League Of Extrodinary Gentleman

Tom Andry Q&A on “Bob Moore: No Hero”

Tom Andry, father of three boys, is the Associate Editor of Audioholics.com and host of the AV Rant podcast.   He’s now also an author, and his superhero novel “Bob Moore: No Hero” is nearing 50,000 downloads. A paperback version is to follow in February. The sequel to “No Hero,” “Desperate Times,” is set for release this month, and a third book is in the works. You can download “No Hero” for free at tomandry.com.  He answered some questions for Nerdage about the book.

it and see what happens!” I knew that finishing a shorter work would give me the confidence to go back and complete a full-length novel. The first story that came to me was based on a conversation I had with a friend about webcomics. He was working on one and asked me what sort of webcomic I might like to write. I came up with the basic idea of Bob Moore on the spot.

Around that time, I had bought an iPad and discovered free ebooks. Some of those ebooks were pretty good and that motivated me to complete a work. A little research allowed me to figure out that I could self-publish. Also at the same time, my wife got a job transfer to Australia. That put everything we owned in storage and gave me a lot of free time at night that I would have filled with Netflix or video games. Putting it all together, it was a perfect storm of motivation, tools, and time.

NERDAGE: How would you describe the book to those unfamiliar?

Andry: Bob Moore is a Private Investigator in a world of superheroes. He’s a guy who deals with supers on a regular basis, but doesn’t have any powers himself. He gets by with a few gadgets and access to information that gives him a leg up on the supers. In “Bob Moore: No Hero”, Bob confronts a super from his past. Bob blames this super for the dissolution of his marriage. But when superheroes start to disappear, Bob reluctantly agrees to help him.

“Bob Moore: No Hero” introduces the reader to the world Bob inhabits. Readers discover the history, how supers interact with non-supers, and how the world works. There are hints about the effect supers have had on the development of society, but not the full story. More, of course, will be revealed in future books.

NERDAGE:  What are some of your favorite comic-book superheroes?

Andry: It has been years since I’ve collected comics (unfortunately). Like many, at some point I moved and didn’t find a local comic store fast enough to pull my favorites. Now, I’m mostly limited to graphic novels and compilations. Back when I collected, I loved Matt Wagner’s work on Grendel. That comic (and Wagner in general) had the most impact on me. Stuff like X-men, Batman, and the rest were fun and I enjoyed them, but Grendel, Sin City, Watchmen, Sandman, V for Vendetta, etc. really felt like literature.

LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN - Paradox Comics Group

Because - get this - Alan Moore's literary superteam is now 13 years old! I clearly remember first reading (in the last days before the internet became the motherlode for all geek knowledge) about Moore's brilliant idea for a comic: what if some of the greatest characters of Victorian fiction existed in the same world and were put together by Military Intelligence to deal with nefarious plots against the Empire? The idea of literary characters existing together was hardly new: SF writer Philip Jose Farmer put together the 'Wold Newton' family in 1972, but the promise of these characters being written by Alan Moore (who had just finished the spellbinding What followed was a series of spectacular comics (often punctuated by frustrating breaks due to both O'Neill's meticulous artwork and Moore's dramatic severance from DC/Wildstorm comics) and now, over a decade later, we get the middle chapter of Moore and O'Neil's 'Century' arc that follows the ever-young Mina Murray & Allan Quatermain through the 20th century. The first thing to note is that this is the first volume that really embraces pop culture. In previous volumes, it certainly helped to know your Mycrofts from your Moriartys, whereas this issue jumps from the written world to cinema to TV with fantastic effect. The secondary cast includes Michael Caine's Jack Carter (from What's most surprising here is the fate of Oliver Haddo, the League's fictional 20th Century nemesis and Aleister Crowley analogue. Without wanting to spoil the end of the book, all I'll say is that Alan Moore will be finishing this 'Century' tale by incorporating one of the biggest franchises of recent years, a move I never would have expected. What it demonstrates is that, as a writer, Moore's clearly not afraid to take risks, either in terms of narrative or litigation! , and it's amazing to see how much this title has changed in terms of plot and scope. In the original series, O'Neill provided us with a wonderful backdrop of fantasy-infused Victorian Empire, whereas here he provides a brighter and more psychedelic world that culminates in a battle in the spectral realm. It reminded me of the trippy battles fought by Doctor Strange in Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner's run on the Sorcerer Supreme’s Marvel title in the 1970s. In a word, it's magical. To conclude, the book finishes with an epilogue set in the Punk explosion of 1976.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Century, 1910

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume One