Alan Moore Criticizes Modern Superhero Stories as ‘Unhealthy Escapism’

[superduperman]

"Great", another thread (which I know..to be fair was started to have a sensible discussion)....on Alan Moore that is guaranteed to generate a load of derogatory remarks on a guy who has provided massive amounts of entertainment for a great many people.

And it's always on the DC boards. The Marvel boards never do this, nor do the classic boards. It's almost as though a few DC fans can't cope with fact he decided to stop working for DC.

The bizarre thing is that these boards have appreciation threads for fictitious characters where it's regarded as a "thought crime" to question the merit of said character, and no negative posting must ever take place. But when areal guy is concerned...then's it's okay to make pointless insulting comments that have nothing to do with the comics, or whatever has been said in latest interview. (See Central Power's posting for an excellent example.)

Seriously if there isn't a DC boards bias against Alan Moore, why don't we see constantly see similar threads about other renowned creators...some of whose utterances make Alan Moore seem the apex of rationality??

Actually, I created this thread because the original article didn't have a link to the message boards and I didn't feel like looking for one. I actually love his DC work and understand why he's angry. What I take issue with is that he goes after the fans. He made this stuff himself. He showed you can do good, mature, stories with the pre-Crisis Superman. Something no one thought was possible. I also don't think Moore circa 1985 would agree with Moore circa 2016. So it seems kind of odd he'd get mad now when he wasn't exactly making stories for kids when he was writing for Superman or Green Lantern or Batman or whatever. For The Man Who Has Everything requires an extensive knowledge of Superman lore in order to get all the references. Kids wouldn't have that. He showed it can be done.

On the Superman boards I asked if the appeal of "Superdad" was based on the fact that the readership is more mature now and have their own kids. Because, as Moore himself said, the average age of a comic reader is in their mid-thirties. I do think Moore is right about one thing: That kind of business model can't be sustained long term. I think part of the appeal of the Marvel movies where DC has dropped the ball, is that they seem to be aimed at a much broader audience. Use the movies to get kids into the comic shops. I don't think Moore sees this strategy, effective or not.

[Matternativ]

Seriously, I never see any of this writers/creators talking about elitism and how it effects the industry.

Especially since other medias such as music or games have started talking about years ago. Hell the whole PC-Masterrace-clowns became a freaking meme.

[Vic Vega]

Interesting the he's so critical of a tone he essentially brought to the forefront.

I wonder how much he regrets his dealings with Image.

Prior to that, he was Indy As Hell.

Doing Political screeds, Slice of life tales about Fictional Manchester (I think) and Literate Porn.

Then the dude goes and does WildC.A.T.S. and Superman pastiches. Then I guess he
split the difference with America's Best Comics.

Its a shame: just looking at Moore's Supreme tells me he really loved Silver Age comics at some point.

[Johnny Thunders!]

I do agree that something has been lost with the need to make Comics grow up and be more mature. The fun of reading all those post modern comics was in seeing how these childhood fantasies could be reinterpreted with an adult mindset. With the adult mindset being first and foremost, something seems to get lost.

Thank god for the DC Lego Universe!

[XPac]

I wonder how much he regrets his dealings with Image.

Prior to that, he was Indy As Hell.

Doing Political screeds, Slice of life tales about Fictional Manchester (I think) and Literate Porn.

Then the dude goes and does WildC.A.T.S. and Superman pastiches. Then I guess he
split the difference with America's Best Comics.

Its a shame: just looking at Moore's Supreme tells me he really loved Silver Age comics at some point.

It's sort of funny because he DOES seem to have a lot of the silver age stuff... yet you can argue his mainstream work has done more to turn the corner from that than anymost any other writer.

Maybe that's a part of the reason he's so bitter.

[AlexanderLuthor]

I think the same thing I always do when Alan Moore talks - he's a great creator, arguably one of the Top 2-3 comic writers of all-time, and I could care less what he thinks otherwise. He's been a crazy old man for awhile now

[Jabare]

maybe he is right maybe he is wrong. Do we care?

[Judge Dredd]

Not a big Moore fan, but no doubt he is one of the best and biggest writers to ever be the industry, but he is out of touch with comics today. It is weird for him to comment on them as he does not seem to read them, so really hard to take his opinion seriously when he does not even read the books he is commenting on.

[CentralPower]

And it's always on the DC boards. The Marvel boards never do this, nor do the classic boards. It's almost as though a few DC fans can't cope with fact he decided to stop working for DC.

