TALES OF TELGUUTH: A TRIBUTE TO STEVE MOORE

Written By:

Joel Harley

COMIC BOOK REVIEW: TALES OF TELGUUTH: A TRIBUTE TO STEVE MOORE / AUTHOR: STEVE MOORE / ARTIST: VARIOUS / PUBLISHER: 2000AD / RELEASE DATE: MARCH 12TH

Telguuth: a planet of perverse wonders lost amidst the whirling suns of the galactic hub. So precedes Steve Moore’s Tales of Telguuth, a collection of short, sharp comic book shocks H.P Lovecraft himself would have been impressed by. George R.R. Martin too, if the medieval cruelty on display is anything to go by.

Released to commemorate Moore’s passing last year, 2000AD has published this collection of his fantasy series, paying tribute to one of British comics’ most distinctive voices. The format will be familiar to fans of Tharg’s Future Shocks (the first of which was written by Moore himself) – short and self-contained, usually with a humorously bleak or ironic ending, thick with fantastic imagery that’ll stick around in one’s memory for a long time afterwards. Some of Moore’s Telguuth-set Future Shocks are included here, as well as everything else developed for 2000AD on the planet. In addition to the shorter stories, there are a few longer ones too; these don’t always work quite so well, but the lengthier stay is appreciated. Sumptuously illustrated by a veritable who’s who of British 2000AD talent – from Greg Staples to Paul Johnson (who’s work fits the stories best) – it’s a fantastic collection with some great world building at play. Talking Heads, Music of the Spheres and To Become a God are perhaps the book’s best, although there’s so much here that it’s hard to pin down a top five. The last few stories are perhaps the weakest, although that’s more of an issue with the newer art than it is the writing. One of Moore’s classic Future Shocks is also included, giving the book its closest thing to a belly-laugh moment.

Accompanied by an affectionate foreword by comics legend Alan Moore (no relation), Tales of Telguuth is a beautiful and lively collection of stories which does a great job of paying tribute to its writer. It’s a bittersweet read, then, but one of the best fans of horror, fantasy, comics or 2000AD will ever get. That Alan Moore loves Telguuth should tell(guuth) readers all they need to know about the place.

At once terrifying, hilarious and memorable, Tales of Telguuth will give you even more nightmares than eating rats’ testicles before bed.

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