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D.R. & Quinch #Complete by Moore & Davis
D.R. and Quinch's Guide to Life
Contains the Moore/Davis stories in original black and white.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
12 people are currently reading
324 people want to read
About the author
Alan Moore
1,552 books21.5k followersAlan Moore is an English writer most famous for his influential work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. He has also written a novel, Voice of the Fire, and performs "workings" (one-off performance art/spoken word pieces) with The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels, some of which have been released on CD.
As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.
As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
May 20, 2023
Alan Moore is a genius and his work's widely known through the movies it spawned: Watchmen, V for Vendetta, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen etc - some of them a tribute to the original, some a desecration. None, I understand, receiving Moore's blessings. I even read that he's never watched any of them - which shows colossal self-restraint!
In any event, as a long term reader of 2000AD comic (I started with issue 1 in 1977) one of my early introductions to Moore's work was this lesser known series of somewhat madcap and subversive humour. I loved it.
I read the various D.R. and Quinch publications back in the 80s. Excellent chaotic outrageously funny stuff. The D.R. & Quinch guide to life is great. I seem to recall a 'bird identification kit' used at a scam boy's camp.
D.R. (pointing device at distant bird) What kind of bird is that, sonny?
Boy: Um...
D.R. Wrong! *Blam* (device is a gun - it fires - bird explodes into feathers) It's a dead bird.
It's entirely possible that Jorg and Rike owe a small debt to this pair!
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In any event, as a long term reader of 2000AD comic (I started with issue 1 in 1977) one of my early introductions to Moore's work was this lesser known series of somewhat madcap and subversive humour. I loved it.
I read the various D.R. and Quinch publications back in the 80s. Excellent chaotic outrageously funny stuff. The D.R. & Quinch guide to life is great. I seem to recall a 'bird identification kit' used at a scam boy's camp.
D.R. (pointing device at distant bird) What kind of bird is that, sonny?
Boy: Um...
D.R. Wrong! *Blam* (device is a gun - it fires - bird explodes into feathers) It's a dead bird.
It's entirely possible that Jorg and Rike owe a small debt to this pair!
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
..
July 21, 2020
So much of Alan Moore’s reputation rests on “serious” works that it's easy to forget that he's equally at home with humor. Case in point: the present volume.
Waldo “D(iminished) R(esponsibility)” Dobbs and Ernest Errol Quinch are aliens, college students, and delinquents. They think that using atomic weapons to rearrange the geography of a planet makes for a jolly prank. Revenge and sheer over the top mayhem are their specialties. And, no matter how dire the circumstances, they somehow always manage to come out on top.
Part of their charm comes from the incomparable artwork by Alan Davis. He brings a zestful cartooniness and a seemingly boundless visual imagination to the party. It's honestly a shame that more of these stories weren't created.
Readers who only know the serious side of Alan Moore are in for a treat. The courtroom sequence alone--the one that kicks off “D.R. & Quinch Go Straight!”--is a masterpiece of comic timing. Highly recommended!
Waldo “D(iminished) R(esponsibility)” Dobbs and Ernest Errol Quinch are aliens, college students, and delinquents. They think that using atomic weapons to rearrange the geography of a planet makes for a jolly prank. Revenge and sheer over the top mayhem are their specialties. And, no matter how dire the circumstances, they somehow always manage to come out on top.
Part of their charm comes from the incomparable artwork by Alan Davis. He brings a zestful cartooniness and a seemingly boundless visual imagination to the party. It's honestly a shame that more of these stories weren't created.
Readers who only know the serious side of Alan Moore are in for a treat. The courtroom sequence alone--the one that kicks off “D.R. & Quinch Go Straight!”--is a masterpiece of comic timing. Highly recommended!
June 29, 2018
I shall review this gleefully irreverent, anarchic parade of hilarious dark sci-fi comedy in the style in which it is narrated:
"So, man, like, there are these two alien college students, D.R. and Quinch, and they're like, totally gnarly. They steal, murder, blow stuff up, terrorize people and generally cause mayhem for, like, fun and stuff. And sometimes they deliver, like, moral lessons and philosophy musings and stuff, but not, like, boring square ones, but, like, warped and crazy ones. It's totally tharg-acious. If you like stuff where the heroes are like, not heroes at all, but wreck stuff and kill people and laugh about it, like that totally grody Mr. Deadpool, you'll probably totally like this.
