Broken Frontier

How did Terry Moore end up winning the Broken Frontier Award for Best Indie Writer? With David Mazzuchelli and Mark Waid in particular, the competition was stiff.

Certainly, working on Runaways and Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane got Moore a little attention from people who might not have normally read his stuff, but don’t call it an excuse – Mark Waid is one of the all time great Spider-Man writers and he even wrote Kingdom Come for Marvel’s Distinguished Competition. 

Of course, having a rabid fan base doesn’t hurt either… Strangers in Paradise is one of those books beloved by almost everyone who reads it and it has a broader appeal than most comics. 

Of course, people discuss Mazzuchelli’s Asterios Polyp with the passion of Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah’s couch in throws of a plea for Scientology, so that’s not really an excuse either.

Moore nabbing this 2009 award probably has more to do with the adventures of Echo’s Julie Martin, the photographer who stumbles upon a weapons test gone awry and gets a cool silver coat with superpowers.  Her journey is that of an everyman (er… woman) who gets involved in a government conspiracy that has as much to do with unlocking the secrets of the universe as with plots to cover deaths.  That Julie has relationship troubles and a sister with special needs adds up to her not being emotionally capable of dealing with what is happening to her.   Something about her just connects with the book’s readers.

Moore throws in explosions, car chases, and everything else that would make a cool summer block buster, but never forgets to make every character memorable. Be it Dillon, the park ranger helping Julie; Max, Julie’s Dog; or the waitress at a diner – all of the characters feel like real people.  It is that ability to handle both the big and the intimate with mastery that gets him the Broken Frontier Award for best Indie Writer.