priest and Finch for instance, are brought in to do their one thing to push the story along and never really exist as they do in the book, namely as people living and reacting to the governmental system in place."

He goes on to say:

"God, I wanted to love this script. Even after the first 40 pages, when the story finally began to gather momentum, I was cheering for a conclusion that'd dispel the horrible curse that Moore has been suffering under. Up until the [conclusion], I was willing to compromise for a very pedestrian adaptation. There are so many sins committed, though, so many horrible characters drawn from the novel that it is almost an alien creation as a result. If I had given birth to a flawed masterpiece such as V for Vendetta in the first place, there would be no way in hell I'd want this mutilated fetus in exchange for it splayed out on the screen for everyone to watch."

To view the entire review, click here.

 

Marvel declines to reprint Supreme series
Lying in the Gutters
May 31, 2005

It appears late last year, Rob Liefeld attempted to persuade Marvel to publish Supreme from Marvel's ICON imprint, stating that Millar helped the pitch and promised to write the first arc. Liefeld states he also discussed the possibility of publishing Alan Moore's Supreme stories at Marvel with a different artist for the whole run. Marvel turned him down. Liefeld reports this was over a naming conflict with the property "Supreme Power" from MAX. It should be noted that Marvel are happy to publish the "Powers" book from Icon however.

It is likely that such a move would have created considerable hostility from "Supreme" writer Alan Moore, who has opposed his work being published by Marvel, and "Supreme" artist Rick Veitch who claims that Rob Liefeld has neither returned original art or compensated him for losing it.

Full circle for today's column, I believe.

Neither Marvel, Rob Liefeld or Mark Millar responded to e-mail enquiries before publication. Rick Veitch declined to comment.

 

Extraordinary Feedback
Lying in the Gutters
May 31, 2005

Heidi MacDonald cleared up Moore's description of his "V For Vendetta" advance as being "eight grand," clarifying it as being an option advance. The full figure will run to hundreds of thousands - money which Moore has declined and, as with all his recent movie-adapted works, instructed be passed on to his co-creators on the original project.

It's possible the transference of "League" rights may not be quite as straightforward as some may believe. It's been noted before that DC's creator-owned contracts have a number of loopholes and Moore did state that he didn't believe the new series couldn't be published for at least 18 months.

A few hours after last week's story was published, Warner Bros. called CBR owner and editor Jonah Weiland and offered him a set visit to "V For Vendetta" in London. Look forward to a report from Jonah sometime in the future.

Ain't It Cool ran a follow up piece today, with a negative review of the screenplay quoting V's first meeting with Evey. Reaction has reached a consensus that it's rather ludicrous.

The reviewer also reports that at the movie's denouement, the crowd all wear V's mask. Because nothing says anarchy better than dressing up in the same uniform.

Reaction to how Alan Moore and DC has dealt with each other, especially over movie properties, also brought attention to Denny O'Neill, Neal Adams and others having concepts and characters they created exploited in the upcoming "Batman Begins," without compensation. It is likely that this will be addressed by publisher and creators nearer the date of the movie's launch.

 

What's Next for Alan Moore?
Lying in the Gutters
May 23, 2005

"Jerusalem" is the new novel by Alan Moore, his follow up to the recently reprinted "Voice Of The Fire." "Voice" told stories set in Alan Moore's home town of Northampton, over 10,000 years. He mockingly told me, "I feel it was a little too cosmopolitan. So my next novel is set in just three or four blocks in Northampton, where I grew up. It's the most important historical area anywhere anyway."

He's started drawing the cover, something he hasn't done in a long time, and he's enjoying discovering it again.

Alan is also considering a new album with Tim Perkins, but something different to his previous spoken word creations.

Alan is one hundred pages into an unnamed graphic novel for Avatar - something he committed to when faced with a tax bill and an imminent cashflow problem over an unexpected reduction in royalty payments on another project. Avatar Publisher William Christensen fronted Moore the necessary funds, Moore took an agreed holiday (his first he can recall in twenty-five years) and is now well into the project.

Although in all his new works, he is insisting that his contract become null and void if the publisher is bought by another, to avoid a repeat of the Wildstorm and DC Comics situation.

 

On Moore's Previous Problems With DC
Lying in the Gutters
May 23, 2005

Back in the 1980's, Alan Moore, along with a number of creators such as Frank Miller, protested against DC's planned use of labelling comics to be age-specific, as well as the guidelines this would involve.

