From: [m--l--s] at [mars.execulink.com] (Matt and Vicki Holmes)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: Obscure (?) Alan Moore story stumbled over (LONG Summary)
Date: Mon, 08 Jul 1996 15:46:37 GMT

I happened upon a copy of ANYTHING GOES # 2 (published in 1986 by The
Comics Journal Inc) while pawing through box after box of bargain
comics recently.  Since it promised an Alan Moore story on the cover,
I picked it up (how bad could a Moore story be, especially at 33
cents?).

The story inside is 13 pages long.  It's called "In Pictopia!" and is
interesting (and even somewhat tangentially topical) in several ways.
Here's some semi-satirical SPOILER SPACE just in case you have this
comic on your "To Read" stack and haven't gotten to it yet...

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The story features "Nocturno the Necromancer" and his sad commentaries
as he travels around Pictopia, a land occupied by those
vanishing-from-memory characters who populated comics (and comic
strips) before superheroes came along and replaced them.  If you've
read much Moore, you probably know it won't be a SIMPLE, single-layer
story, and it's not.  

Nocturna laments the fact that he and his peers are stuck in a
diminishing area of the city.  "Usually I go out and take a dawn
stroll around Pictopia," he tells us.  "You know, just to see how much
is left."  The rest of the city is shown to us as skyscrapers with
comic book pages for walls.  It's interesting to me that that concept
works so well visually.  The rundown tenement Nocturno lives in has
graphitti sprayed all over ITS walls, obscuring any old artwork that
might be below it.

Stumbling through the hallways is Red ("of Deadwood and Red, if you
remember"), coming home at 5:30 with a prospective "john" (sailor by
the name of South Sea Sullivan) on her arm.  "Poor Red," thinks our
host, "I guess she had trouble getting by while her was away... drying
out."  At this point I was reminded of how often I've heard the
complaint, "Alan Moore has no respect for his characters.. he always
makes them degenerates!!"  In this context, I'm assuming Moore meant
to send a specific message: these were characters who once were able
to earn "legitimate livings" by entertaining millions.  Something
happened, though, and the spotlight moved away, and so these poor
souls are left like so many real people who've seen industry leave
their down, wondering how to get by.  I honestly don't think Moore is
suggesting that any of these characters, whether they be
thinly-disguised Blondie Bumsteads or Popeye the Sailor, are corrupt
in principle... But rather that they've become "invisible" and have
had to do whatever it takes to make ends meet.  My theory, anyway.

Outside "the Prince Features tenement" (which would be King Features,
I'm guessing, even though off the top of my head I can't remember what
King Features was responsible for... anyone??), Nocturno takes in the
sunrise.  "It would have been beautiful.  But since this was one of
the black and white areas of the city, you don't really get the
effect.  Once, I used to dream about moving to the color section
uptown, just for a few dawns and sunsets, but I know it'll never
happen.  Only Superheroes can afford to live in color."   And just
then we see a silouetted figure flying overhead, trailing little
starbursts ala Starman or Quasar.  

To cheer himself up, the Necromancer wanders through Funnies Ghetto,
where we see Funnytown, "Everywhere, people strolled, perfectly
syncopated, from sight gag to sight gag.  These people, they were so
lively, so talented, they made just walking around seem like poetry.
Every movement expressed so much."  This got me thinking of the
creators of early comics, in the context of how many were treated
badly after their heighday.  Names from my own frame of reference like
Shuster and Siegel, Jack Kirby, Curt Swan and Ross Andru, all of whom
we've lost in the last several years.  Moore might've been writing of
THEM when he chose his words.  "But there wasn't any work for them.
There wasn't any money.  They were stuck here [in the Ghetto]."  So
very sad.

From there, Nocturno happens upon Flexible Flynn, "about the only
superhero I could stand to talk to."  Flynn is standing at the tall
Perimeter Fence, watching the horizon, as always.  When asked about
it, Flynn responds, "Oh, still pretty much the same.  Black clouds
with occasional yellow flares, like a petroleum plant or something.
Hey, does it look like it's getting closer to you?"  To take his mind
of that possibility, Nocturno invites Flynn to join him for a beer.

This leads to a scene which seem at least somewhat familiar to readers
of both WILDC.A.T.S (under MOORE) and the current KINGDOM COME 
4-issue series (written by Mark Waid and Alex Ross).  The two
characters head to Captain Billy's bar, which is populated by cameos
of familiar figures.  (And in case anyone didn't get the Captain Billy
reference, Moore adds that the house cocktail is a Whizbang.  I got it
the first time.)  My knowledge of pre-60's comics isn't what it could
be, so I only spotted a few faces I knew: Ma Hunkle (the 1st Red
Tornado), the Phantom, Sargon (?), the Yellow Kid (?), and perhaps the
Katzenjammer Kids.  We're treated to something in the FOREGROUND, 
as well, as we get to watch Flynn LITERALLY dissolve under the
influence of his Whizbangs!  I thought this looked familiar, and then
I spotted the "apologies to R. Crumb" note at the bottom of one panel
and realized where I'd seen it before!  Very nice homage, especially
using a Plastic Man character.  Before reaching peak putty form,
though, Flynn tells his friend that "Somethin's goin' on, y'know?  In
this city!  People are vanishing.. people are being replaced!"  He
mentions several friends who are gone, and says that all he sees in
their place are these "New Heroes."

