I’m just kind of curious. Rich Johnston (who has graduated from simply running assorted rumor…I’m sorry, rumour…bits strung together to actual whole investigative columns about things that matter) has done a very interesting commentary and overview of the upcoming sure-to-be-controversial “Lost Girls” which apparently the author, Alan Moore, himself describes as pornographic. It’s high-priced, but hey, it’s Moore. So I was curious as to whether anyone here was planning to order it.
PAD
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I don’t have the $$$ to order it immediately but I plan on purchasing it at some point. I’m a fan of Moore although I do not automatically purchase everything he does. The story itself looks intriguing – I’m always interested when modern authors tweak existing characters from literature (as in Moore’s LoEG). Frankly, the pornographic element is the least interesting aspect to me. I’d rather see “the girls” as outer-space detectives or ninja cowgirls or something…
1 I was curious about it when I first started to hear about it which was well before I heard all this controversy stuff. Being Moore, I’m interested in checking it out but the price tag turned me off. I can buy too many comics for that price. I’m just letting my buddy with the GOOD paying job know about it so HE can order it and maybe let me read it. 🙂
I am (of course), though not until my next royalty check.
What I’m interested in seeing is how the police handle it. I can very easily see cops down here in Texas regarding it as child pornography. In which case, will they pull it from the store shelves? Will I be in trouble for buying it?
I am tempted to buy it, and have let my comic book shop know I am intersted. The art style just does not appeal to me. (I prefer the tradational comic book look ex. Leondard Kirk) But with Moore’s writing style I am very tempted to get it.
I’ll usually order anything Moore does but this seriously doesn’t hold any interest for me. The goal seems to have beem to write something not just sexually explicit but actually pornographic. I’m sure it’s the best written pørņ out there but that’s not enough of an incentive. The price seals the deal.
I’m ordering one. Anyone’s dangerous to blindly follow, but Moore’s trying to do something different here.
The price is a little prohibitive, but I spent just as much on Marvel and DC Comics I didn’t like.
I’ll look at it. If it seems worth while, maybe I’ll pick it up. We’ll see.
When Moore says “pornographic” he probably means it as a compliment.
I bought and skimmed LG when it first came out in pamphlet form, and I’m afraid I didn’t make it past the first few pages. It’s definitely erotic or, as the kids today say, Not Safe For Work. I won’t be buying the hardcover collection, as erotic comics don’t hold much interest for me.
I don’t buy it because I don’t like the art.
I probably will, although I think I’ll be giving my wife the head’s up that I’ll be adding something pornographic to the book shelves. Like Elayne, I read the first few chapters when they came out years ago. Unlike Elayne I was intrigued by where Moore was going with this.
Being in Canada is going to present its own challenges. Diamond is not going to distribute it for fear of Canada Customs. It makes me wonder if both national booksellers – Chapters and Amazon – might hit similar problems. However, both list the book, and at discount. I think Chapters has it for $54 Canadian, which is a very good price.
I’ll be in San Francisco in August and I’d be tempted to buy it there, but as silly as it sounds, after reading Rich’s article, I have some concerns about being hassled by customs on the way back to Canada.
Should be an interesting summer, if nothing else.
Like Elayne but unlike Craig, I didn’t care for the earlier pamphlet/chapter I read. Alan Moore has become a bit disconnected with this fan, but if his growth steers him away then that’s okay. It’s all just personal taste. (The fact that it’s pornographic doesn’t dissuade me, it’s the story-teller and the wife that do.)
Nope, not for me, but defend his right to publish it. Off topic but might be intrest to PAD: We have a local man going for the World Record for Bowling 100+ hours with 15 min breaks every 8 hrs. His Blog: http://bowling102.blogspot.com/
Probably not. I know Melinda Gebbie is Moore’s main squeeze, but she is not a very good artist. An undertaking like this called for an artist to meet the challenge. Ms. Gebbie’s work is mediocre at best.
OT Does anyone else find it strange that Moore, who’s best work is done playing with the creation of others, is so outraged by the liberties taken with his work (sepecifically when made into movies)?
I will absolutely buy it. Moore is my favorite writer, and the two issues that saw print back in 1996 were fascinating. I’m really looking forward to it.
I ordered the signed/numbered edition direct from Top Shelf.
I think this is one of the more important comic works, certainly one of the more important recent works, and am genuinely interested in seeing where Moore and Gebbie go with this work of “pornography” for pornography’s sake and how they get there.
Will I agree with and like everything they put on each page? Probably not, but my library would be pretty boring if it only contained books I agree with 100% – how would I determine my own opinions if I do not question or challenge them?
