Today in Comics History, April 30, 1993: A very poor use of his new Peppa Pig Happy Fun Time Diary

from (top) Warrior #11 (Quality Communications, May 1983), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by David Lloyd, letters by Jenny O'Connor;
(bottom) V for Vendetta #3 (DC, November 1988); colors by David Lloyd, Siobhan Dodds, and Steve Whitaker

Today in Comics History, June 11: Happy birthday, Steve Moore!

Today in 1949 was born Steve Moore, the visionary British comics who taught Alan Moore how to write comics scripts, but it's his birthday and we won't hold that against him. The co-creator with Alan M. of Axel Pressbutton, S. Moore also wrote several series for 2000 AD including Dan Dare, Tharg's Future Shocks, Red Fang and his own creation, Tales of Telguuth. Sadly, despite dozens of Telguuth stories within the pages of the UK's thrillpower overloaded comic, it appears that it never once got the cover feature. Boo! For Marvel UK, Steve wrote Doctor Who, the Hulk, Captain Britain, and Nick Fury, and for Moore (A's) America's Best Comics contributed scripts for Tom Strong and Jonni Future. So closely has his comics career been connected to Alan Moore that if anybody was actually going to write Watchmen Babies: V for Vacation, it likely woulda been Steve Moore!

Here's the first couple pages of an extensive interview with Steve Moore from the pages of Warrior magazine. Please not that interviewer "Pedro Henry" is Steve Moore!

from Warrior #15 (Quality Communications, November 1983)
(Click picture to pressbutton-size)
Following Steve's early death in 2014, Rebellion/2000 AD has republished some of his classic Tales of Telguuth stories in trade paperback. I highly recommend 'em! More info here.


Happy birthday, Steve. You're much missed.

Today in Comics History, May 23: Happy birthday, John Bolton!

Born on this day: British comic and graphic artist John Bolton (Look-In, Classic X-Men, Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat, Warrior UK, Kull, The Books of Magic, Man-Bat, The Black Dragon, and plenty more)!


from Marvel Age #29, 53, and 89 (Marvel, Spetember 1985, August 1987, and June 1990); text by Jim Salicrup (#29), Mike Carlin (#53), and Chris Eliopoulis and Barry Dutter (#89); pencils and inks by Ron Zalme; colors by George Roussos (#29), Paul Becton (#53), and Gregory Wright (#89)

Today in Comics History, February 4: Happy birthday, Dez Skinn!

Born on this day: British comics editor, scripter, and publisher Dez Skinn! He was the editor-in-chief at Marvel UK during its heyday in the late '70s, and later founded and edited Starburst and the influential and vital UK comic Warrior which included among its serialized strips Alan Moore's Marvelman (Miracleman) and V for Vendetta! He holds a Guinness World Records certificate and credit for creating the world's longest-lasting TV tie-in magazine: Doctor Who Weekly, and founded and ran Quality Comics, a famous London SF/fantasy shop, and the publishing line named for it, Quality Communications!

It's fair to say that without Dez Skinn on this Earth, we woulda never got the 1980s British Invasion of comics that so transformed DC and led to the founding of Vertigo.


from "1986 AD" in Comic Book Comics #5 (Evil Twin, March 2011); script by Fred Van Lente; pencils, inks, and letters by Ryan Dunlavey. Read the entire chapter (in color!) over at Ryan Dunlavey's website

Today in Comics History, December 23, 1997: Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition

from "V for Vendetta, Book One, Chapter 10: Venom" in Warrior #10 (Quality, April 1983), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by David Lloyd, letters by Jenny O'Connor

Today in Comics History, November 5, 1997, 9 PM: It's Rishi Sunak's new prosperity

from "[Book One] Chapter One: The Villain" in (top) Warrior #1 (Quality Communications, March 1982)), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by David Lloyd, letters by Jenny O'Connor
(Bottom) V for Vendetta #1 (DC, September 1998), colors by David Lloyd and Siobhan Dodds

Today in Comics History, November 5, 1994: And you don't think that November 5th date is in any way significant because...?

from (top) "V for Vendetta: Book One, Chapter Ten: Venom" in Warrior #10 (Quality Communications, April 1983), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by David Lloyd, letters by Jenny O'Connor;
(bottom) V for Vendetta #3 (DC, November 1988); colors by David Lloyd, Siobhan Dodds, and Steve Whitaker

Today in Comics History, November 5, 1997: Well, that'll teach her to choose Professor Bobo as her defense attorney

from "Book 2: This Vicious Cabaret, Chapter 12: The Verdict" in Warrior #26 (Quality Communications, February 1985), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by David Lloyd, letters by Jenny O'Connor and Steve Craddock


from "Book 2: This Vicious Cabaret, Chapter 12: The Verdict" in V for Vendetta #7 (DC, January 1989), colors by David Lloyd, Siobhan Dodds, and Steve Whitaker