Most of Moore's work, particularly the stuff he is most known for, was at DC. There is a similar thread on the Marvel forums. But, the fans there are less likely to care about Moore. (I built my responses to that thread in to my post above.) But, if there is Bendis to be bashed, it ain't gonna be in the DC forums. (Similarly, if I am going to piss on Lee, I do it in the Marvel forums.)


Moore is seen (with plenty of good reason) as an arse. He cries about the industry, he shits on publishers and talent. And, he has not produced anything of merit in decades. In theory, the best thing to do would be to ignore his idiotic tantrums. But, this is a forums about comics, so that ain't gonna happen.

The bizarre thing is that these boards have appreciation threads for fictitious characters where it's regarded as a "thought crime" to question the merit of said character, and no negative posting must ever take place. But when areal guy is concerned...then's it's okay to make pointless insulting comments that have nothing to do with the comics, or whatever has been said in latest interview. (See Central Power's posting for an excellent example.)

I partly agree with this. Some people are way to obsessively protective about their favorite fictional characters, and quick to bash creators for not being nice to/about those characters.

But, it is fair to bash writers for things they say/write because writing is a direct product of who the writer is. It only possible to separate a writer or artist from their work to an extent.

It's not like Alan Moore is travelling around the world, trying to find anyone who will listen, so he can rant on about his opinions. People seek him out expressly for these kinds of comments. If they didn't ask, Moore wouldn't be bothered and news sources would just have to re-post the old interviews, where Moore said essentially the same thing.

I do not blame comic sites for baiting Moore. But, does he really have to take the mic every time that somebody dangles it in front of him?

I do agree that something has been lost with the need to make Comics grow up and be more mature.

But, why would anybody over the age of 10 read them? And, given the choice, why would a writer pitch to kids, aside from an easy paycheck?

[Johnny Thunders!]

Some books seem to transcend age and are entertaining for adults and children.(Roald Dahl, JK Rowling...there has to be others.) The Marvel Movies, Pixar, they seem to make child friendly material that are sophisticated for adults, they seem to do well without aiming for that 30 year old to 50 year old market.

[Coin Biter]

When Moore was writing in the 70s/80s, he probably thought - as many did at that time - that comics in the UK and US were freeing themselves from the shackles imposed by formal and informal restrictions on modes of expression, and were reaching maturity as an art form. Part of that, I guess, was an assumption that commercial comics would be reaching out to a wide readership, would no longer be dominated by the two corporate giants, who were continuing to make money on the basis of long-standing IP made by creators who, in many cases, were not treated equitably.

I guess he - and many other British/American creators - would have been horrified by the notion that 30 or so years down the line, the comic industry in the UK and US would be writing for a smaller readership, and would be still dominated at least in the US by the two corporate giants, who would still be making money off the same characters. Worse than that, according to Moore's perspective, comics main value to many would be in serving as IP libraries/farms for mega blockbuster movies

When looked at in that context, I feel that Moore should be cut some slack. His comments may be unfair in part - escapism in particular is a word I don't particularly like, because it doesn't really have any kind of precise meaning and could apply to practically any art that you don't particularly like that portrays an unreal situation, including much of Moore's own, even excluding his work for DC/Marvel. However, I think the shoulders of fans should be broad enough to take these kinds of comments, which I don't find very insulting myself.

[Myskin]

That is an under-sell of the industry. (And, the more we agree that comics are moron-fodder, the harder it is to justify our hobby. Just sayin'...)

Why? There are way more comics in the world than DC and Marvel. Superhero are a niche.

Moore is seen (with plenty of good reason) as an arse. He cries about the industry, he shits on publishers and talent. And, he has not produced anything of merit in decades.

Let's not talk nonsense. Providence - currently published by Avatar - is better and finer than literally every single comic book currently published by DC and Marvel.

[Coin Biter]

Once again, Alan Moore pisses all over what made him famous. If it wasn't for comics, no one would give a crap about him or what he thinks.

Does he care about being famous? He still lives in the same town in the Midlands that he has all his life. He gives money from movies made from his work to the artists. It's not as if he's moved to California and poses for photo opportunities with Brad Pitt.

[colonyofcells]

Alan Moore is obviously a genius so lots of people want to interview him. Alan Moore probably makes more sense than half of the population out there. Some kids probably sincerely believe that Alan Moore is better than Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare.

[The Whovian]

I could care less what he thinks. I read comics not as "escapism" but because I enjoy them. Just like I enjoy watching TV shows or movies. I don't watch them to escape, but because I enjoy watching them.

To me, he sounds bitter lately and almost jealous of others who are getting praise for their work. As far as I'm concerned, he's entitled to his opinion, but I disagree with it and again, couldn't care less what he thinks.