The price is putting me off, but dear God, I do want it. “Hey, it’s Moore” should be a critical blurb on the front cover.
I bought and enjoyed the original serialization, and was looking forward to more. I like the concept, I enjoy Moore’s use of the comic page, and Gebbie’s art has exactly the level of whimsy neccessary to make it all work.
But not at that price. Even with an earlier taste, it has been long enough that I would like to see the product before purchasing. At that price point most shops aren’t going to stock it. In that format, most shops will shrink-wrap it if they do carry it. And that is before the fact that it is pørņ and may be kiddie-pørņ, which will scare off all but the largest stores wanting to make a statement.
(I am also concerned about the kiddie-pørņ aspect. Partially because I am not sure that even if done well it can be done tatstefully. And partially becuase even if done tastefully it’s not my kink. But mostly because of the stink it has raised, and that based on Moore’s current public persona, I think that is exactly why he wrote it. And when someone – even Alan Moore – goes into a project wanting to “make a statement”, the story always suffers.)
Sure, why not? It’s an opportunity to have a rational explanation for why I have pørņ on my bookshelf. And maybe it will be good.
Not really interested. The fact that it’s Moore doesn’t move me. Its price deters me. I guess I applaud his attempt to create the work he wants, regardless of what public opinion might be, and I appreciate that he’s trying to elevate the comic form to something that’s not really been done before.
PAD (and anyone else):
As a father, particularly of a very young child, I’m curious for how you plan on handling this and plenty of other graphic novels/comics.
Growing up in a not-very-conservative household, I was never told that I couldn’t read any of the prose on my parents’ shelves (there weren’t any graphic novels). But something like this, I guess I’d prefer not to have to explain it to my kids if they pull it off the shelf. And I certainly wouldn’t want to have to explain it to my kids’ friends or their parents. At least before, say, high school.
So, the only satisfying solution I’ve had is to get a “locking” bookshelf with glass doors over the shelves, although I’m sure this will just foster more curiosity later on. It’s a real dilemma.
-Josh
Josh-
Well we have another option since my studio is a no-go zone for the kids without me there. So anything we don’t want them to get into goes out there. One option is to put it on a high shelf and not make a big deal about it. The less they know that it is there the less chance that they go to look at it. My parents did have a shelf that they put books that they informed us that we could not touch without their permission. Most were fiction books with a scene or two of more adult content like the Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosinski who also work Being There and Deliverance by James Dickey. Eventually I did read those books but only after I was in college.
also wrote Being There…..darn fingers.
Yep, most def. I ordered the signed edition too, although alas some superhero titles were put to the budgetary sacrificial sword. The art alone is worth the price IMO.
I’ve really no interest… Alan Moore hasn’t done a lot lately that I’ve wanted to read.
I’m not sure if I’ll get it or not, either right away or down the road.
I have no reason to not take him at face value, so I can’t really question his approach (whether he’s really trying to make ‘pornography’ into art, etc) with this project. But I do give Moore credit for trying something different.
I’m torn. At first I was a “ABSOLUTELY.” But then a few things started to sink in: 1) Price-My wife if the only current earner and unless I have a job it will be hard to explain to her AND myself, 2) I like 95% of what Moore writes (leaving the REALLY weird stuff on the shelf) but I don’t know if the topic is all that interesting, and 3) I’m don’t buy the argument that this is a “most important” work in comics today just because it breaks boundaries.
After all that I’m 60/40 against. I would like to read/preview a couple of chapters before buying.
-tpl
I have the first two issues from awhile back. They were O.K. but I’ll probably wait to see if Amazon.com Marketplace has a real good price before I buy it. I am getting less and less interested in Moore these days. Maybe it is his posturing (sp?) or maybe the new meds are finally working.
Bobb
My husband’s main interest in this is for Dorothy, since he’s a big Wizard of Oz fan. He also likes Alice in Wonderland and other childrens lit. For now, though, the buzz and the price are holding him back from buying it. He’s considering trying to pick up a used copy later.
For me, I’m icked out because it has child pornography… even though it’s drawn it still icks me out. If not for my husband’s devotion to getting anything Wizard of Oz related that he can (and usually being surprisingly non-judgemental about even the works he finds to be very non-Ozzy), I wouldn’t consider getting this book at all.
When I first heard about the book I heard “Dorothy, Alice and Wendy grown up and exploring their sexuality” I thought, eh, but fine. I figured I’d snag a copy if one ever came my way, since I know the hubby would like it in his collection of Oz and Oz-related books. It’s the revelation that later chapters include what amounts to child pørņ that puts me off. That crosses a line.
I won’t stop my husband from getting it, but I think I don’t really want it.