So to start with, like, D.R. and Quinch travel through time and mess with Earth's history and stuff, and then totally blow the whole place up. It's funny because no-one cares about us boring mud-drinking humans. Then afterwards, like, they get arrested - not for blowing the Earth up, for a bunch of other stuff - and they have to persuade this totally square judge that they're "reformed characters". Not gonna spoil it, but they get off the hook and get revenge in, like, a totally sweet way.
So after that, like, D.R. gets totally in love with this girl, but she's a goody-two-shoes and he starts turning into a total square. Quinch wants his buddy back, so he hatches, like, a plan and stuff. You think he's going to totally fall for the girl and it's going to turn into some lame-o love triangle where he falls in love with her and D.R.'s baby or something, but it doesn't, something, like, much cooler happens instead. Not gonna spoil. Only, like, losers spoil.
So then later, D.R. and Quinch get, like, drafted into the army, and they're like "yeah!" because they get to shoot some totally bodacious guns. But their drill sergeant is, like, a total square, and then they get posted to this slime-jungle, and some crazy stuff happens.
And then some other stuff happens, but I have, like, a really short attention span, which is, like, a total medical condition that means I don't have to do, like, anything, so I'm gonna go play with, like, some thermonuclear warheads and stuff. Bye!"
"So, man, like, there are these two alien college students, D.R. and Quinch, and they're like, totally gnarly. They steal, murder, blow stuff up, terrorize people and generally cause mayhem for, like, fun and stuff. And sometimes they deliver, like, moral lessons and philosophy musings and stuff, but not, like, boring square ones, but, like, warped and crazy ones. It's totally tharg-acious. If you like stuff where the heroes are like, not heroes at all, but wreck stuff and kill people and laugh about it, like that totally grody Mr. Deadpool, you'll probably totally like this.
So to start with, like, D.R. and Quinch travel through time and mess with Earth's history and stuff, and then totally blow the whole place up. It's funny because no-one cares about us boring mud-drinking humans. Then afterwards, like, they get arrested - not for blowing the Earth up, for a bunch of other stuff - and they have to persuade this totally square judge that they're "reformed characters". Not gonna spoil it, but they get off the hook and get revenge in, like, a totally sweet way.
So after that, like, D.R. gets totally in love with this girl, but she's a goody-two-shoes and he starts turning into a total square. Quinch wants his buddy back, so he hatches, like, a plan and stuff. You think he's going to totally fall for the girl and it's going to turn into some lame-o love triangle where he falls in love with her and D.R.'s baby or something, but it doesn't, something, like, much cooler happens instead. Not gonna spoil. Only, like, losers spoil.
So then later, D.R. and Quinch get, like, drafted into the army, and they're like "yeah!" because they get to shoot some totally bodacious guns. But their drill sergeant is, like, a total square, and then they get posted to this slime-jungle, and some crazy stuff happens.
And then some other stuff happens, but I have, like, a really short attention span, which is, like, a total medical condition that means I don't have to do, like, anything, so I'm gonna go play with, like, some thermonuclear warheads and stuff. Bye!"
February 25, 2013
Mind the Oranges Marlon!!!!
March 16, 2019
Filling in the gaps in Alan Moore’s back catalog, I picked this up as a curiosity to find Moore at his silliest and most playful. Some of the early stories are throwaway British comics stuff, but the last story, an extended riff on Hollywood success is more developed and properly funny. I shall be looking for ways to include the lines, “close the curtains, Geoffrey, I’m amphibious,” and, “mind the oranges, Marlon” in any future writings. Glorious.
April 6, 2010
I'm a sucker for only a handful of comic authours, and Moore is one of them. Unfortunately, in the huge pile of stuff he's written, there are those things that feel like he did them in his spare time. This is one of those.
Granted, he was a much younger man (and a much less experienced writer) when he did these stories. I suspect, however, that's less to blame for my dislike of the collection than that this is 2000 AD fodder, and really just the sort of thing bookish British males seem unable to live without.
Really, I wouldn't even recommend this for hardcore Moore fans, unless you want to knock him down a peg or two in your own estimation. It's just adolescent, sci-fi action ridiculousness.
Granted, he was a much younger man (and a much less experienced writer) when he did these stories. I suspect, however, that's less to blame for my dislike of the collection than that this is 2000 AD fodder, and really just the sort of thing bookish British males seem unable to live without.