Co-creator Rick Veitch was dropped from "Swamp Thing" and his final issue abandoned as it featured Jesus Christ, publisher Jeanette Kahn going over editor Karen Berger's head. DC's given reason, that they don't feature real people, was instantly dismissed by many other examples.

Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons signed a deal with DC that "Watchmen" would revert to them after the comic book went out of print. He didn't know it would still be in print twenty years later. The evasion of royalties on the "Watchmen" Button Set by labelling them promotional items was the cherry on that one.

"League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen" #5 was pulped and reprinted on Paul Levitz's authority when the use of a real Victorian advert for a Marvel Douche was considered beyond the pale.

"Despite the Cobweb" story in "Tomorrow Stories" referring to individuals and a particular story in print in another of DC's titles, Paul Levitz' refused to allow this story to be printed. Newsarama reported that this led to Alan Moore's withdrawal from the Watchmen 15th Anniversary hardcover.

In the end it seems to come down to Alan Moore finding it hard to work with a large corporate publisher with concerns other than the success and quality of a particular comic book.

 

Moore on the V For Vendetta film
Lying in the Gutters
May 23, 2005

Alan gave some details about bits of the V For Vendetta shooting script he'd seen. "It was imbecilic; it had plot holes you couldn't have got away with in Whizzer And Chips in the nineteen sixties. Plot holes no one had noticed."

What Moore found most laughable however were the details. "They don't know what British people have for breakfast, they couldn't be bothered. 'Eggy in a basket' apparently. Now the US have 'eggs in a basket,' which is fried bread with a fried egg in a hole in the middle. I guess they thought we must eat that as well, and thought 'eggy in a basket' was a quaint and Olde Worlde version. And they decided that the British postal service is called Fedco. They'll have thought something like, 'well, what's a British version of FedEx... how about FedCo? A friend of mine had to point out to them that the Fed, in FedEx comes from 'Federal Express.' America is a federal republic, Britain is not."

David Lloyd was reported to have commented on the script at the recent Bristol comics convention. Superherohype posted a fan report talking to Lloyd, saying "he thinks it was very good for an Action Thriller, but is very much different from the Graphic Novel. He said that the character of Evey is less of a victim in this film and that he had met with The Wachoski Brothers."

 

Moore Slams V For Vendetta film, Pulls LoEG from DC Comics
Lying in the Gutters
May 23, 2005

Alan Moore, co-creator of the "V For Vendetta" comic, has publicly disassociated himself from the upcoming Warner Brothers movie project based on the comic book and written and produced by the Wachowski Brothers. And as a result, he has cut his remaining ties with DC Comics, including future volumes of the "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen."

Moore has promised future "League" comics will be published by a US/UK collaboration between Top Shelf and Knockabout.

Extraordinary Adaptations

Alan Moore has written some of the most critically acclaimed comic books of the eighties, nineties and two thousands, across genres, countries and publishers. His early British work for Marvel UK, "2000AD" and "Warrior," led to DC Comics asking him to write a number of their titles, leading to the British invasion of US comics and at least two publisher imprints. He is regarded by many as the medium's greatest living creator, with titles such as "Watchmen," "V For Vendetta," "From Hell," "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," "Top Ten" and "Promethea" continually successful and remaining in print. However, while every publisher would like to work with him, many have found him unwilling. Moore has had a tendency to "punish" publishers for what he believes are personal betrayals or shoddy behaviour. And he refuses to change, even when circumstances do.

Moore's work has often been a source of inspiration for others, including Hollywood, and a number of directors credit him openly. So it was natural that his comic book work might be seized upon as the comic-book-film trend became more popular. But the kindest thing that can be said about the films "From Hell," "Constantine" and "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" is that they're not as good as the comics.

Alan's oft-repeated stance on this is that the original comics remain untouched. "As long as I could distance myself by not seeing them, enough to keep them separate, take the option money, I could be assured no one would confuse the two. This was probably naÔve on my part."

This has changed. Speaking to me on Friday, Moore added to this sentiment, telling me "after the films came out, I began to feel increasingly uneasy, I have a dwindling respect for cinema as it is currently expressed." This came to a head when Alan Moore was sued as part of a suit against 20th Century Fox for plagiarism of the screenplay "Cast Of Characters" which bore heavy resemblance to the movie version of "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" starring Sean Connery.

