"Lance Parkin is witty and informed. He is a devotee of Moore's work, but not uncritical. He's also happy to point out his protagonist's contradictions. You come away with an understanding of Moore the artist, but his day-to day life remains discreetly hidden. Just, you suspect, as Moore likes it." - SFX Magazine "A fascinating and even-handed look at Moore's life. Parkin's gift for. pattern recognition elevates his book from a by-the-numbers account into an altogether more satisfying examination of Moore's life and remarkable body of work, as well as the changing business of comics over the last four decades.
" - brokenfrontier.com (Tom Murphy) "**** A surprisingly balanced biography that through carefully deployed new and archival interviews doesn't always find Moore on the right side of the argument. Lovingly presented with a glistening spot UV cover and black-cornered pages, it's an essential primer for even the most casual comic-book fan." - SciFi Now "The real story behind Britain's most influential writer. No, not JK Rowling, but Alan Moore, the man who created V is for Vendetta, From Hell and Halo. Lance Parkin's biography will have you running to read them again." - The Herald (UK) ". probably the most beautifully packaged book of the year.
The colors on the cover jump out at you and captivate you before you even know what you're opening yourself up to. The black, purple and green color scheme on the outside and inside covers are just gorgeous. The edges of the pages (top, side, and bottom) are black. Gorgeous. The images of Moore's work and other exciting things throughout the book, while in black and white, also bring this book to life. I just absolutely love the packaging of this book. Job well done. This is one of the most insightful, in depth biographies I've ever read.
Call it an encyclopedia or even a bible for Alan Moore fans. Alan Moore fans, this one is for you." - Hollywood the Write Way "Parkin, a British writer specializing in science fiction and pop culture, goes back to Moore's childhood in the Midlands town of Northampton (where he still lives), teasing out some unexpected influences. There's a strong focus on Moore's early work in British comics, where his technique of juxtaposing the images in comic book panels in "ironic counterpoint" to their captions was honed to the fine point of Watchmen. Even as that book was transforming the comics market, though, Moore's relationship with its publisher was falling apart; Parkin addresses this and many other acrimonious disputes with clear sympathy for Moore, but also an evenhanded recognition that the other parties are rarely acting in bad faith. That combination of respect and skepticism also characterizes the discussion of Moore's self-transformation into a ceremonial magician whose occult philosophies have informed several comic books (as well as performance art pieces and a long-anticipated novel). Some fans might want to see more discussion of the content of the comics, but Magic Words is a biography, not a literary study. As such, it helps us recognize why Alan Moore matters while leaving plenty of room to discover his work for ourselves.
" - SHELF AWARENESS Holiday Gift Guide 2013 - FORCES OF GEEK.