Peter Hogan
Encyclopedia
Peter K. Hogan is a British comics creator who started out as editor of cult
political British comics Crisis and Revolver
in the late 1980s and early 1990s, before working for 2000 AD and American comic book
publishers Vertigo and America's Best Comics.
from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. He managed the Magic Bus Bookstore in Richmond assisted by his then wife, Ruth, until its closure in 1982. His known associates at that time were Dave Marsh and Patrick Humphries, Rock Music journalists. He also was a contributing writer to a biography about The Monkees
pop group and a movie/DVD correspondent for Uncut
magazine. Hogan is the brother-in-law of noted UK comic artist/typographer/design guru Rian Hughes
.
After Revolver folded, Hogan became a scriptwriter for the 2000 AD comic, working on short story
series Vector 13
and Tharg's Dragon Tales, as well as reinventing the long-running Strontium Dog
series as Strontium Dogs and supervising the Durham Red
spin-off series. Hogan also had a short stint working on Sam Slade, Robo-Hunter
. He also created the gentle fantasy Timehouse.
Hogan's writing is noted for a whimsical, fantastic quality that stood out from the more usual hard-edged sci-fi to appear under the 2000 AD banner.
However, when David Bishop
took on the editorship of 2000 AD, he informed Hogan that he would commission no more of Hogan's scripts because he "didn't believe his writing fitted the comic [he] wanted 2000 AD to be." The two commissioned scripts, Strontium Dog
s "Hate and War" and Durham Red
"Night of the Hunters" were heavily rewritten and Hogan asked for his name to be removed - they were credited to Alan Smithee
. With hindsight Bishop says "He was rightly furious about having his work summarily rewritten and demanded his name taken off the scripts, which I did. I regret the brutal way I treated Peter: I was in a hurry to make changes and he caught the full force of that haste."
Hogan went on to write books covering the bands R.E.M, Queen
and The Doors
.
In the 1990s, Hogan wrote for some titles on DC Comics
' Vertigo imprint, including The Dreaming
and The Sandman Presents: Love Street. Most recently, his unpublished followup to the latter, The Sandman Presents: Marquee Moon, was published online. Like Love Street, Marquee Moon is a tie-in to Neil Gaiman's The Sandman and offers a look at the early days of John Constantine of Swamp Thing
and Hellblazer
fame.
In addition, Hogan has worked with Alan Moore
on Moore's America's Best Comics series, including his own spin-off title Terra Obscura
. He also wrote three issues of Tom Strong
with artist Chris Sprouse
and the two of them returned to the character in 2010 with the limited series
Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom.
Known, with great affection, by many of "The Ealing Lot" as The Count - for his legendary nocturnal working habits.
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
political British comics Crisis and Revolver
Revolver Comic (UK)
Revolver is the title of a British comic which was a spin off from 2000AD. It lasted for seven regular issues and two specials, and was published between July 1990 to January 1991.-History:...
in the late 1980s and early 1990s, before working for 2000 AD and American comic book
American comic book
An American comic book is a small magazine originating in the United States and containing a narrative in the form of comics. Since 1975 the dimensions have standardized at 6 5/8" x 10 ¼" , down from 6 ¾" x 10 ¼" in the Silver Age, although larger formats appeared in the past...
publishers Vertigo and America's Best Comics.
Biography
Hogan first worked as Commissioning Editor for Eel Pie PublishingEel Pie Publishing
Eel Pie Publishing is a publishing house founded by musician and author Pete Townshend in 1977, and named after Eel Pie Island. It is part of the Eelpie Group of Companies including Eel Pie Recording Production Ltd., which was set up in 1970 by Pete Townshend....
from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. He managed the Magic Bus Bookstore in Richmond assisted by his then wife, Ruth, until its closure in 1982. His known associates at that time were Dave Marsh and Patrick Humphries, Rock Music journalists. He also was a contributing writer to a biography about The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
pop group and a movie/DVD correspondent for Uncut
UNCUT (magazine)
Uncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections...
magazine. Hogan is the brother-in-law of noted UK comic artist/typographer/design guru Rian Hughes
Rian Hughes
Rian Hughes is a British graphic designer, illustrator and comics artist, noted for his work on 2000AD, where he illustrated Robo-Hunter, Tales from Beyond Science, Really and Truly and Dan Dare, among others...
.
