Knockabout Comics has just released the cover for Alan Moore’s long-awaited Jerusalem, drawn by Alan himself.
Begun in 2008 and running to over to over 600,000 words (putting it in the Top 10 largest novels in the English language) Jerusalem is described as “a grandiose tome” about Alan’s hometown of Northampton, employing an extremely wide variety of styles, including a poem and a play.
In the half a square mile of decay and demolition that was England’s Saxon capital, eternity is loitering between the firetrap tower blocks. Embedded in the grubby amber of the district’s narrative among its saints, kings, prostitutes, and derelicts a different kind of human time is happening.
An opulent mythology for those without a pot to piss in, through the labyrinthine streets and pages of Jerusalem tread ghosts that sing of wealth and poverty; of Africa, and hymns, and our threadbare millennium. They discuss English as a visionary language from John Bunyan to James Joyce, hold forth on the illusion of mortality post-Einstein and insist upon the meanest slum as Blake’s eternal holy city.
Fierce in its imagining and stupefying in its scope, Jerusalem is the tale of everything, told from a vanished gutter.
Alan Moore should need no introduction to downthetubes readers, but for those who came in late, he’s the celebrated creator of graphic novels From Hell (Knockabout, also available), V For Vendetta (Vertigo), Watchmen (DC Comics) and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Knockabout, many editions also available from Turnaround), and the novel Voice of the Fire (Top Shelf Productions, 1996).
•Jerusalem is listed to be published on 15th September 2016 in hardback and a three-book slip-case edition, which will be released on 22nd September
• Knockabout Comics is online at www.knockabout.com | Follow Knockabout Comics on Twitter @KNOCKABOUTCOMIX
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
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