Alan Moore interview

[Truth]

"Not being personally familiar with online discussions I’m clearly taking a shot in the dark here, but is there something about the nature of internet discourse that encourages this actually reckless sense of impunity in persons who might otherwise be reluctant regarding more immediate and direct confrontations? As I say, this is only a guess."

Very long. You may find it relevant to your interests. Or not.

 

[Johnny Barleycorn]

I like Moore a lot, although I do think he’s as mad as a balloon.

His work, from Miracleman on, still influences comics and the movies that are now so ridiculously popular. Without Miracleman there would have been no Frank Miller Dark Knight Returns or Tim Burton’s Batman, and those characters would still perhaps be in the public consciousness the province of the Adam West style camp of the 60s TV Show.

The only thing I do have reservations about is how much Moore has unintentionally contributed to the demise of the comics industry in that time. Lesser talents tried to emulate his hyper-realistic style and since the eighties the decline in sales has been inexorable. As fun as it is to see those characters up on the screen they belong on the printed page. I watch a two hundred million dollar Marvel movie and think how much more exciting it was with Kirby and Ditko and Buscema et al doing the imagining.

As an aside the critical acclaim for the latest Mister Miracle relaunch prompted me to buy a TPB of the 70s Kirby original which I have vague memories of buying an issue of on holiday in Tenby as a kid. I hated it then, but I’m in love with it now. It’s a glorious thing.

 

[Peterb]

I like Moore a lot, although I do think he’s as mad as a balloon.

His work, from Miracleman on, still influences comics and the movies that are now so ridiculously popular. Without Miracleman there would have been no Frank Miller Dark Knight Returns or Tim Burton’s Batman, and those characters would still perhaps be in the public consciousness the province of the Adam West style camp of the 60s TV Show.

The only thing I do have reservations about is how much Moore has unintentionally contributed to the demise of the comics industry in that time. Lesser talents tried to emulate his hyper-realistic style and since the eighties the decline in sales has been inexorable. As fun as it is to see those characters up on the screen they belong on the printed page. I watch a two hundred million dollar Marvel movie and think how much more exciting it was with Kirby and Ditko and Buscema et al doing the imagining.

As an aside the critical acclaim for the latest Mister Miracle relaunch prompted me to buy a TPB of the 70s Kirby original which I have vague memories of buying an issue of on holiday in Tenby as a kid. I hated it then, but I’m in love with it now. It’s a glorious thing.

Johnny, you cannot blame Alan Moore for the demise of the comic industry.
He was a major part of its revival in the 80's!

 

[Anonymous]

That’s a ridiculous idea that people trying to copy Moore is what lead to a sales decline. For example Morrison wrote an amazing successful Superman run. The problem with marvel and dc is that the characters are just tired and can’t be relaunched a bajillion Times without people opting out. There’s also just a bunch more things for a kid to do with there time like video games. All this said said people have made excellent runs on super hero characters lately like brubakers captain America and Millars ultimates which became he basis and influence for several of the movies not to mention things like kick ass and her majesty’s secret service on the non super hero side of things. Mostly the idea of super hero’s is just about all played out and things like vertigo, which just turned twenty five, stepped in with sandman Lucifer and swamp thing hellblazer etc and took maturing readers away from typical mainstream comics into a bunch of fractured imprints and titles

 

[g23]

I like Moore a lot, although I do think he’s as mad as a balloon.

Don't you mean Baboon?

EDIT: And I kind of do, but really don't want to see what his butt looks like below the cut off point for this photo.

 

[Johnny Barleycorn]

That’s a ridiculous idea that people trying to copy Moore is what lead to a sales decline. For example Morrison wrote an amazing successful Superman run. The problem with marvel and dc is that the characters are just tired and can’t be relaunched a bajillion Times without people opting out. There’s also just a bunch more things for a kid to do with there time like video games. All this said said people have made excellent runs on super hero characters lately like brubakers captain America and Millars ultimates which became he basis and influence for several of the movies not to mention things like kick ass and her majesty’s secret service on the non super hero side of things. Mostly the idea of super hero’s is just about all played out and things like vertigo, which just turned twenty five, stepped in with sandman Lucifer and swamp thing hellblazer etc and took maturing readers away from typical mainstream comics into a bunch of fractured imprints and titles

Doesn’t saying there are certain runs which have been successful in the last twenty years or so sort of prove my point? From FF#1 to until about 1980 Marvel as an entire company we’re on a run across numerous titles. Since then we have to point to events and this artificial concept of “runs” on titles. I’ve even heard Lee & Kirby’s first hundred issues of the FF described as a run. It wasn’t at the time. It was just great.

Comics took a turn into becoming a darker medium and Moore was instrumental in that change. I don’t see how that is even arguable. Look at Miracleman #15 and tell me that had no influence over Cavill’s version of Superman in Man Of Steel. Terrence Stamp’s Zod in Superman II was long gone.

