James Bacon

Well, following on from our conversation about sending a copy of Challenger 24 to Alan Moore, I realised I might actually get the opportunity at last to see him in person.

Julie Rigby (artshow Goddess at worldcons and children’s book buyer at UK's best independent bookshop, Foyle’s on Charing Cross Rd.) arranged tickets for a gang of us here to go and see Alan Moore.

I saw Alan Moore at the Institute of Education in Thursday the 12th October, he was interviewed along with Melinda Gebbie his partner and artist on Lost Girls by Stuart Lee, as part of Comica and organised by Blackwells and Paul Gravatt.

The venue was a very large auditorium and it was full.
The interview went well, at one stage there was a question about whether Lost Girls would see light of day in the UK, and I think Chris Staros, Moore’s publisher said he had talks with Great Ormond St, and it would be released next year, and all seemed good on that front.

As usual Moore's humour was pervasive, and there was much laughter in the auditorium. You can see that Melinda and himself had a special connection.
There was a terrific atmosphere about the place, really good-natured. I saw many people in the audience from Gary Spencer Millidge to Colin Greenland.

There were many images on a huge screen, as Stuart went through different parts of Lost Girls, and Melinda and Alan spoke in detail about ideas, and images.

Afterwards there was a signing, and I queued up with Stef and Steve and Liam and Julie and we waited. All this time I had Challenger 24 in the bag I wasn't sure of myself though, and as I got close, I thought, FECK IT, and as I placed my comics down to be signed, I mentioned I had a fanzine from Louisiana, which had a piece in it about him, and that I had written it, and that to be honest, I was a bit hard on his character, BUT I think he would like it, and its important to me to let him see it.

He was so absolutely nice, he was tremendously pleasant, humble, and relaxed.

He said he loved fanzines, and that he was pleased that anyone would write about him, he was so cool, it was unreal.

I thanked him for these outings, I count this, the Tate and Patty Smith’s Burroughs night as three great experiences. I said so.

Finally I shook his hand.

Crikey almighty, the fella was as decent as anyone would have ever hoped, and I must have seemed the ultimate fanboy, although deep down, I was unsure what he might make of my mistaken maligning.

Anyhow, thought you would like to know.

It figures that Moore would be a class act. Thanks for showing him our zine. I wonder if he recognized my name …He was a friend of Julie Schwartz – and wrote his last Superman story …