Moore’s stories portray a dark, shadowy interpretation of the world, where reality often seems close to collapse. Despite this pessimistic atmosphere, he maintains a bright view of the future and rejects pessimism as unhelpful. He argues that pessimism does not prepare people to respond when terrible events occur. He says optimism is necessary to imagine possible solutions and to find ways around looming problems. His recent Long London novel series focuses on the past century through a sprawling fantasy spanning genres, real and forgotten figures, and mythical imaginatively fictional elements. The series uses a roving 50-year timeline and blends humor with imaginative depictions of London, including postwar settings filled with sorcerers, artists, gangsters, and unsettling creatures.
"“While it might very well turn out to be the correct view of the future, pessimism is stupid,” Moore tells Inverse. “It doesn't achieve anything. It doesn't make you any more prepared to react or respond when the terrible, pessimistic thing happens. And you need optimism in order to imagine a possible solution to all this, in order to imagine our way around it.”"
"Often, his work offers a dark, shadowy interpretation of the larger world around us. Whether depicting the ominous rise of fascist regimes in V for Vendetta or the wavering battle to protect the planet's fragile ecosystem in Swamp Thing, reality always seems poised on the brink of collapse in Moore's oeuvre. And yet, the comics legend continues to hold a bright view of the future - even if it's a future none of us seems able to imagine."
"A sprawling fantasy that spans various genres, characters (both real and largely forgotten, as well as mythical and imaginatively fictional), and distinct historical settings, the world of Long London has been Moore's foremost creative focus since his retirement from comics in 2022. Set over a roving 50-year timeline, the Long London series finds Moore conjuring up his most imaginative, ambitious, laugh-out-loud humorous portrayal of England's capital city to date."
"In the first book in the series, The Great When (2024), Moore transported readers back to the postwar years of London's history, inviting them to step foot in an upside-down reality populated by sorcerers, artists, gangsters, and nettlesome creatures that read like a wicked combination of Alice in Wonderland and H.P. Lovecraft."
Read at Inverse
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