Alan Moore is one of the most innovative comic book storytellers of all time, but his relationship with the medium, the industry, and his own iconic works is complicated. In a recent interview, Moore opened up about his decision to step away from comics, and his foray into prose with the short story collection Illuminations.
Speaking with Games Radar, Moore discussed the difficult process of coming to terms with his need to exit the comic industry.
Saying that it, “felt like a bit of an amputation,” Moore nevertheless firmly stood by his decision to “disown” much of his comic book work and its legacy.
Disassociating From His Comic Book Creations Was A Painful Process For Alan Moore
Alan Moore’s career began in the late 1970s, with submissions to 2000 A.D., Britain’s long-running comic book magazine, perhaps best known for publishing Judge Dredd. By 1982, he had started publishing V for Vendetta as a serial in Warrior magazine. The fraught dystopian revolution story would help to define Moore’s iconic authorial voice, and his creative style, as well as his perennial interests in history, ideology, and philosophy. Within a year, DC Comics hired Moore to write Swamp Thing; his groundbreaking reinvention of the character solidified him as an essential creator within the industry. Now, decades later, he is at odds with his monolithic legacy.
Moore Disavows All Adaptations And Appropriations Of His Work
“I’ve disowned most of my comics work, including stuff like Watchmen, V For Vendetta,” Alan Moore explained to Games Radar, “everything that I don’t own.” For decades, the author has been fiercely opposed to cinematic adaptations of his work, which has nevertheless not stopped Moore’s stories from being translated to the silver screen – a process he believes is not just flawed, but ruinous. “The only active thing I could do was disown it, which was painful,” he admitted in the interview. “I put an enormous amount of work and energy and a great deal of love into all of those projects, and it felt like a bit of an amputation to disown them.”
“At the same time, that was the only way to cut out the poison,” Moore said, noting that he doesn’t own copies of the titles he has forsaken, and that he never plans to revisit them. As he describes, his resentment toward the comic book industry, and how it reacted to his disapproval of how his stories were being used without his consent or involvement, plays a major role in this decision. “Even thinking about them, all I’ve got is memories of having my intellectual property rights stolen and then when I complained about that, being typified as a crazy angry guy.”
“Yes, alright, I was quite cross,” Moore acknowledges, “but I don’t think without reason.” He went on to suggest that painting him as “angry about everything” is a means to disarm and dismiss his relevant criticisms of the industry. Alan Moore has always been a vocal creator, and rather than be tamed by the comic book industry over the years, the author has only become more resolute in his values with time. Rather than learn from him, the industry betrayed Alan Moore – at least in his view. As a result, he has had to cut his beloved creations out of his heart, a terrible act of self-protection for any creator to have to take.
