TERRY MOORE
by David O'Leary
On this the sixth edition of 5 Minutes With...we are joined by indie comics legend and Eisner Award winning creator of Strangers in Paradise, Terry Moore. Here, we talk in depth about the seminal work that was SiP, the possible return of the characters and movie development news of his current project Echo. And much more besides, so read on...
David O'Leary: Hi Terry, many thanks for letting us take a few minutes of your time to speak with us here on CR. You are a few years removed now from your work on SiP. I can't imagine that after spending more than a decade with the characters that you don't let your mind wander from time to time. Do you miss those characters?
Terry Moore: Yes, I do. Intellectually I know they are characters, but in my thoughts they are people I love and care about.
DO'L: You have long spoken publicly about your desire to see SiP on television in some form. Is this still a realistic vision for the future?
TM: No. I know SIP would be a great series, and directors know it, and actors know it, and even production studio owners know it... but even with these people championing the cause, eventually we/they have to explain SIP in a few short minutes to a businessman who doesn't know it from cabbage. The project always dies in that meeting, because you can't explain SiP. Either you've read it and love it, or you haven't read it and couldn't care less. Eventually one group has to talk to the other, and it never goes well. I have no control over it, so I need to move on and write more books.
Terry Moore
DO'L: A running theme in your works is the strong female protagonist. I have spoken with other creators in the past where there is almost universal agreement that the strong female lead that has real world problems is too much of a rarity in comics today. As a result characters like Julie Martin and Katchoo are existing almost in a niche area of the market. With each project you do, do you make a point of having the female lead have a strong real world character to go against the grain of the comics norm are is it a case that their personalities are a natural progression of their development?
TM: Women like Julie and Katchoo are descendants of the characters I loved growing up, male and female. I mean, every writer would have to admit as much, wouldn't they? But I have always been attracted to strong women, so you put it all together and this is what you get.
DO'L: With about a third of the projected run of Echo to go before it reaches it's conclusion, are you letting your mind wander to projects anew or will we see a second volume of Echo to follow or even a return to SiP in some form?
TM: Yes to all three questions. I have a third brand new series in mind, a second story featuring Ivy Raven as investigator of bizarre things makes sense to me, and I have a new SiP story in mind. I hope I get the chance to do all three.
DO'L: Growing up with the influence of Charles Schulz, you expressed a desire to do a syndicated carton strip. Is this still a yearning of yours, perhaps even to see Kixie syndicated?
TM: I would love that. Really love it. I was just thinking today how glad I am that I did the Paradise TOO comics. Glad that I made myself publish the old strips and come up with new cartoons and get them out there rather than let it all die in a drawer. I am happiest when I am cartooning. How I got on this semi-real track is confounding sometimes. Cartooning is what I do naturally. My whole personality is geared towards it. But when I couldn't come up with a syndicate strip I made the SIP comics and next thing you know it's a million years later. Katchoo was very jealous of my time.
DO'L: I understand that the character of Katchoo and her sexual preferences got you shunned from your church when some of the congregation read it. You've said that you have not been able to look at the church the same way since. Is this still the case years later?
TM: Yes. As a straight man writing about gay issues back then, I suffered just a taste of the scorn and prejudice gay people face. The experiences left me feeling alienated and disillusioned with conservative Christians. I'm sorry to say that's not going to change in my lifetime. I am still comforted by the thought of God, but not by the church. There is a difference, you know.
DO'L: Just to switch to your Marvel work for a moment. You worked on the wildly popular Runaways series. Not many young adult books have such a following as Runaways. But as with the case with some titles these days, the title is enjoying a lot of its success in trade form more so than when the initial issues shipped. Did you receive more feedback when the trade shipped or when the single issues were being published?
TM: Yes I did, as a matter of fact. When the single issues were published there was no feedback at all. I thought, well hell, nobody's reading it so I must be wasting my time, so I stopped. Then the collections came out and the feedback starts and people like it and... weird huh? It's like when an actor makes a movie that comes out two years later. By the time we want to talk to him about it, he's moved on. I'm glad people like the stories though.
DO'L: Music played an important part in SiP. Have you ever thought of putting music to the lyrics or even publishing a lyric book of them?
TM: Most of the lyrics in SiP do have music to them. I recorded some on my laptop with an acoustic guitar and sent the cds to 2 or 3 people. None of them replied so I thought they must sound awful (you know, like no-answer is an answer) and gave up any notion of recording them properly. I did publish a SiP lyrics and poems collection back in the late 90's. I think at the end of the 2nd series.
Cover to SiP
DO'L: Sections of SiP were written in prose form and were actually really well written. Do you have any desire to write a full length novel down the road?
TM: Yes, I want to write a book. I practised in SiP, trying to get my readers used to the idea, looking for feedback. That went well. I was not discouraged enough to quit, so I still plan to give it a shot someday.
DO'L: Have you any news on the movie development of Echo?
TM: Just that things with Lloyd Levin are moving along. He is serious about making a great Echo movie. Checks have been written, contracts signed. We'll see what happens. Movies take a long time though. Patience, patience.
Echo #12 Cover
DO'L: Terry, many thanks for your time in talking with us and all the best for the future.
TM: Thanks!
Many thanks for Terry taking the time to talk with us. Coming up next time we are going to be joined by industry legend, Joe Kubert for a brief chat. Join us then.
Interviewer Bio
Name: David O' Leary
email: idwfan@yahoo.co.uk
Been reading comics: for about 12 years now.
Review Bio: I am a 26-year-old Hotel Manager from the west coast of the Republic of Ireland and think this is a great way to talk to others about this cool medium. I am a husband to one wife and father to one girl (so far).
Favorites: ONI's Whiteout, Vertigo's Scalped and Garth Ennis Preacher and Punisher in Trades. In comic form I am reading a lot of Marvel and a bit of IDW, Dark Horse & WildStorm among others.
Website: Sorry, I don't have one!
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