# Alan Moore, what do folks think of him? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 4, 2003, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955 "2003-12-04T15:38:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sghoul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@sghoul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sghoul)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955/1 "2003-12-04T15:38:02Z")
Born of the thread about Captain Marvel, Moore got brought up, and I was wondering what people thought. Several people mentioned that all he can do is take established heroes and turn them dark. What about Top Ten (one of my all time favorite series), Tom Strong, And Promethia, Smax? And even if you do look at something like League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, part of it’s greatness is not just the darkness, but the constant references. When a comic has annotation longer than the actual comic, that’s pretty deep. Besides, his making dark has been pretty profound. Swampthing, Watchmen, his ideas about Captain Marvel, were all great. So, what say you call? ---
**Author:** ![TVAA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TVAA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVAA)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955/2 "2003-12-04T15:45:42Z")
Good guy. Too bad his works are ruined when other people try to translate them to other media. I liked _Promethea_ quite a lot, although I don’t find Kaballah to be particularly useful or interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955/3 "2003-12-04T15:52:56Z")
Best writer in comics, and turning established characters dark–his trademark-- isn’t his only trick (With Swamp Thing and Watchmen [Charlton Acton Heroes], he also turns stale characters interesting). I think his fans are too quick to deify the guy, though; have you read **Alan Moore: An Extraordinary Gentleman**? I think he’s suffering from overexposure and a whole “Aren’t I eccentric?” vibe. I don’t respect his views on magic or drugs, and I’d respect him more as a writer if he actually scripted one of his movies for a change, or wrote a solid, readable novel. ---
**Author:** ![Chastain86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Chastain86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chastain86)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955/4 "2003-12-04T15:56:14Z")
Great writer, if a bit of a recluse. He almost seems very self-hating in a way, as he continues to produce fantastic work in a genre he seems to dislike greatly. Plus, without Moore, we’d never have gotten Zander Cannon on Top 10 and Smax. Good stuff, that. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955/5 "2003-12-04T16:02:42Z")
Three replies and no mention of what I consider the high point in all of comics: V for Vendetta. Man, was that some powerful stuff. I have no particular opinion of Moore. Other than seeing the way Dave Sim portrayed him in Cerebus I don’t think I know enough about him to form an opinion. Though the way Sim DID portray him pretty much means I’d find him annoying and self-involved. ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955/6 "2003-12-04T16:11:23Z")
I agree; great writer. His deconstructionism scares the pants off me sometimes, though. He portrayed a parody of the JLA as a secret society of pedophiles in _Top Ten_ recently, and his unpublished script for _Twilight of the Super-Heroes_ had the bulk of DC’s heroes in extremely undignified futures (including a Captain Marvel who was trapped in a child’s body, frequented prostitutes, and was killed by the Martian Manhunter). ---
**Author:** ![Miaz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@Miaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miaz)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955/7 "2003-12-04T16:26:58Z")
Did this come up because he’s retiring from comics except League of Extraordinary Gentleman? I really love his work, but I luckily don’t over glorify him as his fans have the nasty habit of doing. He, often or not, produces enjoyable tales and hope he enjoys his ‘retirement’. ---
**Author:** ![sghoul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@sghoul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sghoul)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955/8 "2003-12-04T16:42:07Z")
Is he quitting?! Say it ain’t so! I need more Top ten! ---
**Author:** ![Galanthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Galanthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galanthus)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955/9 "2003-12-04T16:42:11Z")
V for Vendetta. Without doubt the best graphic novel in my opinion. Even though it now looks a bit dated. ---
**Author:** ![Mal\_Adroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mal\_Adroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mal_Adroit)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955/10 "2003-12-04T17:32:54Z")
I guess a writer’s entitled to different styles, but I couldn’t believe that the fun-but-ultimately-paper-thin _League of Extraordinary Gentlemen_ was written by the same guy who wrote _Watchmen._ I’ve yet to read _V is for Vendetta._ ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955/11 "2003-12-04T19:35:08Z")
