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“Northstar is credited as being the first
prominent gay superhero and he's been murdered three
times,”Moore says. “Most of which was by Wolverine (the
X-Men's most popular hero) who impales him in the chest with
his claws. I was disturbed by the message that was sending.”
Freedom Ring fared no better. Hailed by
Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada as an example of Marvel's
open policy toward gays, the brief fledgling hero met a
brutal end after he was crippled, a finger was sliced off,
and impaled with 28 spikes, including one which sodomized
him.
“At that point, I was almost ready to quit
reading comics. I wrote the essay because I wanted to have a
discussion about LGBTs in comics.”
Who Cares About The Death Of A Gay
Superhero has certainly made an impact, the author
states.
“There's been a real reaction and
people have realized that there is a large section of gay
fans.”
Unfortunately bringing awareness to issues
often gets one labeled as outspoken, which doesn't always
have a positive connotation, according to Moore. He adds
that the media and society often pressures minorities to
remain silent and complacent.
“They love to lump us altogether. The
scariest thing in the world is to be told not to speak up.
In college I took a class on Nazi Propaganda and it's
amazing to see some of the same situations going on now.
Hitler was only elected by a third of the vote and he did
that by shaming people to speak out.”
Moore adds that a more diverse representation
of LGBTs in the media could going a long way towards
enlightening the public.
“I had a discussion about this once when I
spoke at a college. For example, name one gay athlete who is
out and still in the sport; football, baseball, basketball.
You cannot tell me that none of these guys aren't gay. I
would love to see an out gay athlete represent us. Gay
people, I would like to think, can represent our differences
and still be a part of the human race as well.”
Said representation was one of the key
objectives of Hero.
“I wanted to tell a story about hero who
happened to be gay, who is the main protagonist and not the
sidekick and not a caricature,” Moore says. “Why can't there
be a young gay male superhero?”
Determined to avoid the usually trappings
which befalls LGBT characters, Moore avoids the usual
stereotypes and showcases that being gay is not a
misfortune.
“I wanted to do a story that's not about the
tragedy but being true to yourself and believing in yourself
like Thom learns to do. I think one important thing the book
accomplishes is that Thom knows who he is. Believing in
yourself is a good thing. There was a reason why his power
was to heal. There was a meaning behind that.”
In addition to being a coming of age tale of
the hero's journey, the novel is also intended to serve as a
tool to aid parents and young LGBTs.
“I think parents have a great tool for a
discussion. And there are parents who have children who know
who they are.”
So why aren't there more gay heroes?
“I think as long as you have an industry
that's predominantly run by heterosexual, caucasian males,
you're not going to see much representation for gays or for
that matter, other minorities in general.”
And why aren't there more gay authors
venturing into the superhero genre?
“That's a good question,” Moore responds. “I
honestly couldn't tell you. To be honest, I would love to
have another writer one-up me and take it to the next
level.”
One medium that is getting it right?
“I believe that young adult literature is the
greatest. They're at the frontlines. The teachers, the
librarians, the editors and the publishers, they're the real
heroes. They were so welcoming and so supportive of Hero.
They're so far ahead of the curve and not afraid of the
subject matter. They weren't afraid of young gay heroes or
the themes within the story.”
Orientation isn't the only topic discussed in
the book. From healthcare, to racism, war, poverty and
adolescence, Moore effectively handles the heavy subject
matter without coming across as preachy through the
juxtaposed lighthearted prose. The novel's social commentary
is akin to Octavia Butler's style, who Moore credits as
another literary influence. He adds it wasn't a conscious
decision but one that simply manifested as the characters
developed.
“You're just telling their story and it
becomes easy. You're just not getting in the way of the
truth.”
Hero wouldn’t have been a reality if
it weren't for the executive producer’s time on Narnia.
“I learned everything I could possibly take
in from my two story-telling mentors: C.S. Lewis, and Andrew
Adamson, the director of the Narnia movies. Andrew
taught me how to think cinematically. What he and Jack,
known as C.S. Lewis to most of us, both understood so well,
is the limitless power of imagination.”
His Narnian experiences taught him another
lesson that served him while he worked to get Hero
published.
“When you believe in something so
wholeheartedly so much, it's like having an angel on your
shoulders. You can do anything.”
Not one to rest on his laurels, the
novelist/executive producer/director/Lamdba Literary Award
winner isn't slowing down anytime soon. In fact, he’s just
getting started.
“You never feel like you've made it,” Moore explains.
“Which is a good thing. You don't feel complacent. It keeps
you hungry.”
When he isn’t writing, Moore works with partner Hunter
Hill and actress-producer Allison Sarofim in 66
Productions. He co-directed with filmmaker Spike Jonze a
documentary on legendary children's author and illustrator
Maurice Sendak which recently premiered on HBO.
“It started off as just a passion of
love. I was a little bit despondent about being gay and here
is an older man who was gay in an older time. It was filmed
in the course of five to six years. I don't think we ever
expected the documentary to be this well. I think we really
captured the essence of a legend.”
So what else lies ahead?
"I'm also writing the first in the fantasy
series about a young group of werewolves, a sister and two
brothers,” Moore excitedly explicates. “This is the book I
talked about in which I've been particularly inspired by all
I learned in Narnia. After that I'm going to be
writing a sequel to Hero. There's so much more to
tell: What Thom's mother was really up to. Where Goran
really came from and what he had to do for he and his
brother to escape their upbringing.
“And of course, we're already working on
making the third Narnia movie, The Voyage of the Dawn
Treader. Being the rabid Narnia fan that I am,
I'd be thrilled to see all seven of the books made into
movies.”
In addition, Moore has also teamed up with
comic book legend Stan Lee and a live-action adaptation of
Hero is in the works.
“He embraced it. And if you've told me that
if you'd told me that one day I would be working with the
man whose work I read as a kid, I would've just laughed.”
While all of this would be overwhelming for
many, it’s all in a day's work for this super man.
As someone who was inspired as a young child
by the works of Stan Lee, C.S. Lewis, and Octavia Butler,
Moore hopes his work can have the same profound effect.
“I chose to write a book that would be a
powerful, positive force for good, because I truly believe
that literature can change the world.”
Fans are also encouraged to stop by and drop
him a line at
www.PerryMooreStories.com.
Moore hopes his work delivers this sage
message.
“Aim high, I believe there's an inner hero in
all of us. I believe it's up to us to find it.”
Spoken like a true superhero. |
