Breaking News: Additional Alan Moore concepts to be integrated into DC Universe

Report by Tsuitachi Yongatsu, Staff Writer, Los Angeles

American superhero comics publisher DC Comics has announced plans to absorb additional characters and storylines conceptualised by legendary British writer Alan Moore into its mainstream continuity.

“It’s an exciting time to be a reader of DC Comics,” said DC Comics’ creative director Geoff Johns in a press statement. “This is an injection of old blood into the vibrant kaleidoscope which is the DC Universe.”

Mr Moore announced his retirement from writing comic books last year and has published several novels. Many of the concepts which he developed while with imprint America’s Best Comics, and prior to that, are legally owned by DC Comics.

In 2017 DC Comics commenced a storyline whereby the classic 1986 graphic novel Watchmen was integrated into DC Comics’ mainstream continuity. In 2018, DC Comics introduced the character Promethea into the pages of Justice League of America, and Tom Strong into a new title called The Terrifics. Both Promethea (1999-2005) and Tom Strong (1999-2006) were titles created by Mr Moore and clearly stood apart from DC Comics’ stable of characters and within their own discrete storylines.

The next integration revolve around The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, a comic book set in the early 1900s. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen consisted of or are based upon characters from from HG Wells’ 1897 novel The Invisible Man, Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula, H. Ryder Haggard’s novels, Jules Verne’s 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea, and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde, written in 1886 by Robert Louis Stephenson.

The new publication will look at events immediately following the victory over a Martian invasion (draw from HG Wells’ classic 1897 novel War of the Worlds) and will include several characters known to regular readers of DC Comics:

a. Abin Sur, the predecessor to the current characters in Green Lantern;

b. Dr Fate, but with the Helm of Nabu wielded by an immortal Queen Victoria;

c. the time-travelling hero Rip Hunter; d. Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons and mother of Wonder Woman.

The expanded League will fight the older brother of Darkseid, a perennial DC Comics villain, called Bachseid.

“We’re really excited about this new project,” said Mr Johns. The revived title will be launched in May 2018.

Later in the year DC Comics will launch a similarly revived but adult-themed title under its Vertigo Comics imprint incorporating the characters from Mr Moore’s title Lost Girls (1991-2, 2006). Lost Girls featured characters based upon Alice from Alice in Wonderland, Wendy from Peter Pan, and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. The characters will be under the adult-themed leadership of a character instantly recognisable to longstanding readers of DC Comics, Hoppy the Marvel Bunny.

“These awesome characters were just lying around, and needed to be dusted off and exposed to the light of day,” said Mr Johns. “Besides, we figured that if we were going to screw over Alan Moore, we may as well do it in all ways possible.”

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