Name Pepe Moreno | Role Comic book writer | |
 | ||
Books Batman: Digital Justice, Batman Digital Justice, Gene Kong | ||
Pepe Moreno (born 1959, given name: Saturnino) is a Spanish comic book artist, writer and video game developer who has been drawing professionally in Spain, other countries in Europe and in the US since the 1970s. He is best known in the United States for his 1990 digital graphic novel, Batman: Digital Justice, published by DC Comics. He has also created a 1994 computer game, Hell Cab, for Time Warner's Interactive Media Group.
Contents
- Hell Cab
- The Beach Head Brand
- TV Shows
- The arts
- Paella Sundays
- Other games
- Other comics
- Present day activities
- References
As President of Digital Fusion, Pepe Moreno also has an extensive video game background and is the creator and designer of a multitude of very successful products, including Beach Head 2000, BeachHead 2002 and BeachHead Desert War, which were marketed by Infrogrames (Atari). DFI, in association with Trymedia and their digital rights management advanced copy protection technology, released BeachHead 2000 as was one of the first titles ever to be distributed via downloads protected with DRM.
His early underground work in the San Francisco bay area was featured at the Smithsonian Institution and in permanent exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in France. Pepe's art is discussed in an article in the fall, 1988 issue titled "Rebellion, Reform and Revolution: American Graphic Design for Social Change" MIT press). In October 2013 Pepe started "Paella Sundays" as part of a growing Spanish food revival in LA and winning the "Best Paella Valenciana" in California in 2016. In 2015 Pepe collaborated with the late Richard Duardo "West Coast Warhol" to produce a series of fine art prints of his work.
Hell Cab
Pepe also developed Hell Cab, which was completed in 1993. Hell Cab was an interactive time travel adventure with a moral twist, published by the Time Warner Interactive Group (formerly Warner New Media) on CD-ROM. Hell Cab was one of the first ever CD-ROM titles.
Computer Gaming World in 1993 criticized Hell Cab's "v-e-r-y slow" CD and Quicktime streaming speed, stating that the delays interrupted the player's immersion. The magazine described the software as "more like an interactive tour book and variety show lumped into one" than a game, and concluded with a hope that as technology improved "Moreno will be able to create a world of sight and sounds that truly entertain and offer smoother immersion into his creative vision".
The Beach Head Brand
In 2015 the Beach Head trademark was officially returned to Pepe and is now internationally registered under Digital Fusion Inc. Digital Fusion Games. While the trademark was held in limbo do to Atari's down fall, the Beach Head series and brand that Pepe created had become extremely popular in China, sparking a fearsome and constant flow of Knock-offs by many fake companies that claimed it as their own. But in December of the same year Pepe signed a deal with Hero Entertainment one of the largest and most successful mobile game publishers in China. Due to the enormous success the game achieved in China the BH brand has become a very valuable brand with a unique name recognition that has still lead millions of fans to still play it to this day all around the world.
TV Shows
Pepe worked along Bob Camp and contributed to character and scenario designs for shows like ThunderCats, Silverhawks and as lead designer for TigerSharks.
The arts
Pepe’s early underground art work in the San Francisco bay was featured at the Smithsonian Institution while the museum of Modern Art in France has a permanent exhibition of Pepe's fine art. Pepe's art was heavily discussed in many articles and magazines such as one issued in the fall of 1988 titled "Rebellion, Reform and Revolution: American Graphic Design for Social Change" MIT press. While in 2015 Pepe collaborated with the late & Great Richard Duardo known as the "West Coast Warhol" as they produced a series of fine art prints of his work. In 2016 Pepe was awarded large year-long art commission for the Valencia Opera House 2016-2017 season. Les Arts
Paella Sundays
In October 2013 Pepe started "Paella Sundays" as part of a growing Spanish Food revival In Los Angeles and winning the Best Paella Valenciana in California in 2016. Paella Sundays
Other games
The company has developed two additional games: Desert Gunner and Bridgehead (BeachHead 3000). In 2003, DFI released Tiger Hunt, a fast-paced, arcade-style, World War II tank combat game for the PC. The company also released RealPool for the PC, which was subsequently released as a Sony PlayStation title, and was followed with RealPool 2 in 2002.
Other comics
Moreno has also had a career as a graphic artist, with work published in books and magazines such as Metal Hurlant and l'Echo des Savanes in Europe and Eerie, Vampirella, Heavy Metal Magazine and Epic Magazine in the United States. Moreno also created the graphic novels Rebel, in the US, and the worldwide releases of Joe’s Air Force, Gene Kong, Generation Zero, and a collection of his early short stories compiled in the book Zeppelin. He combined his talents as a computer game developer and graphic artist with Batman: Digital Justice, a Batman graphic novel published in 1990 by DC Comics.
Present day activities
As of 2016 Mr. Moreno lives in California and part time in Spain where he's currently in the final stages of completing a large year-long commission for the Valencia Opera House. Les Arts. Just recently in 2016, Pepe was honored and recognized in China as the father and creator of Beach Head. In a joint press conference with Hero Entertainment they officially declared piracy of the Beach Head name in China has ended.