Anthony Moore
Creator & Artist
BF: Thank you so much Anthony for taking time to speak with us here at Bleeding Fool about your ongoing projects and interests. Tell us a little about yourself, where you’re from and what sort of influences did you have in relation to art growing up?
AM: My name is Anthony Moore and I was born in Boston, Massachusetts. I am of four siblings, my mother raised us as a single parent. Since she was outside the home working a lot, we weren’t allowed to go outside so she always said:
“Find something to do in the house”
So that’s when I started writing and drawing.
As far as influences, I would have to say pretty much Neil Adams and John Byrne. Something about the action that they created in their pages. John Byrnes‘ run on the Fantastic Four was amazing. His run on X-Men blew my mind ! So therefore, I have to say them two.
BF: What was it that drew you to visual arts or what are some examples of favorite subject matter when you were growing up and what do you consider to be your inspirations looking back?
AM: I’m just going to have to say “The Hobbit“. That is the first book I ever read, and when I saw Smaug the dragon – absolutely & positively – blew my mind.
I wanted to learn more about mythology. I wanted to learn more about fantasy from fairies, elves, dragons, wizards and basically; that’s where I came up with Realmz in the 80’s.
BF: How did you come to the medium of comic books in particular?
AM: To be honest, I was sick and tired in the 90’s of seeing comic books that were coming to a fast stop. And what I mean by that, is they started re-printing a lot and started not caring about the story but caring about profit.
I always felt like if I created a comic book, I wanted it to be a comic book that people loved to read over and over again.
BF: How have things changed for you that affect how you now approach that art today?
AM: More people are just coming out with independent comic books and I feel that this is just a time for me to come out with it and really get my story out. A lot of independent comic book creators like Eastman from TMNT, the creator of “Boone” and “Flaming Carrot” are just people that made me want to push and come out with something cool.
BF: What made you decide to commit to the overwhelming work involved in creating, drawing, producing and publishing your own work?
AM: I realized that if you want to get your story out there – you have to take full control of it .
So therefore, when I was drawing and writing, I said it takes too long; and I was trying to look for other people to help me but it seems that their love for my creation wasn’t as much as my own. So I decided to take on everything no matter what and get it done – my way.
BF: Which aspects do you find the most challenging or rewarding ? (pencils, story, marketing etc..)
AM: The story. I always tell people – I don’t care if you have Joe Schmoes or Jim Lee drawing your book; if you don’t have a compelling story nobody is going to buy your book. If they do, they’re not going to last long on being a fan. You have to get people by the story.
BF: Are there things that you have learned about the process having gone through it so far, that you would have liked to know before you began?
AM: Yes! Never tell people when your book is going to come out unless you are 1000% sure that the book will come out on that due date. You can lose a lot of fans and credibility um…if you keep getting it wrong. I learned now, so I keep my mouth shut.
BF: What can you tell us about your series?
AM: My comic book Realmz is a fantasy comic book. It is comprised of grouping of kingdoms (Realmz)…based around a young king who has been hidden away on Earth to recover after a war of extinction…
***I will paraphrase some of Mr. Moores’ response here so as not to spoil his content which we hope to cover in future articles***
A time of peace is now disturbed by a brooding evil as the remnant of a dark force threatens to return. A young king must now attempt to gather the last remaining warriors and heroes who have lost faith and trust in him, each other and themselves in order to confront the threat.
BF: What are the things that you hope readers are able to take away from your work?
AM: I hope the story. I want it to be like a Game of Thrones. I want people to anticipate and wait for my book to come out and enjoy every page every word and the artwork as well. But after they read my book I want them to close it, sit back and have a big smile on their face and say: “Now That’s Limitless“.
BF: What direction would you like to see your production and publishing work take, going into the future?
AM: I would hope to be at Barnes and Noble and Amazon. I’m hoping that it would become a huge success in the graphic novel department.
My stories are huge. I could create maybe 50 comic books out of my story without lacking in interest in any of the story-lines or any of the books.
Film ? I would love it but I know that’s stretching a little long now, but then again I am “Limitless“…
So who knows?
BF: How do you see the medium overall evolving and how do you feel about those potential directions of such things as digital titles, current events or news etc…
AM: It’s really good. The problem is I think that there are some people who need to touch up on certain parts of their projects. If we flood the independent industry with semi- or lackluster ideas and art, I think it would throw people back into the big two – Marvel and DC. ..
So, once we grab them by the collar we have to hold them there with our work.
I think that digital art is good. I think that we are really progressing in that department but we have to be very careful on what we do because if we go too fast, we leave ourselves open to mistakes.
BF: Are there any upcoming projects that we should be watching for or that you might like to showcase here for us ? Any favorites?
AM: “The Muffin Man“. Do you know the “Muffin Man“? It is an unbelievable horror, thriller that I am working on about a creature that lives in the sewers in the historical north end of Boston, Massachusetts. He’s been living there for so long and he has an unbelievable origin.
Check out his current Indiegogo here!
~
Thank you Mr. Anthony Moore for taking time away to share your thoughts and ideas surrounding comics and comics culture and we look forward to seeing great things from you in the future.
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