Today in Comics History, November 5, 1993: Surely as a literature major you might have recognized the foreshadowing

from (left) "V for Vendetta: Book One, Chapter Ten: Venom" in Warrior #11 (Quality Communications, July 1983), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by David Lloyd, letters by Jenny O'Connor;
(right) V for Vendetta #3 (DC, November 1988); colors by David Lloyd, Siobhan Dodds, and Steve Whitaker

Today in Comics History, October 1, 2501: It's not often that I get to use the same panels twice within a year

from "Book Two, Chapter Three: Video" in (top) Warrior #15 (Quality Communications, November 1983), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by David Lloyd, letters by Jenny O'Connor;
(bottom) V for Vendetta #4 (DC, December 1988); colors by David Lloyd, Siobhan Dodds, and Steve Whitaker

Today in Comics History, September 29, 1993: Sure, it's perfectly sensible to let an incarcerated terrorist have fertilizer and solvent in his cell

...stupidest jailers ever. And I've read lots of Arkham Asylum comics.


from (left) "V for Vendetta: Book One, Chapter Ten: Venom" in Warrior #11 (Quality Communications, July 1983), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by David Lloyd, letters by Jenny O'Connor;
(right) V for Vendetta #3 (DC, November 1988); colors by David Lloyd, Siobhan Dodds, and Steve Whitaker

Today in Comics History, September 16, 1993: The poop is about to hit the fan

from (left) "V for Vendetta: Book One, Chapter Ten: Venom" in Warrior #11 (Quality Communications, July 1983), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by David Lloyd, letters by Jenny O'Connor;
(right) V for Vendetta #3 (DC, November 1988); colors by David Lloyd, Siobhan Dodds, and Steve Whitaker

Today in Comics History, August 7, 1993: Surprise Swamp Thing appearance is set up

from (left) "V for Vendetta: Book One, Chapter Ten: Venom" in Warrior #11 (Quality Communications, July 1983), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by David Lloyd, letters by Jenny O'Connor;
(right) V for Vendetta #3 (DC, November 1988); colors by David Lloyd, Siobhan Dodds, and Steve Whitaker

Today in Comics History, July 18, 1997: Whoops, sorry 'bout that, William Rouse

from (top) "V for Vendetta: Book One, Chapter Ten: Venom" in Warrior #10 (Quality Communications, April 1983), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by David Lloyd, letters by Jenny O'Connor;
(bottom) V for Vendetta #3 (DC, November 1988); colors by David Lloyd, Siobhan Dodds, and Steve Whitaker

Today in Comics History, July 12, 1993: Coroner pops the hood on Patel to troubleshoot his transmission

from (left) "V for Vendetta: Book One, Chapter Ten: Venom" in Warrior #11 (Quality Communications, July 1983), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by David Lloyd, letters by Jenny O'Connor;
(right) V for Vendetta #3 (DC, November 1988); colors by David Lloyd, Siobhan Dodds, and Steve Whitaker

Today in Comics History, June 18, 1993: The Appeal of the Conservative Party

from (top) "V for Vendetta: Book One, Chapter Ten: Venom" in Warrior #11 (Quality Communications, July 1983), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by David Lloyd, letters by Jenny O'Connor;
(bottom) V for Vendetta #3 (DC, November 1988); colors by David Lloyd, Siobhan Dodds, and Steve Whitaker

Today in Comics History, June 11, 1998: This modern-dress version of the Book of Genesis is weird

from (top) "V for Vendetta: Book Two, Chapter Seven: Visitors" in Warrior #21 (Quality Communications, August 1984), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by David Lloyd; and
(bottom) V for Vendetta #5 (DC, Winter 1988); colors by David Lloyd, Siobhan Dodds, and Steve Whitaker; letters by Jenny O'Connor

Today in Comics History, June 11, 1998: Cue the Benny Hill music

from (top) "V for Vendetta: Book Two, Chapter Seven: Visitors" in Warrior #21 (Quality Communications, August 1984), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by David Lloyd; and
(bottom) V for Vendetta #5 (DC, Winter 1988); colors by David Lloyd, Siobhan Dodds, and Steve Whitaker; letters by Jenny O'Connor

Today in Comics History, June 9, 1993: You oughtn't to buy Chicken McNuggets while they're still alive

from (L) "V for Vendetta: Book One, Chapter Ten: Venom" in Warrior #11 (Quality Communications, July 1983), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by David Lloyd, letters by Jenny O'Connor;
(R) from V for Vendetta #3 (DC, November 1988); colors by David Lloyd, Siobhan Dodds, and Steve Whitaker

Today in Comics History, June 5, 1993: All Pokémon successfully caught

from (L) "V for Vendetta: Book One, Chapter Ten: Venom" in Warrior #11 (Quality Communications, July 1983), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by David Lloyd, letters by Jenny O'Connor;
(R) from V for Vendetta #3 (DC, November 1988); colors by David Lloyd, Siobhan Dodds, and Steve Whitaker