"Alan Moore is the man behind the mask, the mask worn by computer hackers and Occupy protestors the world over. But he's no typical insurgent, rather a graphic novelist. It was he who dreamt up the anarchist superhero with the ghostly, bearded mask, whose face has now become perhaps the symbol for subversion. Alan Moore has, in the past, championed graphic novels (book-length comics) for their effect on politics and culture. Why, in that case, is he now becoming disillusioned?"
"...a load of collected Spider-man stories is not a novel."
Film rights: "money for old rope."
Check it out!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01fq32k/HARDtalk_Alan_Moore_Writer/
Alan Moore = Aneamoorl! He speaks like he'd like to get his teeth deep into the neck of certain authorities.
Great to see him still quite energized about his position.
Thanks for the heads up Supplesurfer. ;)
Excellent, thanks for the heads up on this.
I don't understand - a thread about Alan Moore and no-one is calling him a prick and saying his comics aren't that good?
Is the fucking internet or isn't it?
He's a prick but he's my kinda prick.
A work colleague is often heard saying 'I don't read comics' then he walks in carrying Green Lantern Graphic Novels...
"It's a comic!!!" I pointed out.
Alan Moore, he writes comics.
Quote from: JOE SOAP on 11 April, 2012, 02:02:41 AM
He's a prick but he's my kinda prick.
A big hairy rigid one that slants alarmingly to the left?
Quote from: TordelBack on 11 April, 2012, 06:38:19 AM
Quote from: JOE SOAP on 11 April, 2012, 02:02:41 AM
He's a prick but he's my kinda prick.
A big hairy rigid one that slants alarmingly to the left?
Window shopping?
I thought the the interrogator/interviewer was the perfect closet book burner for him too. Or he certainly delved into the idea of being.
As ever interesting to listen too, even if it was going over the ground that we nerd have heard before.
Over the years I've come more and more to agree with him about movie adoptions, particularly of comics. If however he is going to be put up by the 'mainstream' as the intelligent voice of comics (not his choice I appreciate) I do wish he'd be more careful with his use of the phrase 'comics industry' when he seems to me to be talking about the mainstream American comics industry. Even when he went some way to clarifying that point he did say something along the lines of 'that's pretty much all that's left' which is pretty short sighted and a shame.
As for the interviewer implying that by moving to prose he was 'growing up'.... sigh really shouldn't we have moved past that stuff shorty after the 1986 burst of interest in patronising the medium!
"I do like to criticise things from a position of ignorance"
I like this recent chatty Mr Moore.
Long may it continue.
All great points Colin.
What about European and Asian Comics Industry? I know he's worked plenty of European styles, so is he setting himself against the Americans from that point of view? Or does he mean solely commercial industries when he talks of American markets?
Quote from: George Dread on 11 April, 2012, 09:03:06 AM
All great points Colin.
What about European and Asian Comics Industry? I know he's worked plenty of European styles, so is he setting himself against the Americans from that point of view? Or does he mean solely commercial industries when he talks of American markets?
I have loved Moore and his every scrawl and utterance from the first moment I became aware of his name in a Compu73E Credit Card, even when I'm at odds with some specific view he's as close to my ideal of a human being as it's possible to get, but I really do wish he could be clearer on this one point. If he could just frame his anger and despair in terms of
minimising the importance of the superhero mainstream, and emphasising all the good that's out there. I know Big Two superheroes were his first love back in the 'carried as ballast anecdote' days, and he's rightly appalled at where all that has led, but sheesh, maybe 1 in 10 comics that I read even has a superhero in it, and I don't seem to be running out of material to look at.
I know others have pointed out that he has done exactly this in the past, but if I as a groupie-slash-zealot have missed/misinterpeted this, then heaven help the heathens.
Japanese and European comics don't count as part of the regular western industry for various reasons, mainly because they're marketed apart from regular comics - sold via bookstores - to the point that Marvel claim to have "discovered" hot new artists like David LaFuente despite him being published for years in Eurocomics. I assume Moore is talking about Marvel and DC - and to a lesser extent the likes of IDW and Dark Horse whose biggest successes are comics based on existing properties - when he speaks of "industry."
Quote from: Professah Byah on 10 April, 2012, 07:13:12 PM
I don't understand - a thread about Alan Moore and no-one is calling him a prick and saying his comics aren't that good?
Is the fucking internet or isn't it?
