Among comic book fans, Star Wars universe. Before Moore ever worked for DC Comics, and when British fans largely knew him from 2000AD and Doctor Who, Moore was hired by Marvel Comics UK to write stories for its Star Wars magazine
Beginning in February 1978, Marvel Comics UK published Star Wars Weekly, a Star Wars magazine that serialized the now non-canon American Marvel Star Wars comics, as well as original comics and articles. The series underwent several name changes during its run, often to reflect the most recent Star Wars movie that was selling out cinemas. It was during its run as Empire Strikes Back Monthly that a comic writer in his late 20s was given the chance to write some of the most recognizable and popular characters in science fiction history. Moore only wrote five stories in total — "The Pandora Effect," "Tilotny Throws a Shape," "Dark Lord’s Conscience," "Rust Never Sleeps," and "Blind Fury." These tales go places few Star Wars stories have ventured, and provide an early example of the writing style that Moore would become known for.
The concepts Moore brings to Star Wars are surprisingly unique. "The Pandora Effect" features a Star Wars version of the Bermuda Triangle called The Hellhoop, interdimensional humanoid evil-worshipping beings reminiscent of the Clone Wars Force family "The Ones," and a Force demon named Wutzek. "Tilotny Throws a Shape" takes a bizarre plunge into Star Wars cosmology by introducing bickering god-like beings who seem to have created the Star Wars universe and sent Stormtroopers back in time. "Dark Lord's Conscience" introduces the epically named Clat the Shamer, who has the Force ability to see the worst sin someone has committed and project it back to them. "Rust Never Sleeps" features a planet used for dumping broken droids that has become a sentient god worshipped by the droids living on its surface. The last Star Wars story Alan Moore wrote, "Blind Fury," has Luke Skywalker finding the remnants of a Jedi battle with a group called The Terrible Glare that happened thousands of years prior, and the consciousness of its leader kept alive inside a large Holocron.
Now that Alan Moore is retired from writing comic books, fans have been exploring the lesser-known regions of his catalogue, and there are many gems to be found. While the original stories were published in The Empire Strikes Back Monthly #151, 154-156, and #159 between November 1981 and August 1982 in the UK, these stories weren't printed in North America until 1996, fifteen years after their publication. Re-released as Classic Star Wars: Devilworlds, the five stories featured Moore collaborating with Spanish horror artist Adolfo Buylla, The Invisibles artist John Stokes, and X-Men and Miracleman artist Alan Davis. Devilworlds also featured two stories written by Steve Parkhouse and Steve Moore.
It wouldn't be long after these stories were published before Swamp Thing, which would be the first of many comics to make him a household name and firmly place him as an important figure in comics history. If there is one thing Moore nailed with his five short stories, it's the implied depth of history that exists in the Star Wars universe. As in Rebels, Doctor Aphra, or Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars sometimes works best when exploring its own history in a way that asks more questions than it answers. These early examples of Alan Moore's writing are a rare treat for fans of the writer or the franchise. Like the groundbreaking movies by George Lucas, Alan Moore's contributions to Star Wars fire up the imagination at the possibilities of other stories that could be told in the galaxy far, far away.