Really, I wouldn't even recommend this for hardcore Moore fans, unless you want to knock him down a peg or two in your own estimation. It's just adolescent, sci-fi action ridiculousness.
April 27, 2012
Having read this 20 years ago, I wasn't sure how it was going to hold up. The cover didn't give me any confidence. However, after a bit of a slow start, things really start clicking about half way through. This stuff is funny. I actually laughed out loud on the train a couple of times.
July 17, 2013
This isn't exactly embarrassingly bad or morally abhorrent, but it's such lightweight fare for Moore, it barely has any teeth or brains to it. Published around the same time as the very likeable and interesting Halo Jones, it doesn't come close in terms of sheer writing quality.
July 24, 2012
I'm A sucker of Moore's works. This is another proof that the man is a genius.
May 28, 2015
"Mind the Oranges, Marlon!"
June 11, 2023
Alan Moore looks like someone who might be hiding out in the vast forests of Gaul as Romans put less observant druids to the spear elsewhere and his other accomplishments might be an unspeakable appendage slapping conservative comic book readers in the face. In everything Moore has ever written there is satire and commentary on the state of this wretched Earth. The degree of subtlety varies from volume to volume and character to character. What works in a mainstream DC comic book might not work for a 2000AD audience, which in turn might not work for his Avatar Press readers. What is most important to remember about Alan Moore is that the notion that he is a genius is well-deserved. Remember that when you read the exploits of badboys Walter "D.R." Dobbs and Ernest Quinch.
Let's not forget Moore's occasional tag-team partner, Alan Davis. Another luminary of the comic book industry, Davis' pencils and pens are a good medium for the spirit of Moore's scripts. Whether this Whoopie Goldberg and Patrick Swayze-esque team are sharing the exploits of Captain Britain or D.R. & Quinch, your eyes will have difficulty moving away from the page lest you miss something good.
No spoilers from me, sorry. The innards are black and white, the cover in full color. The stories herein were reprinted in color within the pages of Eagle Comics' 2000AD Monthly limited series. If you don't like anthology comics, though, pick up this volume. Straight D.R. and Quinch cover-to-cover. No naughty language if your kiddo accidentally thumbs through this, nor any extraterrestrial-on-extraterrestrial love (I know... I was disappointed, too), but if you need silly slapstick violence utilizing thermonuclear devices and oranges, you shall not be disappointed.
Out of print from Titan Books, though this and different editions are available on eBay. Good luck.
Let's not forget Moore's occasional tag-team partner, Alan Davis. Another luminary of the comic book industry, Davis' pencils and pens are a good medium for the spirit of Moore's scripts. Whether this Whoopie Goldberg and Patrick Swayze-esque team are sharing the exploits of Captain Britain or D.R. & Quinch, your eyes will have difficulty moving away from the page lest you miss something good.
No spoilers from me, sorry. The innards are black and white, the cover in full color. The stories herein were reprinted in color within the pages of Eagle Comics' 2000AD Monthly limited series. If you don't like anthology comics, though, pick up this volume. Straight D.R. and Quinch cover-to-cover. No naughty language if your kiddo accidentally thumbs through this, nor any extraterrestrial-on-extraterrestrial love (I know... I was disappointed, too), but if you need silly slapstick violence utilizing thermonuclear devices and oranges, you shall not be disappointed.
Out of print from Titan Books, though this and different editions are available on eBay. Good luck.
January 10, 2023
This collection of Science Fiction/Comedy shorts from the pages of 2000AD suffers from just one problem. Alan Moore is not funny. I know, that's going to send some into an absolute tailspin of mouth-frothing rage, but I've now read enough Moore to say that with some confidence. Does he have an acerbic wit? Sure. That comes through in things like League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and others. But when he does comedy...it sucks. I loved big chunks of his run on Swamp Thing, but every time he went down a "humorous" rabbit hole, the comic stopped dead in its tracks and for the rest or that issue (or two), was garbage with nice art. D.R. & Quinch probably works better in its original short-form. I assume it was stuffed between some other comics in the pages of the venerable anthology comic. But collected together, with no breaks and nothing else to keep you interested (some Judge Dredd or Robo-Hunter or Strontium Dog or whatever), this simply falls flat. It definitely reads like Moore thought he was being terribly clever (again).
