SUPREME #63

I noticed this in 2010 when I was reading Neonomicon, Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows' mini-series about H.P. Lovecraft. & I realized it again when reading this issue. The reason I think Alan Moore is a great writer (and perhaps the best comic book writer ever) is the way his books envelope you. There's a lot of words in his books so it takes awhile to read them...but it's more than that. The plot that fits like a complete jigsaw puzzle, the strange, thrilling aura of everything; when you read an Alan Moore book it simply takes over, washes over you, and lets you escape somewhere unique. Moore obviously doesn't write much anymore, and his best days are certainly behind him, but he still has the power to knock your socks off, to wow you, to make you smile when reading a picture book of all things. Moore wrote Supreme in the 90's and this was the last issue he wrote. It was a cliffhanger and it was never published so this year when re-launching a handful of old Rob Liefeld Extreme Studios books they decided to get Erik Larsen to draw the last Alan Moore script and then continue on his own. So this is possibly the last ever mainstream superhero book Alan Moore will ever write. & what a glorious, bizarre, ecstatic finish. Larsen is at the top of his game here but the dialogue and story are downright intriguing and chock full of hilarity and entertainment. First off; a duck/man character is referred to as not only the "canard of carnage" but the "waterfowl of woe" and the "poultry of paranoia." How fun is that shit? The story has Supreme's nemesis, Dax, traveling to a parallel world of all Dax's and Supreme's new girlfriend showing up for a dinner date. Trust me, though, it's filled to the brim with awesomeness. What a treat. What a great issue. I already miss Alan Moore. Sigh. ****