"The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" was a series Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill created for Wildstorm, a comic studio and then part of the publisher Image Comics. The series takes the entirety of Victorian pulp fiction as a backdrop for new adventures for a team of very familiar characters. As part of his ABC line for Wildstorm, the comics continued even after DC Comics bought Wildstorm. Moore's history with DC Comics over creator ownership and corporate attitudes had seen him swear off working with them, so a "firewall" was built up so Moore could continue the line, but never have to deal with DC Comics. However, DC editorial occasionally interfered with published work, leading Alan Moore withdrawing cooperation from an anniversary reprint and CD of his iconic superhero work "Watchmen."

The "League" was very well received, critically and commercially. Moore had sold the movie options before the first issue had been solicited. But the lawsuit shocked him to the core. Moore seems amused by this now, though at the time he was not.

"They seemed to believe that the head of 20th Century Fox called me up and persuaded me to steal this screenplay, turning it into a comic book which they could then adapt back into a movie, to camouflage petty larceny." This led to Moore giving a ten-hour deposition - he believes he'd have suffered less if he'd "sodomised and murdered a busload of children after giving them heroin."

My own research into this story showed that there was some resemblance between the "Cast" and "League" screenplays — but mostly over aspects of the film that did not appear in the comic book, Quatermain as the lead hero, the appearance of Tom Sawyer and Dorian Gray with Huckleberry Finn as the revealed villain amongst others. It's arguable that the case had merit, but not against Alan Moore. However, by 20th Century Fox settling the case, Moore felt this was almost an admission of his guilt.

Moore felt that enough was enough and decided that if something was worth reacting to, "it was worth overreacting to." He stated "I'd have nothing to do with films anymore. If I owned the sole copyright, like with 'Voice Of The Fire,' there would not be a film. Anything else, where others owned copyrights, I'd insist on taking my name off future films. All of the money due to me would go to the artists involved. I'd divorce myself from the film process, the film industry and any adaptations. And I felt a sense of moral satisfaction."

Moral satisfaction however doesn't always pay the bills. "When Karen Berger rang me up to give me money for the 'Constantine' movie, I asked her to take my name off the film and split the money with the artists. Most of it went to Rick Veitch, who although was the first to draw John Constantine yet wasn't receiving anything from the film.... The rest was split between John Totleben, Steve Bissette, Jamie Delano and John Ridgeway, divided so everyone ended up with the same amount in total.

"The same with the option money on 'V For Vendetta.' I think it was about eight grand. It went to David Lloyd. Now, I wasn't doing this because I could afford it, I was short of change actually, but I just wanted it done. Give it to Dave, take my name off the film."

"I'm Alan Moore And I Endorse This Message"

This decision has been a topic in a number of interviews with Alan Moore of late, notably the BBC Radio 4 Chain Reaction interview by Stewart Lee (transcript here).

What wasn't known until now is that earlier in the year, Alan Moore told DC, through Scott Dunbier, that if there was "any more meddling, any more pulping, any more problems" that he'd take his remaining DC project, "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," away from DC.

Earlier in the year, Moore received a call from "V For Vendetta" writer/producer and "Matrix" director Larry Wachowski, but told him politely, "I didn't want anything to do with films and had no time this year, being in the middle of work, my day job, writing, I wasn't interested in Hollywood."

Shortly afterwards, Alan Moore was made aware of a press release sent out covering a press conference producer Joel Silver and the cast had held.

In this press release, Joel Silver, as well as announcing that the release date November the 5th 2005 was the 100th anniversary of Guy Fawkes attempt on Parliament, instead of the 400th anniversary, also said of Alan, "he was very excited about what Larry had to say and Larry sent the script, so we hope to see him sometime before we're in the UK. We'd just like him to know what we're doing and to be involved in what we're trying to do together"

Alan felt, basically, that his name was being used in vain. Not only had he expressed the opposite to Larry, but his endorsement was being used as a selling point for a movie - the reason he'd requested his credit and association be dropped from all of these movies.

Alan, through Wildstorm editor Scott Dunbier, instructed DC/Warner Brothers to issue a retraction against these "blatant lies - that's the phrase I'm groping for." He called Scott up and told him that he was "Nineteen pages away from finishing all my contracted work" for ABC/Wildstorm/DC Comics - three pages on the "League," sixteen on "Tom Strong."

