Sex, Drugs And The CIA: Aberdeen’s Stewart Moore releases graphic novel on illegal mind-control operations

Exploring illegal mind-control operations, tragic LSD spikings and San Francisco’s counterculture, Stewart Kenneth Moore’s graphic novel Sex, Drugs And The CIA is inspired by true events.

Stewart, who grew up in Westhill and studied at Aberdeen College of Commerce – now North East Scotland College, became intrigued by the intelligence service’s illegal operations after reading a script written by his friends.

He said: “A couple of friends of mine are scriptwriters and they had a bunch of scripts they shopped around but couldn’t get them picked up. And one of them was really exciting so we planned that I would adapt it into comics.”

The script in question was influenced by a true story of CIA scientist Frank Olson who was spiked with LSD in 1953 and a few years later plummeted to his death from the window of a New York City hotel room. Some believe it was a suicide, others claim it was a misadventure, and some are convinced it was murder.

Story about LSD, counterculture and CIA

The new graphic novel is called Project MK-Ultra: Sex, Drugs, and the CIA (Volume 1), with Project MK-Ultra being the code name of an illegal human experimentation program designed and undertaken by the CIA. It was used to assess the potential use of LSD and other drugs for mind control during the ’50s and ’70s.

Stewart – who will also appear in season two of the hit TV series The Wheel Of Time – said: “It’s an entirely different story, but it’s essentially about the CIA chemist who died. But the core thing in this story that we’re trying to point to is that this experiment triggered a counterculture revolution (an anti-establishment cultural phenomenon) in San Francisco.

“Because a number of people – who have been exposed to LSD by the CIA – started taking LSD. This included people like Jerry Garcia (lead guitarist and a vocalist with the rock band the Grateful Dead which came to prominence during the counterculture of the 1960s) and Ken Kesey who wrote One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

While this story has been covered in different ways in the past, Stewart believes it was never told like this – in a graphic novel format.

“We also focus on the fact that the CIA used taxpayers’ money to establish brothels in San Francisco and New York,” said the talented graphic designer.

“They put two-way mirrors in and filmed various things when they were drugged and they hired women addicted to drugs to work with them. It was very very scandalous.”

Stewart Moore also covers Operation Midnight Climax

Dubbed Operation Midnight Climax, it was carried out by the CIA as a sub-project of Project MK-Ultra during the Cold War. Agents dosed subjects with LSD in the hopes to develop a “truth serum”.

“We’re focusing on a few things that we know are true – there’s a whole bunch of stuff on the internet that’s garbage. But the core elements are true,” said Stewart.

The first volume of Stewart’s graphic novel – based on and adapted from the film screenplay by Brandon Beckner and Scott Sampila – has now been released, with the second volume planned for later this year.

Sex, Drugs, and the CIA finally released after Covid delays

Stewart said: “The first one was released in October, but because of Covid-19 there was a big cargo delay. The book was published in Korea and it was shipped to America before being distributed worldwide and all these ships were stuck.

“So – finally – this week they’re officially everywhere.

“Volume one takes us up to the point of establishing these brothels in San Francisco and volume two completes the story and shows how the very very bad idea turned sour and violent. It also explores the counterculture revolution a little bit.”

In addition, there are two versions of the first volume.

“You can get the standard one in any book store, but there is also a limited edition one that is available on Indiegogo and this limited edition has a special dust-jacket,” said Stewart.

Graphic novel adaptation of Shakespearean tragedy

This isn’t the first graphic novel Stewart worked on. Back in 2016, the graphic designer who also works as an actor, released The Tragedie of Macbeth – a graphic novel adaptation of the classic Shakespearean tragedy.

Stewart, who moved to Prague in 1994 after falling in love with the Czech capital the year prior, said his actor friends in the city were putting on all of the works of Shakespeare in 2016 to honour the 400th anniversary of the playwright’s death.

He said: “They asked me to join them and act with them, but I didn’t have the time so I offered to document one of their plays. So I began to photograph, film and sketch the troupe acting.

“Then, I created a memory landscape of what I remembered from living in the north-east. I put these beaches and things I remembered into the background of the comic. It’s all in black and white.”

Acting in The Wheel Of Time, Narnia and 12 Monkeys

In addition to being a successful graphic artist, Stewart would also pick up a few smaller acting roles.

He added: “Before Covid-19, I would do small parts and cameo appearances – what you call day playing. You do a couple of scenes and have a few lines, but nothing too time-consuming.

“But I did quite a few of these – things like 12 Monkeys, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, and a bunch of other things.”

“I played a lord in the second Narnia film – I didn’t have any speaking parts, I just had to sit around looking angry,” he added, laughing.

[embedded content]

Once Covid-19 struck, Stewart was certain he wouldn’t act again.

He said: “No films were being made so that acting work dried up and I assumed that there wouldn’t be any more acting for me, but then I got a call for The Wheel Of Time (fantasy TV series starring Rosamund Pike).

“They were looking for an actor who could ride a horse and I trained on horses for Narnia so all of a sudden I’m riding a black horse through a Czech forest in the cold midnight air.

“I’m in season two episode five. I’d get into trouble if I told you my character’s name but it’s a fairly memorable scene.”

Buy ‘Sex, Drugs And The CIA’ and more Stewart Moore books

You can purchase Project MK-Ultra: Sex, Drugs, and the CIA (Volume 1) here.

The limited-edition version of volume one can be bought here.

Stewart’s The Tragedie of Macbeth can be purchased here.

You might also like…