1963

[Perry Holley]

Any other fans here of Alan Moore's 1963 mini-series?

I loved this book when it came out, and was saddened that the annual that was going to wrap up the storyline never came out. At the time a lot of fans didn't seem to know what to make of it (I suspect a lot of them were expecting Watchmen II). The book was pure retro, with more than a few nods (and Jabs) at the early Marvel stories.

I really, really wish the annual had been published, though. :(

[benday-dot]

I liked it plenty too... still do. Though if I have to compare it to the Supreme series, being I suppose Moore's DC equivalent to his obviously Marvel inspired 1963, I liked the former better. I am far more, by tradition, a "Marvel guy" so this surprises me a little... but that Supreme work really transported me. I thought he nailed it completely. The thing is I don't think anybody possesses all at once a more refined historical and revolutionary sense of the comic book medium than Alan Moore.

[Davideaux]

Yeah, this series has a soft spot in my heart too. It was just simply pure fun. I've been waiting for the annual for the longest time. I'd love to revisit those comics. I also gotta say it might be one of my favorite Moore stories ever.

[Perry Holley]

For anyone who's interested here's a list of 1963 annotations (http://www.enjolrasworld.com/Annotations/Alan%20Moore/1963%20Annotations.htm).

[The Humanist Hero]

I thought it was fun, particularly the final issue: the Tomorrow Syndicate one.

[Nate C.]

It's on my short list of re-reads every few years.

It's just fun.

[DJ Sloofus]

Though I really enjoyed 1963, I have to agree that Supreme was way, way better. I seem to remember reading an interview with (I think) Rick Veitch, in which he said Moore was kind of "phoning in" most of 1963, and possibly even writing it "Marvel Style"; that is, just plotting it out. I don't think he even wrote the 'Bullpen' pages, or the "Affable Al" stuff after awhile.

I'm pretty sure Supreme was done as full scripts, so this might explain why it's so much better and well-developed. Supreme kicked ass...aren't there still a few unfinished scripts/issues, or was the "New Jack City" the final one he wrote? And whatever happened to the rest of the female-superheroine mini series he was doing? The name escapes me, but it was a Supreme spinoff, and I think he only did the first two issues or so.

[Sir Tim Drake]

Welcome to CBR, Sloofus.

[Agentum]

I'm pretty sure Supreme was done as full scripts, so this might explain why it's so much better and well-developed. Supreme kicked ass...aren't there still a few unfinished scripts/issues, or was the "New Jack City" the final one he wrote? And whatever happened to the rest of the female-superheroine mini series he was doing? The name escapes me, but it was a Supreme spinoff, and I think he only did the first two issues or so.
Yes i think he wanted to prove that he really could make this type of storys and that they didn't mean that less work was behind it than the older dark and gritty storys he had done so many times.

To bad the end was never drawn and printed, a script is done (i think for 2 more issues) that Liefeld never cared to make anything of, and he was rumor says very sloppy with the payments to involved in his books, i guess it went wrong and Moore quit the whole thing.
To bad, i wanted to read more of this Supreme and i don't even care for the SA Superman at all.

[websbestcomics]

I know this is shameless self promotion, but I'm doing something along the lines of a 'Bronze Age' revisit over at www.websbestcomics.com (http://www.websbestcomics.com). although the plot will grow increasingly disturbing as chapters unfold. Hope you enjoy it!

[jam]

As a huge fan of Alan Moore's superhero comics work, I truly loved and cherished "1963". I am old enough to remember when Marvel comics first came out and I think that Moore and his artists managed to capture the feel of those early Marvels.

I think they should collect these comics into a trade paperback/graphic novel.

It's a great pity the series was never completed. Be nice if they could finish it off and put that in the paperback. Failing that they should print Moore's scripts.

[Hierocles]

I'm a big 1963 fan as well. I love all the characters...

I think they should collect these comics into a trade paperback/graphic novel.
Unfortunately, this won't be possible, mainly due to a feud between Moore and Bissette. If you want to read about it:

http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubb/Forum2/HTML/004557.html

[jam]

I'm a big 1963 fan as well. I love all the characters...


Unfortunately, this won't be possible, mainly due to a feud between Moore and Bissette. If you want to read about it:

http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubb/Forum2/HTML/004557.html

Big thanks to Hierocles for this information, although it has left me even more depressed than usual!

Also interesting to note in that stream of messages that, at one time, they considered a trade paperback but decided the market wouldn't support it. Oh, well.

[Agentum]

And Moore comes of as very hard to understand again, people says he is not dark, serious and weird, but when most you read is stuff like this it's hard to believe that:)

It's a lot of his work with others that is left hanging forever, probably over this kind of argument.

[J'onn J'onzz]

Probably not nearly as much as Conway's works. I don't think he has ever finished his intended story arc for a comic book.

[Agentum]

True, but he wrote a lot of bad tv-shows:)

[Hierocles]

I just received The Comics Journal #185 -- the 1996 issue in which a 55-page Steve Bissette interview was published; i.e. the interview that severed his ties with Alan Moore.

Truly fascinating stuff...

[Agentum]

Could you in any way understand why?

[Hierocles]

Could you in any way understand why?
Why Bissette and Moore's ties were broken as a result of the interview?

Well... as Kim Thompson (the interviewer) writes in the Comics Journal issue featuring the interview, "No subject was off limits -- including the miserable circumstances, some of them personal, surrounding some of [Bissette's] most disastrous career moments -- and he showed a sometimes astonishing willingness to call even his closest friends on the carpet when he thought it necessary."

I can certainly understand why Moore could have been irked by several of Bissette's comments, such as "As a business partner, Alan sometimes wears blinders, and it's taken some time to adjust to those blind spots." Then again, Bissette also had fairly critical things to say about people like Kevin Eastman, among others.

Before the interview's publication, Bissette sent the manuscript to pretty much every person he talked about in the interview, and while most gave him immediate feedback, Moore chose not to, seemingly thinking that Bissette had already gone too far for their friendship to continue. But we never really got Moore's side of the story...