Moore requested a retraction, a clarification and a modest apology, posted in a forum with a similar weight to the original press release. Moore says he'd have been happy with something along the lines of "Due to a misunderstanding, Alan Moore does not wish to be associated with the 'V For Vendetta' movie." Moore gave DC two weeks to rectify the matter as he saw it. I understand from DC sources that Paul Levitz tried personally to ellicit an apology from Joel Silver without joy and that at a corporate level, there was no possibility of issuing a corporate apology with such a similar weight as the original press release, though Silver's words were removed from the movie's Web site.

It wasn't enough. So after two weeks, Alan Moore did as he said. Moore's last remaining "League" for DC is all but completed and due this year.

A Change Of Scenario

This is "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Dark Dossier," a hardcover graphic novel coming from Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill later this year from ABC/Wildstorm/DC Comics. Moore tells me this "will slip in between volumes two and three" of the "League." Moore described it to me as "not my best comic ever, not the best comic ever, but the best thing ever. Better than the Roman civilisation, penicillin..." The human brain? "Yes and the human nervous system. Better than creation. Better than the big bang. It's quite good."

He continues, "It will be nothing anyone expects, but everything everyone secretly wanted." It's unusual to hear such hyperbole from one more commonly associated with self-deprecation. It's nearing completion and Moore tells me he was in a recording studio last week, working on part of it. Yes, that intrigued me too, though Moore refused to be drawn past the tantalising glimpse he'd deliberately dropped.

Then after that, volume three of the "League" will be published by Top Shelf/Knockabout a year to eighteen months later, in a totally new format. And future volumes will continue from this publisher collaboration.

Alan told me that as a result of finally and permanently splitting from DC, he's has a general feeling of elation. He feels good about himself, as if a weight has been lifted. Earlier reports I'd had from the past two weeks were that his temper was high, but speaking to him found the same calm, serene gentlemen I'd met on and off over the last ten years.

And in this spirit of bonhomie, Alan Moore decided to propose to his longterm girlfriend and co-creator of Lost Girls, Melinda Gebbie. She accepted and they have announced their engagement.

 

Portman goes bald for Vendetta film
Time.com
May 16, 2005

Time magazine recently featured a First Look at Natalie Portman's newly shaven-head, as she prepares for her upcoming roles in the V for Vendetta film. The actresses anticipates a range of responses to her new look. "Some people will think I'm a neo-Nazi," Portman comments, "or that I have cancer or I'm a lesbian." The 23-year-old's shoulder-length chestnut locks were sheared for a filmed prison scene for the film, expected this fall. Portman plays a suspected terrorist in a totalitarian state.

Days after the shoot, Portman notes, "I can't stop rubbing my head. It's so soft, I might keep it for a while."

The film is based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore and illustrator David Lloyd.

 

Weaving to play V in Vendetta film
Variety
May 8, 2005

Hugo Weaving, best known as Agent Smith in "The Matrix" trilogy and as Elrond in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, has replaced James Purefoy in the Wachowski Brothers' and Joel Silver's production of action-thriller "V for Vendetta." Weaving will place the title vigilante character known as V, starring opposite Natalie Portman.

The film is currently in production in Berlin, and is scheduled for a Nov. 4 2005 release.

The cast includes Weaving, Portman, Stephen Rea, and Stephen Fry. The film is directed by James McTeigue, with a screenplay by Andy and Larry Wachowski, and produced by Warner Bros./Funfte Babelsberg Film.

The film is based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore and illustrator David Lloyd.

 

2005 Harvey Awards nominations honors DC Comics projects and creator
DC Comics
May 4, 2005

The nominees for the 18th Annual Harvey Awards have been announced, with DC Comics projects and creators earning 19 nominations in 13 categories.

The Harvey Award winners will be named on Saturday, June 11. For more information on the awards, go to www.moccany.org.

DC Comics congratulates all the nominees and thanks the nominating committee.

DC's 2005 Eisner Award Alan Moore-related nominations are:

Best Writer
Alan Moore, PROMETHEA (Available in PROMETHEA BOOK 5)

 

Portman wows German crew with language skills
IMDB, WENN
March 23, 2005

Actress Natalie Portman impressed everyone on the Berlin set of her latest film V For Vendetta when she started speaking fluent German. Unlike many actors, who would be silenced by the language barrier, linguistic Portman, 23, immediately started communicating in the native language. A source says, "She just turned up one day talking German. It has made her very popular with the Germans on the crew." The Star Wars actress, educated at top American university Harvard, is fluent in Hebrew, French and Japanese, as well as German.

V For Vendetta explores how different life would be if Germany had won World War II.