After Revolver folded, Hogan became a scriptwriter for the 2000 AD comic, working on short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
series Vector 13
Vector 13
Vector 13 is a 2000 AD comic strip which featured the eponymous agency setup to investigate anomalous phenomena and conspiracy theories. It was influenced by The X-Files and other events like the 1995 release of the alien autopsy film...
and Tharg's Dragon Tales, as well as reinventing the long-running Strontium Dog
Strontium Dog
Strontium Dog is a long-running comics series featuring in the British science fiction weekly 2000 AD, starring Johnny Alpha, a mutant bounty hunter with an array of imaginative gadgets and weapons....
series as Strontium Dogs and supervising the Durham Red
Durham Red
Durham Red was originally created in 1987 as a female sidekick and lover for Johnny Alpha in the long-running British comicbook series Strontium Dog. She was a sexy bounty hunter with a mutation that gave her a vampiric lust for blood.-Publication history:...
spin-off series. Hogan also had a short stint working on Sam Slade, Robo-Hunter
Robo-Hunter
Robo-Hunter is a recurring strip in the British Comic 2000 AD, initially written by John Wagner and illustrated by Ian Gibson. The series starred Sam Slade, a laconic, ageing, cigar-smoking bounty hunter of robots that have gone renegade. Though action orientated, the series was noted for its...
. He also created the gentle fantasy Timehouse.
Hogan's writing is noted for a whimsical, fantastic quality that stood out from the more usual hard-edged sci-fi to appear under the 2000 AD banner.
However, when David Bishop
David Bishop
David Bishop is a screenwriter and author. Born in New Zealand, he was a UK comics editor during the 1990s, running such titles as the Judge Dredd Megazine and 2000 AD, the latter between 1996 and the summer of 2000....
took on the editorship of 2000 AD, he informed Hogan that he would commission no more of Hogan's scripts because he "didn't believe his writing fitted the comic [he] wanted 2000 AD to be." The two commissioned scripts, Strontium Dog
Strontium Dog
Strontium Dog is a long-running comics series featuring in the British science fiction weekly 2000 AD, starring Johnny Alpha, a mutant bounty hunter with an array of imaginative gadgets and weapons....
s "Hate and War" and Durham Red
Durham Red
Durham Red was originally created in 1987 as a female sidekick and lover for Johnny Alpha in the long-running British comicbook series Strontium Dog. She was a sexy bounty hunter with a mutation that gave her a vampiric lust for blood.-Publication history:...
"Night of the Hunters" were heavily rewritten and Hogan asked for his name to be removed - they were credited to Alan Smithee
Alan Smithee
Alan Smithee was an official pseudonym used by film directors who wish to disown a project, coined in 1968. Until its use was formally discontinued in 2000, it was the sole pseudonym used by members of the Directors Guild of America when a director dissatisfied with the final product proved to...
. With hindsight Bishop says "He was rightly furious about having his work summarily rewritten and demanded his name taken off the scripts, which I did. I regret the brutal way I treated Peter: I was in a hurry to make changes and he caught the full force of that haste."
Hogan went on to write books covering the bands R.E.M, Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
and The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
.
In the 1990s, Hogan wrote for some titles on DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' Vertigo imprint, including The Dreaming
The Dreaming (comics)
The Dreaming is a fictional place, a comic book location published by DC Comics. The Dreaming first appeared in the Sandman vol. 2 #1, , and was created by Neil Gaiman and Sam Kieth. The Dreaming is the domain of Dream of the Endless....
and The Sandman Presents: Love Street. Most recently, his unpublished followup to the latter, The Sandman Presents: Marquee Moon, was published online. Like Love Street, Marquee Moon is a tie-in to Neil Gaiman's The Sandman and offers a look at the early days of John Constantine of Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing, a fictional character, is a plant elemental in the created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson. He first appeared in House of Secrets #92 in a stand-alone horror story set in the early 20th century . The Swamp Thing then returned in his own series, set in the contemporary world and in...
and Hellblazer
Hellblazer
Hellblazer is a contemporary horror comic book series, originally published by DC Comics, and subsequently by the Vertigo imprint since March 1993, the month the imprint was introduced, where it remains to this day...
fame.
In addition, Hogan has worked with Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
on Moore's America's Best Comics series, including his own spin-off title Terra Obscura
Terra Obscura
Terra Obscura is a 2003 comic book miniseries spun off from Alan Moore's Tom Strong series. The stories are written by Peter Hogan, and drawn by Yanick Paquette and Karl Story with additional flashback sequences drawn by Eric Theriault. Each story is co-plotted by Alan Moore and Peter Hogan...
. He also wrote three issues of Tom Strong
Tom Strong
Tom Strong is a comic book created by writer Alan Moore and artist Chris Sprouse initially published bi-monthly by America's Best Comics, an imprint of DC Comics' Wildstorm division.-Background:Tom Strong, the title character, is a "science hero"...
with artist Chris Sprouse
Chris Sprouse
Chris Sprouse is an American comic book artist.-Biography:Chris Sprouse was born in Charlottesville, Virginia. At the age of 3 he moved with his family to New Delhi, India where he first discovered comics as he was unable to play outside due to the dangerous amount of snakes in the house yard...
and the two of them returned to the character in 2010 with the limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom.
Known, with great affection, by many of "The Ealing Lot" as The Count - for his legendary nocturnal working habits.