Magic Words

Reviews / Votes

"In Magic Words Lance Parkin has crafted a biography that is insightful, scrupulously fair-minded and often very funny, a considerable achievement given its unrelentingly grim, unreasonable and annoying subject. Belongs on the bookshelf of any halfway decent criminal profiler." "Magic Words is a highly readable biography, never becoming too embedded in its comic book history elements to alienate the reader who isn't interested in its minutiae, but still providing plenty of food for thought." "This biography is a great success and by far the finest book on Moore in existence (not to mention that it's probably the most beautiful hardcover I've ever seen) ... Colloquial, smart and often funny, the book will appeal to multiple audiences - scholars, fans, and general readers who want to know about the Magus and his mediums." "In Magic Words Lance Parkin has crafted a biography that is insightful, scrupulously fair-minded and often very funny, a considerable achievement given its unrelentingly grim, unreasonable and annoying subject. Belongs on the bookshelf of any halfway decent criminal profiler."

"A remarkably lavish thing, with black-tipped pages, a purple spine, inset illustrations, cartoons, and photos... This is quite literally the book that fans have been starving for over the course of decades to take its place alongside the more art-based books and interview collections that have appeared in recent years. Here you have a book that places Moore alongside other great cultural movers and shakers well beyond the sphere of comics and it's an excellent resource for gaining a wider understanding of the man and his work."

"It is completist, and yet it never once approaches being overbearing. It is a book that deserves its level of introspection and intimacy with its subject... Parkin shows consummate knowledge of his subject, and the end result of it all is that you do see how vital to modern publishing Moore is, and therefore how essential this book is to everyone vaguely interested in comics... Brilliant."

"Superbly researched and lucidly argued, Magic Words encourages the reader to step back from the gallery of supposedly Manichean controversies and ossified preconceptions. With a determination to focus on the light rather than the heat of things, Parkin lends many of the most apparently unchallengeable aspects of Moore's career a new perspective... the portrait of its subject that emerges is enticingly fresh and repeatedly contrary to received wisdom... the disconnected expressions of genius and bloodymindedness are reframed as the product of one fascinating individual and his fiercely held principles and aspirations. It's a well-played accomplishment that makes Parkin's smart-minded analysis of Moore's work all the more compelling... I can only suggest that you drop everything and search out a copy of 'Magic Words' right now."

"Magic Words is a book that manages to cater to all the different levels of the Moore fandom, whilst remaining simple and easy enough to read if you have never even heard of him. It is a biography that can be critical on occasion and at least once downright heartbreaking, but it is a fantastic and fitting portrait of a man who may, or may not be one of the greatest living comics writers of our time."

"Lance Parkin is witty and informed. He is a devotee of Moore's work, but not uncritical. He's also happy to point out his protagonist's contradictions. You come away with an understanding of Moore the artist, but his day-to day life remains discreetly hidden. Just, you suspect, as Moore likes it."

"**** A surprisingly balanced biography that through carefully deployed new and archival interviews doesn't always find Moore on the right side of the argument. Lovingly presented with a glistening spot UV cover and black-cornered pages, it's an essential primer for even the most casual comic-book fan."

"The real story behind Britain's most influential writer. No, not JK Rowling, but Alan Moore, the man who created V is for Vendetta, From Hell and Halo. Lance Parkin's biography will have you running to read them again."

"Magic Words shines brightest when it aims its insight at Moore's work. Parkin's dissection of Moore's vast oeuvre, the opuses and the marginalia, are penetrating and fresh, with plenty of cogent contextualization regarding the history of comics as it pertains to Moore, and vice versa. And his breakdown of Moore's creative process is fascinating in both its detail and its eerie quietude."