Another Alan Moore thread

[JamesC]

To any lovers, haters and even those ambivalent to Alan Moore - read this (I got a kick out of it - fair warms the cockles):

http://www.lettersofnote.com/2016/07/you-are-best-author-in-human-history.html

[Colin YNWA]

Very nice. I particularly like the way he signs it off!

[Frank]

Doesn't talk down to the wee fella either. Sending the 9 year old a book about a girl getting brutally gang raped by sailors proves Moore doesn't even realise he's doing it.

[Hawkmumbler]

Very sweet.

[Dark Jimbo]

I so hope this is indeed going to be the back cover of Jerusalem:

[Leigh S]

Indeed... it is a lovely letter (pair of letters), but it does beg the question at what age is it appropriate for a kid to read someting like LOEG?  My Joe turns 11 next week and it's only this year he has started reading my old Best of 2000ADs and Complete Dredds....

Doesn't talk down to the wee fella either. Sending the 9 year old a book about a girl getting brutally gang raped by sailors proves Moore doesn't even realise he's doing it.

[Jim_Campbell]

There was much enthusiasm for this exchange of letters on Twitter, prompting Leah Moore to report:

spoke to dad, told him what a lot of love the letters had gotten. He was really pleased. Said "Send the Internet my love" <3

[Apestrife]

Saw it posted on Facebook. Lovely reply.

Funny how he begins a lengthy reply with "I apologise if this reply is a bit short" as well ending it with "(Best Author in Human History. In your face, Shakespeare, Joyce and Cervantes!)"

[Fungus]

Left-field sources of 'praise' is something I always enjoy seeing. This one's a beaut.

[TordelBack]

Know this pilgrims, you will never be one tenth as utterly cool as Alan Moore.  Mind you, there's a lot in all those listed books that I wouldn't be encouraging my kids to read at 9.  I mean SPOILER FOR LoEG CENTURY[spoiler] giant Harry Potter wanking Alan Quartermain to death?[/spoiler] I dunno.

[Heath C Ackley]

I think it's great when creators of such standing as Moore communicate on a one to one basis with fans. It's a nice personal touch.

[sheridan]

Indeed... it is a lovely letter (pair of letters), but it does beg the question at what age is it appropriate for a kid to read someting like LOEG?  My Joe turns 11 next week and it's only this year he has started reading my old Best of 2000ADs and Complete Dredds....

Moore has shared his opinion on age-appropriateness in comics (or more precisely, DC slapping 'mature readers only' labels on Swamp Thing without consulting him - one of the reasons he won't work for or with them any more).

[Dandontdare]

we did that "write to an author" thing at school - out of a class of 30 only one person got an actual reply, from Ursula LeGuin. I wrote to Robert Sheckley as I'd just read Immortality Inc but heard nothing back. Wish I'd written to Alan Moore instead!

[Jim_Campbell]

Moore has shared his opinion on age-appropriateness in comics (or more precisely, DC slapping 'mature readers only' labels on Swamp Thing without consulting him - one of the reasons he won't work for or with them any more).

IIRC, Moore's position (at least at the time of the DC book-labelling controversy) was that it should work the same in comic stores as regular book shops -- children's books are clearly separated from everything else, and everything else is assumed by default to be 'adult' reading. 

[Eric Plumrose]

Indeed... it is a lovely letter (pair of letters), but it does beg the question at what age is it appropriate for a kid to read someting like LOEG?  My Joe turns 11 next week and it's only this year he has started reading my old Best of 2000ADs and Complete Dredds....

Moore has shared his opinion on age-appropriateness in comics (or more precisely, DC slapping 'mature readers only' labels on Swamp Thing without consulting him - one of the reasons he won't work for or with them any more).

Responding to a hypothetical question in THE COMICS JOURNAL, I seem to recall Moore saying he would have no moral objection selling adult material to someone underage, his assumption being that a child with the cojones to buy it would presumably have a good relationship with his (or her) parents. His personal approach he said would be to sit down with his children and discuss said material while reading it together.

Prior to the labelling controversy Moore had praised DC for releasing SWAMP THING without the Comics Code seal. Of the four interviews conducted by the JOURNAL -- the others being with Howard Chaykin and Marv Wolfman -- I've only read those with Moore and Frank Miller. Assuming I'm not conflating other interviews he's given, Alan was more cogent and measured (and funnier!) in his criticism than Frank, whom I seem to remember Groth rebuking for occasional inconsistencies.

While Moore honoured his contract with DC but declined to produce any subsequent work (his relationship with the company already soured), the JOURNAL suggested the other three were seemingly happy with whatever lip-service DC offered them.