Due to some recent controversy in the tabletop RPG industry, I've ended up reading a lot of smug, finger-wagging articles from so-called grognards, who often pepper their prose with what they take to be biting commentary and humorous asides. This comic came off in much the same way. Insufferable. Some of the art was quite nice in its goofy way.
Due to some recent controversy in the tabletop RPG industry, I've ended up reading a lot of smug, finger-wagging articles from so-called grognards, who often pepper their prose with what they take to be biting commentary and humorous asides. This comic came off in much the same way. Insufferable. Some of the art was quite nice in its goofy way.
August 10, 2024
OH BUT YOU HATE FUN HOW DARE YOU! (I only hate fun if it's you who's having it)
D.R. and Quinch is a fun comic, it's quite short, it ran in 2000AD (one of the greatest pieces of media ever) it's one of Alan Moore's lesser known works, I imagine this is due to The Ballad of Halo Jones becoming more popular under 2000AD (which I plan to read real soon) but DR and Quinch shouldn't be overlooked.
It's very funny, every story made me laugh, I find Alan Moore retains his storytelling IQ through these stories, there's a lot of set up without you ever realising it. I also find the characters of DR and Quinch to be very fun, despite both being horrible people. DR in particular is a very fun character, I liked the total disregard for anything both characters have. The stories themselves are very fun, my favourite amongst the bunch was DR and Quinch Go To Hollywood which expertly mocks the film industry in many ways. The final story too is extremely funny. They all are GO READ IT NOW.
The artwork is incredible. Alan Davis delivers some really unique character designs, I really loved his panel to panel storytelling too, 2000AD in it's heyday had a habit of cramming the pages with panels but I find Alan Davis still manages to tell the story well. Great work.
I loved this book, go read it. Or don't. Last time I checked we had freewill but the world would be a better place if DR blew us all up with some thermonuclear technology.
D.R. and Quinch is a fun comic, it's quite short, it ran in 2000AD (one of the greatest pieces of media ever) it's one of Alan Moore's lesser known works, I imagine this is due to The Ballad of Halo Jones becoming more popular under 2000AD (which I plan to read real soon) but DR and Quinch shouldn't be overlooked.
It's very funny, every story made me laugh, I find Alan Moore retains his storytelling IQ through these stories, there's a lot of set up without you ever realising it. I also find the characters of DR and Quinch to be very fun, despite both being horrible people. DR in particular is a very fun character, I liked the total disregard for anything both characters have. The stories themselves are very fun, my favourite amongst the bunch was DR and Quinch Go To Hollywood which expertly mocks the film industry in many ways. The final story too is extremely funny. They all are GO READ IT NOW.
The artwork is incredible. Alan Davis delivers some really unique character designs, I really loved his panel to panel storytelling too, 2000AD in it's heyday had a habit of cramming the pages with panels but I find Alan Davis still manages to tell the story well. Great work.
I loved this book, go read it. Or don't. Last time I checked we had freewill but the world would be a better place if DR blew us all up with some thermonuclear technology.
December 16, 2022
Waldo 'Diminished Responsibility' Dobbs and Ernest Errol Quinch are alien college students with a penchant for violence and mayhem. Their adventures take them time travelling throught Earth's history, into a warzone and into the dog-eat-dog world of Hollywood.
Here Alan Moore taps into his talent for satire but in a somewhat more zany and, often, silly way than he does elsewhere. D. R. & Quinch's adventures are all a bit ludicrous and, as such, the humour doesn't always land perfectly. I definitely enjoyed the main characters' inherent irreverence, however.
This is a solid but not ground-breaking piece of 2000 AD sci-fi hijinks.
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Here Alan Moore taps into his talent for satire but in a somewhat more zany and, often, silly way than he does elsewhere. D. R. & Quinch's adventures are all a bit ludicrous and, as such, the humour doesn't always land perfectly. I definitely enjoyed the main characters' inherent irreverence, however.
This is a solid but not ground-breaking piece of 2000 AD sci-fi hijinks.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
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January 1, 20222000 AD holds a special hold on my teenage heart and memories. It was a sci fi comic when everything else was war or Dennis the menace, the art was gorgeous and the stories were adult and serious because, to my mind at least, sci fi was for more intelligent and serious people like me and then Moore obviously got into drugs and mushrooms and ruined 2000 AD FOREVER WITH D R AND QUINCH ! How can the mag that produced Halo Jones ALSO produce this garbage. I hated D R and Quinch from its outset and my animosity continues to this day. If i had billionaire money i would buy every remaining 2000 AD AND REDACT D R AND QUINCH FROM LIVING MEMORY MWAHAHAHAHA . . . . .
