Alan Moore Is Done With Comics

Alan Moore is a legendary writer who has more than 40 years of writing experience, however, he may be done with comics for good. He has written some of the most critically acclaimed and well-written comic books of all time. His legacy within the comic book industry is one of revolution. He wrote what many people call ”adult comics.” Some of his works include “Batman: The Killing Joke,” “Watchmen,” “V for Vendetta,” The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,” and many more.

Alan Moore Subverting Expectations

He and his colleagues at the time changed the public perception of comic books then and forever more. His stories are narratively complex and almost always politically charged. Alan Moore adds touches of emotion and humanity to all of his characters which made them feel more real.

His comic book work subverted the expectations for comic books at the time. An example of this is the trope of villains explaining their entire plan while not having it completely done. In “Watchmen,” the main villain explains his whole plan to the heroes but when the heroes say that they will stop him he says “I did it 35 minutes ago.”

The reason why this matters so much is that there are very few works that subverted this trope before Alan Moore did it. With that one subversion, he pushed the comic book industry forward because it sent the message to all the other writers that the tropes within the industry aren’t invincible must-haves. This allowed for much more complex stories. This wasn’t just a one-time occurrence either. His work did things like this all the time which makes his work in the comic industry and him as a writer special.

Dark Side of the Industry

However, according to an interview with the Guardian, he may be done with comic books for good. This is what he said, “I’m definitely done with comics,” he says. “I haven’t written one for getting on for five years. I will always love and adore the comics medium but the comics industry and all of the stuff attached to it just became unbearable.” Alan Moore is referencing his long history with the ownership and money side of the comic book industry.

Every industry has its downsides. The comic book industry’s downside is the ownership aspect. What this means is that the comic book industry has historically had problems with the way they pay their workers. Not only that but the problem of royalties and who owns what. A large issue with the comic book industry is the way that comic book companies will hire people but fully own the work they created. Even legendary writers like Alan Moore have brushed up with the underbelly of the industry.

He May Be Done With Comics but He Isn’t Out of the Game

A great example is Marvel man, a character whose royalty rights could be an article in and of itself. However, for the sake of time, Marvel man’s history as a property is filled with people splitting apart and fighting over royalties and who owns what. One of the people who originally owned Marvel man was Alan Moore. It could be said that this long and arduous experience with animal man’s property rights may have revealed the darker side of the industry to him.

Ultimately, it’s ok that Alan Moore is done with comics. He still publishes work, and will even be publishing something in 2022. Alan Moore will be releasing a short story collection called “Illuminations.” It isn’t as if Alan Moore has stopped writing. He simply isn’t writing for comic books anymore.

One can still enjoy his new work but people can also go back and enjoy his old work as well. People can still reread “Watchmen,” “The Killing Joke,” and all of his old works. Most of his works are critically acclaimed, so if one has free time, you can’t go wrong with Alan Moore.

Written by Kenneth Mazerat

Source

TheGuardian: Watchmen author Alan Moore: ‘I’m definitely done with comics’ by Sam Leith

Vox: In 1986, Watchmen skewered the way we love superheroes. It’s still as relevant as ever. by Alex Abad-Santos

NYTimes: The Genre-Shattering Fictions of Alan Moore by Junot Díaz

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Stew Dean’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License

First Inset Image Courtesy of Loz Pycock’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License