I propose that CBLDF roll out a big fundraiser in conjunction with the release of LOST GIRLS.
I suspect they’ll need it.
🙂
That crosses a line.
I guess this is where I must ask: where IS the line?
This is hand-drawn art, not pictures, of children.
Is there a difference between, say, a book that contains child pørņ and art? Art and a photo?
I suspect I know what the answer would be in some parts of this country (somebody mentioned Texas, and rightly so), but not in others.
I would totally buy it if I had the money (dámņ college).
I’m of the opinion that somewhere between LOEG v1 and LOEG v2, Alan found himself strolling down a beach somewhere, when he saw a beached Great White. “Bet I can leap over that,” he must have thought to himself, and them proceeded to do so.
Not for me. First off, the price is too high. I’m sure it’s a beautiful piece of printing in a high quality package, but $75.00 is simply too much for me to invest in self-described “pornography”. I can’t imagine even Alan Moore making sexual positions interesting enough for that. Besides, if I wanted drawings of a gajillion sexual positions (which I can’t honestly say I do), I can get a used copy of the Kama Sutra a lot less expensively. Additionally, I’m not a big fan of this artist. I enjoyed the Cobweb stories, but those were taken in much smaller doses. So, no. I just don’t see that there’s a whole lot here to appeal to me.
I just hope that this isn’t indicative of where Mr. Moore is going. As much as I’m looking forward to the eventual publication of the next LoEG installment, if it runs to a $50 + very nice package, I’ll probably skip that, too.
Hadn’t even heard it was coming out. Could someone provide a link to the Rich Johnston (who?) mention and/or to a description of the book. Comments here suggest it’s pricey, but I haven’t found any mention yet of what teh price is!
I’ve got the “Lost Girls” issues from some time ago and would be curious to see how the story finishes, but doubt I’ll go buy it anytime soon.
Used to love all of his stuff back (way back) in the Swamp Thing, Killing Joke, “For teh Man Who Has Everything” days. He hits about 50/50 with me now.
(Top 10, Tom Strong: yes. Promethia: indulgent, The “Suburban Romance” for a buck or two at a recent clearance sale: Huh???).
So I doubt I’ll get it unless I happen to come accross it deeply discounted.
I guess this is where I must ask: where IS the line?
I wish I knew. I know that “pornography featuring characters from childrens literature grown up” didn’t trigger the “ick”, but the words “pornography featuring characters from childrens literature exploring their sexuality as children, sometimes with adults” did.
I don’t have much use for pørņ. But pørņ with children in it really bothers me, even if it’s all artwork, and even if the context and meaning are all there and supported and all. I just have no desire to see it. And if my husband should get it, I’m not really sure I’ll be reading it.
After much hemming and hawing, i have decided to buy it. It was a tough decision. i am a teacher, a father of two little girls, and not much of a Moore fan. There was so much buzz about this book that i had to look into it. i bought the $5 version of the first three chapters off Amazon and enjoyed them. However, tghe $75 price tag threw me right off. So, imagine my surpriase when I saw it on Amazon a few days ago for $45! So, I figured at that price I can buy it, read it, and decide if it is worth all the fuss. If I like it, I will keep it (someplace up high where the girls have to ask to get to it), and if I don’t like it, I can ebay it to some other curious soul without the stress of trying to get top dollar for it once the furor dies down. If nothing else, it is exciting to own something which has polarized the comics/literary community to this degree. Once the book has come out I look forward to engaging in a real debate over the merits of the piece.
On a side note, the book is going to be delivered to my house on the same day as the season 2 box set for Veronica Mars. hat should be an interesting viewing/reading combination.
garbonzo
It depicts children having sex with each other, and with adults. I had enough problems with the sexual contact between 11- or 12-year-olds in Stephen King’s It. I’ll pass on this one.
I’m leaning towards no at the moment. It’s new Alan Moore work and that makes me seriously consider it. On the other hand, I have a number of ABC books sitting unread on my shelves that I can fill that itch with, without spending any more money. And, more importantly, I’m not all that interested in more Oz/Wonderland/Never Never Land mythology. It’s just not my cuppa. I’m curious about the work, but not enough to spend the money. I wish Top Shelf luck with it, though.
I’ll wait on it, as expensive versions always seem to be followed by inexpensive versions.
Since this topic has dealt a lot with pørņ (one of my favorite genres, BTW), here’s a question: Is something pornographic if it’s not meant to be titillating? There are very explicit sexual scenes in James Joyce’s ULYSSES, William S. Burroughs’ NAKES LUNCH, and Stephen King’s IT (which may be the only time the latter book is grouped with the first two), yet none of these are considered “stroke books” or thought of as primarily pornographic. Does having poentially erotic material portrayed in a non-erotic form still count as pornographic? I’m thinking of the person/people who didn’t want SCHINDLER’S LIST aired on network TV because it had nudity, as if people would watch this gripping, depressing Holocaust film and leave with happiness that they saw naked people. I haven’t read LOST GIRLS, but I doubt that Alam Moore wrote it as a glorified Penthouse Forum letter.