Outside, we're disgusted to see a bunch of those so-called "New
Heroes" gathered around an old dog man from Funnytown.  They're
gleefully kicking the Hell out of him!  "Mutilate a Funny, and seconds
later, it's healed completely.  Often, they'll let you disfigure them
for a buck."  Brrrr.  Again, Moore has to be talking about some of the
creators of yesteryear here, and how they were forced at times to
prostitute themselves (and their craft) to make any money.

The eeriest scene occurs later that night, when Nocturno decides to
visit Red "to confirm my objective physical status" (get laid).
However, he interrupts a brutal interrogation of Red (with cowering
children clutched to her bosom) by two more of the New Heroes, these
ones looking like crosses between Judge Dredd, the Vigilante (the
superhero one, not the cowboy) and Marshal Law!  They've apparently
come to clean up her act or something, as they scare Nocturno off
immediately.  "I am NOT a brave man," Nocturno tells us.  "I backed
out, stammering, terrified, apologizing, trying not to meet Red's
terrorized eyes... She knew.  She knew why I'd come to visit her."

Shamed by his cowardice, Nocturno tries to find someone to aid him in 
Red's defense.  He stumbles back to Captain Billy's ("I suffered an
irrational dread that when I turned the corner, the bar wouldn't be
there... but it was."  More cameos (this is where I think I see the K
Kids, and there's the Lone Ranger, and maybe Betty Boop and Air Boy?)
before our hero spots the back of Flexible Flynn off to the side,
talking to some of the New Heroes.  But when he reaches to tap Flynn
on the shoulder, an unfamiliar face turns beligerantly toward him,
snarling, "Well?  What do you WANT?"  And this is clearly a new world
character, with a full head of hair replacing the old Flynn's receding
hairline, and an updated set of goggles.  "The costume was similar,
but with slight modifications.  The visor looked more sinister
somehow.  And his face, his build, they were more... well, more
realistic."  Flynn had been replaced.

Nocturno wheels away from the horror and staggers through the streets.
Everywhere around him, discarded newspaper funny pages blow by.
He races toward Funnytown, desperately needing to have his spirit
lifted by the highjinks of that place.  But Funnytown is gone.  In its
place, two bulldozers merrily chug along, flattening out the terrain
for a new use.  One of the dozer drivers is quietly singing, "We built
this city... we built this city on COM-IC BOOKS..." 

Upon spying the Necromancer, the driver yells, "Hey you!  Outta the
way!  You're obstructin' an official demolition!"  Tearfully, Nocturno
asks, "What's happened to all the people?" and gets the reply,
"People?  There weren't no people livin' out here.  Just some stray
dogs and stuff.  They've been painlessly destroyed.  Take my advice,
buddy, an' keep out of it.  This city's changing, and some things
don't fit the continuity no more."  For whatever reason, this last bit
made me think of THE POWER OF SHAZAM! under Jerry Ordway.  I'm 
of the opinion that Ordway believes the old CC Beck version of Captain
Marvel was brilliant, but realizes it won't work in today's culture.
But he WANTS it to work, and so he tries very hard to bring the
characters and settings of the old series up to modern standards
without losing the original charm.  People will debate for years how
successful he's been, but to my mind it was at least an honest attempt
to honour the greatness of the past.  We need more of that.  I think
to some degree Waid and Ross, in the aforementioned KINGDOM COME
series, have done that, too.  They've thrust the characters into the
future by drawing on their Golden Age beginnings. 

The final page shows Nocturno at the Perimeter Fence again, this time
by himself.  As he watches the horizon, he describes it as "a vast,
creeping, industrial mass, wreathed in factory smoke and lit only by
furnaces.  Sometimes, it looks as if it's getting closer... but that
may be an illusion, born of the distance."  The final panel is one of
total blackness.

Obviously Moore is at times rather heavy-handed in his condemnation in
this 13-page piece.  He doesn't rely on a lot of subtlety, especially
with images like "vast, creeping, industrial mass."  We know what he's
talking about.  It amazes me that he chose to write of this in 1986,
when most people were heralding a new Golden Age of comics (thanks to
Moore himself in THE WATCHMEN, and SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING,
along with Frank Miller and others).  Moore wanted his readers to
think about the true Golden Age of comics, and reflect upon its
importance.  Ten years ago, that message might've been received with
at least passing interest.  Now, I think the vast majority of comics
fans have willfully and happily turned their back on comics history.
I think they're proud of their ignorance, and wear it as a badge.  And
that saddens me.  Obviously, here in RAC we have a number of educated
people who spend considerable time extolling the virtues of years past
(and I'm one of them, by God!), but that's likely not a good
representation of comics fans in general.  It oughtta be, though.

Anyway, enough preaching.  Hopefully some of you enjoyed this summary
of a Moore story you don't happen to own a copy of.  I know I'm
personally deeeee-lighted to have discovered it (by accident) and will
re-read it many more times in the years to come.  This short tale has
just added to my own belief that Moore is the best comic writer of my
generation.  



   
Matt Holmes
[m--l--s] at [mars.execulink.com]
 
Now the proud owner of a page of original art actually
WRITTEN BY ALAN MOORE!