Alan Moore is a bit of a prick but he's also quite an engaging and interesting chap. I like a lot of his comics but not League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
NB I also enjoy Lars von Trier interviews.
Quote from: Professah Byah on 11 April, 2012, 11:59:01 AM
I assume Moore is talking about Marvel and DC - and to a lesser extent the likes of IDW and Dark Horse whose biggest successes are comics based on existing properties - when he speaks of "industry."
Yeah but that's the point I was trying to make, as that's a very limited veiw of what the industry is, even in America. There are numerous examples of literate, quality 'graphic novels' (I loved the way he all but told the interviewer to call them comics and get over himself, something he (the interviewer) completely failed to do!) that are never out of book stores, American and UK examples which is much more mainstream that the 'industry' I think he has a beef with...
... and this from me a DC and superhero devotee!
When they talk about 'the comics industry' they mean the American comic industry - it's just shorthand and I think most people get that.
It's the same as when people mention the music industry, and they pretty much mean the British/American music industry and the film industry in most cases just means Hollywood.
Quote from: JamesC on 11 April, 2012, 01:18:34 PM
When they talk about 'the comics industry' they mean the American comic industry - it's just shorthand and I think most people get that.
As I said though in my previous post, if it is the American comics industry then his statements don't seem to work. If the American superhero comic book industry, then yeah he has a valid case (not necessarily right but that's a debate for another time). The problem is I'm not convinced a lot of people outside of us nerdy types would make those leaps? Could be wrong but don't think so.
As someone representing the comics industry, in its broadest sense (though I again acknowledge that he is not doing that by choice necessarily) it would be good if he was more specific and make it clear that there are over comic choices out there. After all he says himself here he's still a fan of the medium. Why use the label 'comics industry' when he's referring to mainly to two publishers (my assumption, could be wrong?).
Quote from: Colin_YNWA on 11 April, 2012, 08:36:58 AM
...Even when he went some way to clarifying that point he did say something along the lines of 'that's pretty much all that's left' which is pretty short sighted and a shame.
This point also still stands even if people do make the leap (A point I'm not convinced of), there's loads more out there and loads of stuff that people watching a show like 'Hardtalk' may not know about and that statements like that just fortify that ignorance?
I suppose it's all a matter of where you draw the line.
There are a number of comics that survive on the peripheries of the American comics industry that aren't super hero related but the only thing that really approaches being a powerful, profitable industry is still the core super hero stuff. It could even be argued that the real industry is basically just I.P farming.
It's a long way from the days when the stands would be full of western, horror, romance and sci-fi titles - all that stuff is niche now. If you ask the average man on the street to name a comic character he'll say Superman or Spiderman - maybe even Dennis the Menace or Desperate Dan; he won't say Sherriff whatsisface out of The Walking Dead.
To use the film analogy again, if someone makes a statement like 'The film industry don't make monster movies anymore - they're out of fashion' they can be forgiven for not taking into account the Sci-Fi channel's output which makes a monster movie every week.
That's my debate. He must know how various the Western market is as a nerdy type. And that most people who are not nerdy types are going to quickly assume Marvel and DC are the comics industry of which he speaks. So, if he could just clarify whether he was speaking on behalf of himself to whom he is assuming a program targeting non comic investors or not the general public. Which makes me suspect he was getting bored of the conversation or he understood there were time limitations. That or no, he needs to clarify himself on the matter of debate, so I can sleep at night!
Quote from: George Dread on 13 April, 2012, 03:15:34 PM
That's my debate. He must know how various the Western market is as a nerdy type. And that most people who are not nerdy types are going to quickly assume Marvel and DC are the comics industry of which he speaks. So, if he could just clarify whether he was speaking on behalf of himself to whom he is assuming a program targeting non comic investors or not the general public.
Zigzagly. However, I don't think Alan is in any way obliged to clarify his point for a wider audience, he can say what he damned well pleases in whatever way he wants, but I would
personally like it if he did.
Ah! Found this, as was looking for this, Search are crap, sorry for new thread early.
There was funny with caption on Alan Moore interview...
(http://desmond.yfrog.com/Himg857/scaled.php?tn=0&server=857&filename=rwojr.jpg&xsize=640&ysize=640)
It's now available on iTunes.
I do enjoy watching and listening to self confessed pornographer Alan Moore's interviews. Written articles often miss that he is being bitterly sarcastic most of the time. I don't think I've ever seen a tv interview where, when the interviewee is accused of hypocrisy, they happily admit to it.