And for those who do like written pornography, some of my favorites:
MAINSTREAM: The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty series (BEAUTY’S CAPTURE, BEAUTY’S PUNISHMENT, BEAUTY’S RELEASE), written upder a pseudonym by Anne Rice.
COMICS: XXXENOPHILE by Phil Foglio. This had creativity, humor, great art, brilliant writing, and hot action. (The sadly out-of-print collection BIG BOOK O’ FUN had this wonderful plug by Harlan Ellison: “I read this comic. I enjoy this comic. But I’m a well known pervert, so what the hëll does my opinion matter?”)
EROTIC NOVEL: WHITE ROSE ENSNARED by Juliet Hastings. This is my favorite of the Black Lace series of books. As for the contents… wow.
Woot!
Definitely not buying the folio edition. With new car payments taking a bite out of my budget, I’m unlikely to be dropping $75 for a book at this point.
Would I get a softcover at $30? Well, still unlikely. I’m not really a Moore fan…I’ve enjoyed some stuff of his and not cared for other stuff.
Would I order it through my comic shop if I did decide to get it? Hëll no. And I’m hoping they don’t carry it at all…even if the Kansas laws against child pornography don’t explicitly include drawn pørņ, I don’t want the only shop in 60 miles of me shut down due to the cost of defending against a test case. With the gubernatorial races starting up here, you can bet “coming down hard on those who would prey on our precious children” card is gonna get played a lot, even if it’s just virtual children.
Of course I’m going to buy it. I get a dealer discount, and it’s going to be one of those things I’ll kick myself later for if I don’t.
And it’s Alan Moore. I may not like everything he does, but he doesn’t bore me.
As to Melinda Gebbie’s art, well…it seems to fit the time period.
Since no actual children were injured in the writing/drawing of this book, I don’t really care about that aspect of it.
I believe Rich’s column is featured on http://www.comicbookresources.com.
Laura, just in case you don’t have any idea where the line is, I have no doubt whatsoever that there will be a lot of people who will be trying to tell you where that line is when the book comes out. And I feel equally certain will not have even cracked the front cover before preaching to us about that line.
And I am the only one who finds the idea of a used Kama Sutra a bit gross? That, in my humble opinon may be crossing the line.
I’m buying it. It’s a bit pricey, but my local shop gives me 20% off pre-orders so what the hëll. I’m all for well-written erotica, I’ve always been a fan of Oz & Neverland stuff (Less so Wonderland), and it’s always interesting to see how Moore messes with conventions.
Not even tempted…
Price: Amazon has it for $47 — which is a bit less than $75.
It’s 240 pages, so that’s the equivalent of 10 comic books, which would normally cost around $30.
And it’s a hardback, which will make it more durable.
I don’t go for pørņ. I don’t go for slash fanfic (which this is, despite the pedigree). And I find any sort of kiddie pørņ to be offensive, quite honestly.
Will it have some artistic merit? Probably. Would I buy it if it weren’t merely pørņ? I’m not sure, since I suspect that Moore’s take on the heroines would be the opposite of mine. (I would add that I don’t think there is anything about Dorothy or Wendy or Alice that I think would make them interesting adults, though I am probably wrong.)
Would I protest Moore’s choice to do this? Certainly not from a freedom of speech POV, with the caveat that given the current climate, he might be asking for trouble. But I do wonder why a writer of his skill has been turning out so many derivative works these past few years. At least this time he can use the actual characters instead of Superman and Wonder Woman analogues, but it seems interesting where he’s let his talents take him.
I can’t see myself buying it, even if I did have the cash for it. Derivative works can be great (and that includes LoEG as well as some nonprofit fanfic), but the idea of looking at self-consciously pornorgraphic images about child sexuality skeeves me out in a major way.
I’m buying it (my pre-order place is selling it for $45), but with reservation. It’s comforting to know I could eBay it off if it repulses me. But I trust Moore enough to at least try the book.
I think I’ll take a pass on this one. I love Moore’s work but, from everything I’ve read or heard about this project, this just doesn’t sit in the “my cuppa tea” category.
Then there’s the whole price issue. I could really use that $$$$$ on much better entertainment purchases.
I put a purchase in for the signed edition. So that would be a “yep, I’m buying it and looking forward to reading it”.