Bookbinding

Maison Ikkoku custom hardcovers

This doesn't have anything to do with Alan Moore, but is another set of hardcovers I had custom bound. One of my all-time favorite comic series is Rumiko Takahashi's Maison Ikkoku. Takahashi is insanely successful for her comedic fantasy series, such as Ranma 1/2. But before that, she did a sweet, slice-of-life romantic comedy about tenants in a boarding house. I collected the Viz issues back when they published them as floppies, and flipped the pages to be read in the Western, left-to-right fashion. I find that easier than the Japanese style right-to-left reading pattern U.S. publishers use now. I also liked having the artwork nice and big, as opposed to the little manga books. So I had my collection bound into four huge hardcovers. I bound in the chapters Viz didn't initially publish in the U.S. (fearing American audiences wouldn't understand Japanese culture) and made some nice dust jackets. Let me know what you think!

 

Outbreaks of Violets custom hardcover

 

In 1995 Alan Moore wrote the text for a set of 24 cards, called Outbreaks of Violets, which were given away at the MTV Europe Music Awards 1995. The theme for the awards was Random Acts of Kindness, so Moore created a story to reflect that. He designed his story to be told through 24 postcards. Each had artwork created by a different European artist and Moore wrote the story on the back. It was funny and ironic and optimistic and awesome. If you've never read it, you're missing out.

 

You can read the whole thing here.

This authentic portfolios feature the artwork and story from each postcard told through 24 pages.

 

  

Each page also features a biography of the artist and another piece of art created by the artist with their interpretation of the theme: Random Acts of Kindness. This format allows the reader to see the art and read each postcard for the Moore story through the portfolio, but also allowed each artist to not only create part of Moore's work but also to create their own, as well.

 

 

The authentic portfolios were huge. They measured about 16.5 inches by 11 inches. They're also incredibly rare. These were only made for the audience at the award show and few were kept. There are reports that a fire burned the extras.

My recreation is smaller: 13 inches by 8.75 inches, but I increased the size of the postcard images on the pages so they would print the correct size. I recreated the look of it with exposed board covers, but made a velcro latch to mimic the sticker seal on the authentic one.

 

Crossed + 100 custom hardcover

I think Crossed + 100 is the best of Alan Moore's recent output. An intelligent take on how science fiction is linked with hope for the future, even in a world full of zombies. I made this hardcover with the wonderful resource material from The Periodic Fable.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

 

 V for Vendetta slipcase

Normally I collect hardcovers of Alan Moore’s books, but I found a trade paperback of V for Vendetta signed by Moore and got David Lloyd to sign and sketch in it for me. 

So I wanted to find a nice way to protect it. I decided to take a cheap used hardcover to make a slipcase by ripping out the guts and putting ends on the top and the bottom. I think it turned out pretty nice.