April 6, 2021
Sometimes you can read a thing that is so a product of its time and... that's not a negative? The anarchic antics of the titular characters are sooooo 1980's, so influenced by the Young Ones and similar British comedy tropes, but it's so SF influenced and so far fetched and over the top that there's not much by way of cringe in it. Davis and Moore are clearly having a blast with their insanity. The final story arc - DR & Quinch Got to Hollywood is a send up of very different things than the earlier ones, but it works on its own terms.
May 13, 2018
Playful comic from a young Alan Moore.
Holds up incredibly well. A cross between Mad Magazine, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the movies Summer School and Repo Man.
This is a great late at night read for 13-16 year olds and enjoyable for anyone older than that.
Nice short story arcs with loose progression in character development.
Holds up incredibly well. A cross between Mad Magazine, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the movies Summer School and Repo Man.
This is a great late at night read for 13-16 year olds and enjoyable for anyone older than that.
Nice short story arcs with loose progression in character development.
July 10, 2019
It was a lot more funny when I was 24, back in '85. Maybe it's because the humor style's been copped so much since, but I just didn't get the charge out of these stories that I did back in the day. I guess it goes to show that humor is a moving target.
March 14, 2021
A few of the stories at the start and end of this volume by Alan Moore and Alan Davis were decent, but the premise got tired pretty quickly.
July 12, 2023
I like silly funny Alan Moore. Just enough D.R. and Quinch stories. I don't think I'd want more than what's here.
May 31, 2024
Libro de historietas en formato grande. Edición vieja blanco y negro.
April 1, 2011
Imagine Dennis the Menace and Gnasher. Imagine them a bit older, and alien. And imagine them if they had access to thermonuclear warheads. That just begins to give you an idea of D.R. & Quinch, the totally crazed comic from the outset of Alan Moore's career. Okay, it doesn't have the depth and sophistication of Moore's later work, with none of the characters really emerging as real in any sense, but it charges by at such an amazing pace that you just won't notice. In fact, my only real complaint, apart from the fact that there's far too little of it, is that I'd have liked to see a bit more of D.R.'s not-quite girlfriend 'Crazy Chrissie', something where I'm sure an older Moore would have obliged.
December 10, 2012
This book is quite fun. DR and Quinch are two sociopathic college kids from the future who go around blowing things up, killing people and causing trouble. Kinda like the Dirty pair, but without the good intentions (and bikinis!) They join the army, fall in love, and go to Hollywood (the planet not the city). I got this from the library and don't think I'll bother buying my own copy but I am glad I've read it.
February 7, 2010
D.R. & Quinch was an early British comic by writer Alan Moore and artist Alan Davis, published by 2000 A.D. back in 1986. D.R. & Quinch is a kind of sci-fi Laurel and Hardy team with a dash of violence and totally non-social behavior. It's clever and eye-popping, but not quite up to the lofty heights of Moore's later work.
October 31, 2009
All ofAlan Moore's duo of alien con men/ Delinquents short stories are collected. Wildly odd and entertaining as they join the army, the cub scouts, fall in love, blow stuff up, go to Hollywood and cause several deaths.
Very funny stuff from back in the days before Moore got so serious
Very funny stuff from back in the days before Moore got so serious
March 9, 2010
Gracioso tomo recopilatorio, que me salió 21$ y valió mucho más. La edición es bastante buena, pero lástima que esté en blanco y negro, porque he hojeado la edición a color y es bastante bueno el coloreado. Cuando lo relea seguro se gane una reseña más elaborada.
October 18, 2011
While I appreciated the tongue in cheek random violence of these characters, there was something a little too blunt about it for my tastes. Some of my favorite comics dwell in the deranged, but something about this felt a little too forced and juvenile.
April 8, 2013
Not as funny as I wanted it to be. It's got a good premise, but never really inches past "mildly amusing". However, Alan Davis drew it so, and I will say this about every Alan Davis book I ever review, it looks really good.
July 25, 2013
This was rollicking and relentless and kind of terrifyingly awful in ... a fun way? It's like if Messrs. Croup and Vandermar were antisocial alien college students with no need for secrecy or silence.
Alan Davis' art, you guys. SO freakin' great.
Alan Davis' art, you guys. SO freakin' great.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews