Is Alan Moore a hypocrite?

[Crazy Diamond]

The story that was meant to be a one-off was just one of the influences on Johns' story that had very little impact, other than a handful of names. If Moore didn't want to read the book to know what he's taking credit for, he shouldn't be commenting on it at all. But instead he decided to take credit for a story he knew nothing about and had nothing to do with. Creators who aren't morally bankrupt don't do that.

EDIT: I suggest you actually read the interview you linked, because if anything I'm being kind to Moore here.

EDIT 2: Actually, thanks for that, because it firmly establishes that Alan Moore is definitely and inarguably a hypocrite. In that interview he gets upset about someone doing to one of his stories what he did to Victorian literature as a whole. LoEG volume 2 has more in common with War of the Worlds than Blackest Night has with the Alan Moore short story. It's rank hypocrisy for him to take credit for both stories

I read the interview when he first gave it. I couldn't find the original but even then his point still stands. What did Geoff Johns do with the Inversions other than kill them off and introduce Atrocitus, another antihero and write a zombie story? He wasn't even taking credit for Blackest Night.

[Thezmage]

I read the interview when he first gave it. I couldn't find the original but even then his point still stands. What did Geoff Johns do with the Inversions other than kill them off and introduce Atrocitus, another antihero and write a zombie story? He wasn't even taking credit for Blackest Night.

I didn’t expect the companies concerned to more or less say, “Yeah, he’s right. Let’s see if we can find another one of his stories from 30 years ago to turn into some spectacular saga.”

That's taking credit. Again, even though they were only background detail for Johns' own story and characters

[iron chimp]

Tell that to any Black child who got compared to a golliwog.

Little Black Sambo may have just been a kid's book but it relied on the stereotypes of the day regardless.

And this is Alans point. If you go back to the primary sources ie the original books and the author this isnt the case.

All historical opinions ultimately have to be based on primary sources. He's saying he's checked them and Alan is a huge authority on brit cartooning and child

Like you i was deeply suspicious but i did a little reading around the topic and there looked, to me, enough initial evidence to say, hmmm... there might actually be something in what hes saying.

But one has to check the primary sources. I havent, you havent, 99.9999% of us haven't. Alan's interpretation might be totally wrong or might be an important addition to black studies / race relations / cultural studies but to decide is going to take a lot of work on our own part.

The danger of not consulting primary sources, for me, was brutally highlighted by david starkies infamous debate on rap music. A cambridge professor of history talking about rap who couldnt name a rap musician but was basing his opinions on society from tabloid newspaper headlines. No surprise that he was called out on it live on stage, panicked, said he went to a better school than everyone else on the stage then issued takedown orders for any upload of the debate. When you dont go to the primary sources one is only ever talking off the top of ones head and thats dangerous.

[Kaijudo]

Honestly, you want to compare Moore to someone in the history of comics, compare him to Bill Finger. That's a guy who created something groundbreaking and then was tossed to the side while another party made literal millions off of it. DC eternally keeping Watchmen in print and screwing Moore via the terms of the contract was bad enough, but incorporating the characters into new books, from Before Watchmen to Doomsday Clock to Rorschach, is just shoving the ultimate middle finger into Moore's face. He's not a hypocrite, he's bitter, and he has every right to be.

And as far as the other stuff about his take on superheroes being for children, that's his opinion. He's allowed it. You don't have to agree with him...I don't (though as some elements of fandom get increasingly rabid and unhinged, I'm seeing his point more and more). But it's stupid to take his opinion as a personal offense.