Decent runs here and there are all well and good, but today Marvel & DC comics sell a fraction of what they once did. In no small part that is because they mutated from a 50c/pence mass market product available to kids in the local corner store to a five dollar niche product hipsters had to travel to a specialist shop to buy. Now Marvel seem to be having a clear out of those who have driven it into the ground recently it would be nice to think the new management will get back to their core titles and start afresh. I think it’s a great shame it is no longer a mass market product for kids.

 

[Anonymous]

Doesn’t saying there are certain runs which have been successful in the last twenty years or so sort of prove my point? From FF#1 to until about 1980 Marvel as an entire company we’re on a run across numerous titles. Since then we have to point to events and this artificial concept of “runs” on titles. I’ve even heard Lee & Kirby’s first hundred issues of the FF described as a run. It wasn’t at the time. It was just great.

Comics took a turn into becoming a darker medium and Moore was instrumental in that change. I don’t see how that is even arguable. Look at Miracleman #15 and tell me that had no influence over Cavill’s version of Superman in Man Of Steel. Terrence Stamp’s Zod in Superman II was long gone.

Decent runs here and there are all well and good, but today Marvel & DC comics sell a fraction of what they once did. In no small part that is because they mutated from a 50c/pence mass market product available to kids in the local corner store to a five dollar niche product hipsters had to travel to a specialist shop to buy. Now Marvel seem to be having a clear out of those who have driven it into the ground recently it would be nice to think the new management will get back to their core titles and start afresh. I think it’s a great shame it is no longer a mass market product for kids.

Moore was for sure an influence on the trend of going darker but he was among a bunch of other people as well so to say that comics decline is because he was being copied is not quite true. It was also just a reflection of a changing youth. The super hero trend just died a natural death as it’s an old form that doesn’t really hold up today and marvel and dc are built on that. Kids today don’t want to read about superhero’s and marvel and dc hasn’t come up with much else to replace those characters that appeals to the common youth obsessed with mine craft. Vertigo is the closest theyve come to a successful adaptation of the form. Comics also can’t really compete with anime and most importantly video games that werent around during comics heyday. When the original audience got older things got darker and most importantly more cerebral and that’s the direction the medium should go. The more adult political crime horror stuff is what has worked for superhero revamps and the more cerebral stuff is the future. Things like the ultimates ennis run on the punisher brubakers captain America the authority Morrison’s all star Superman and it very adult contemplation of mortality and the death of an age even meditations in the genre like marvels. I’ll say and I know his is controversial but I think the single issue format is a loser going forward and that trade volumes are what should replace them. It’s exspensive and there collectibility value is dropping fast and with trades I think you get less rushed stories (read better stories) and a more satisfying read

 

[Peterb]

Doesn’t saying there are certain runs which have been successful in the last twenty years or so sort of prove my point? From FF#1 to until about 1980 Marvel as an entire company we’re on a run across numerous titles. Since then we have to point to events and this artificial concept of “runs” on titles. I’ve even heard Lee & Kirby’s first hundred issues of the FF described as a run. It wasn’t at the time. It was just great.

Comics took a turn into becoming a darker medium and Moore was instrumental in that change. I don’t see how that is even arguable. Look at Miracleman #15 and tell me that had no influence over Cavill’s version of Superman in Man Of Steel. Terrence Stamp’s Zod in Superman II was long gone.

Decent runs here and there are all well and good, but today Marvel & DC comics sell a fraction of what they once did. In no small part that is because they mutated from a 50c/pence mass market product available to kids in the local corner store to a five dollar niche product hipsters had to travel to a specialist shop to buy. Now Marvel seem to be having a clear out of those who have driven it into the ground recently it would be nice to think the new management will get back to their core titles and start afresh. I think it’s a great shame it is no longer a mass market product for kids.

That's a really excellent response Johnny and deserves a considered response.
You take a rather mechanical view as to how comics developed in the 80's, seeing Moore as 'instrumental'?
Everything changes.
Comics did grow darker but they also got sexier, and weirder and brasher, there was a lot of playing around with the medium, the lay outs and artwork.
This is perfectly natural and Moore was part of what was going on.
So comics have mutated into something different from what they used to be.
Kids no longer read a lot of comics.
I suppose it is a great shame but it's the usual cry of the older generation. 'Kids should do what I did when I was young'.
Rather than bemoan the market as it is, and I by no means agree with your estimation of 'hipsters', I would rather celebrate the fact that it is still
thriving and still attracting new talent.

 

[Anonymous]

A neat article on vertigo from ny mag. Mentions Moore along with Morrison Delano and Neil Gaiman who some might say had a game changer with sandman. At least I think we can all be happy that the Youngblood phase of comics is over and forgotten

How vertigo changed comics forever
http://www.vulture.com/2018/01/how-vertigo-changed-comics-forever.html