On May 6, comic-book writer/illustrator Terry Moore posted on his Twitter account: "Drew the last panel of the last page of Echo tonight. I think I'll take the rest of the night off."

The quiet ending was a contrast to the New York wrap party thrown for one of the stars of independent comics when Moore's Strangers in Paradise series ended in 2007.

SiPwas a 13-year project that put Moore in the spotlight as the creator of Katchoo, Francine and David, who have a complicated relationship and ties to a crime syndicate. The self-published black-and-white comic book allowed Moore to quit his day job as a TV editor.SiPwon an Eisner Award, National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award for Best Comic Book and GLAAD Award for Best Comic Book.

"Terry Moore is one of the comic-book universe's leading independent creators. Proving that you don't need to work for Marvel or DC to be successful, Terry Moore has carved out his own corner of the comic-book industry through self-publishing and putting out the best comics he can create," said Ron Richards, of iFanboy.com, a comic-book discussion site. "He, along with Jeff Smith and Dave Sim are considered to be one of the most successful indie creators in comics history."

Moore combines cartooning with emotion, Richards said. "Terry Moore tells stories in comic/graphic novel form that are personal, engaging and as good, if not better, than any stories being told on television or traditional prose novels."

An SiP fan, Richards was worried Moore's second work, Echo, would not measure up to his debut. Richards was pleased to discover the sci-fi thriller, though nothing like SiP, was an engaging story.

"His art is at it's top form, and the storytelling has been more than solid," Richards said.

Movie is planned

The final issue of Echo(No. 30, Abstract Studio, $3.50), will be in bookstores this month to conclude the story of photographer Julie Martin, who is pelted by fallout from a military experiment that gives her special powers and problems. Producer Lloyd Levin (Watchmen,Hellboy,United 93) bought the rights to Echo.

"A movie is supposed to go into production this year," said the quiet-spoken Moore, who likes to give women starring roles in his stories.

"I would rather draw a woman than a man. If I could only draw men, I don't think I would draw at all," he said. "Ever since I was a little boy, I have been drawing cartoons that had a girl as a central character. When I look at my old sketchbooks from when I was like 8, 9 or 10, I was doing that. It's just something that I do naturally. I was born this way."

Moore works in his studio on the second floor of his Houston home. He wakes midmorning and handles email and other work-related chores. After lunch, he works at his drawing board until 1 or 2 a.m. He keeps a supply of Dr Pepper nearby, and the TV is on when he is inking.

His wife, Robyn, has a desk in the studio to manage his paperwork.

"I probably would have been in jail long ago without her," Moore said, referring mostly to the tax tangles that come from selling merchandise in other states.

Moore turned to independent comics when he realized he could get his work into readers' hands more quickly that way.

"I love the expediency and no filters. It appealed to me as a storyteller," he said. "All I do is make the book totally myself and have it printed. And then the distributor picks it up from the printer. And the distributor trucks it out to the world. Very simple system."

It sounds simple, but there is a lot of networking involved. When Moore started, it was easier to break into the comic-book business.

"The difference is, in 1993, comics was a $1 billion industry, and it was a very open business. All newcomers were welcome. Now the industry is very small, and it is very difficult to get in," he said. "The retailers are really supported by the big companies, Marvel, DC, IDW and Darkhorse. So the independent cartoonist has a very difficult time grabbing the attention of an audience now."

New supernatural story

When Moore isn't working on his stories, he takes on side projects such as Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane (Marvel) and Runaways(Marvel). He is working on a Sleeping Beauty story for Issue 107 of Fables(Vertigo), which follows the lives of fairy-tale characters in the modern world.

Rachel Rising, his third independent project, will launch in July. Rachel, the protagonist, is dead, and serial killers are involved.

"I am sitting on a lot of details because I think it's fun and charming to learn it as you read it. But I can say that it's going to be a supernatural story," Moore said. "That's a genre I have been interested in since I was 12 or 13, so I'm finally getting my chance to write something like that."

Moore said he wants to re-create the creepy feeling that you get from an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

"I've had a lot of goals in my previous work about trying to hit certain emotional buttons, and a lot of the time I have managed that," he said. "Now I am going to see if I can make a reader get the creeps just with a comic book. And I figure if I can do that, it will be a real accomplishment because how hard is it to do that reading a comic book?"

lana.berkowitz@chron.com