I loved _Watchmen_, and Top Ten is fun, but _League …_, _From Hell_, and even _V for Vendetta_ left me a little cold. I guess I enjoyed the story in _V for Vendetta_, which was his part of the bargain, but the art wasn’t as inspired as I felt _Watchmen_ was. I guess I don’t really like a comic (“graphic novel” if you must) unless the art and the writing are both styles that resonate with me, and _Watchmen_ definitely did on both counts–but little else of Alan Moore’s, regardless of the artist, has ever gotten me to read and re-read the work the same way _Watchmen_ did. ---
**Author:** ![Lucki\_Chaarms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lucki\_Chaarms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucki_Chaarms)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955/12 "2003-12-04T19:58:45Z")
I rank 'em like this: 1. From Hell 2. V For Vendetta 3. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns 4. Watchmen 5. Top 10 I rarely read comics, but Alan Moore’s work often rises above its genre to simply be great art. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was pretty weak though. I guess that’s why it was the last Moore book I read. LC ---
**Author:** ![Lucki\_Chaarms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lucki\_Chaarms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucki_Chaarms)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955/13 "2003-12-04T19:59:55Z")
Whoops. I meant, of course, Batman: The Killing Joke. LC ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955/14 "2003-12-04T20:21:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lucki Chaarms \* > \*\*Whoops. I meant, of course, Batman: The Killing Joke. > > LC \*\* yeah, don’t make my mistake. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lear\_s\_fool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/df788c/32.png) [@Lear\_s\_fool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lear_s_fool)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955/15 "2003-12-04T20:23:49Z")
I think the man is amazing. V for Vendetta was good, I loved (and own) his run on swamping thing, Watchmen blew me away, League and Tom Strong were enjoyable, but From Hell is his master piece to date. I loved the journey in to the mind of the killer for going the tired who don it but instead going aft the why don it. I relay do need to get my hands on Miracle Man some how along with small killing, birth cowl and snakes & ladders. I morn the fact that he never finished big numbers which he said would have been a “magnum opus” and should have been his master piece, I’ve heard that he would have had nearly 40 characters. It’s such a shame that he only put two issues out (i would love to read those). I’ve heard that many of panel composition where amazing in those issues. In fact the reason i heard it was never finished is that the artist quite because the level of complexity Moore planed drove him nuts. I’ve heard that the scripts he gives the artist are very detailed a producer hired him to write a film script when the producer read he said some to the effect of he could have left some work of rthe director to do. In an interview i read he did say he was retiring but he explained that he mean he was finishing the “main stream” comics (i.e. ABC). He did go on to say that it is very likely that he will do some comic work in the future and that he still sees a lot of potential in the medium but he has no plans for any comic projects at the moment. He said that he wanted to focus in on the spoken word performances that he’s been doing for the last few years. Snakes & Ladders and birth cowl are comicizations of two such performances. there are a few of these performances on CD as well. But anyway you slice it the man is a genius. ---
**Author:** ![Lear\_s\_fool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/df788c/32.png) [@Lear\_s\_fool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lear_s_fool)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955/16 "2003-12-04T20:29:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sghoul \* > \*\* Several people mentioned that all he can do is take established heroes and turn them dark. \*\* I wouldn’t say that’s entierly true i mean what about Supream i would say that acutaly lightned that character up. I would also say that he didn’t make Swamp Thing any darker just turned the seires in a more mystical direction ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955/17 "2003-12-04T20:52:31Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Krokodil_ > I don’t respect his views on magic or drugs, and I’d respect him more as a writer if he actually scripted one of his movies for a change, or wrote a solid, readable novel. Isn’t that a bit like saying, “I’d respect Stanley Kubrick more if he wrote a really good book of poetry”? ---
**Author:** ![Montresor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@Montresor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montresor)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955/18 "2003-12-04T20:54:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jonathan Chance \* > \*\*…Other than seeing the way Dave Sim portrayed him in Cerebus I don’t think I know enough about him to form an opinion. > > Though the way Sim DID portray him pretty much means I’d find him annoying and self-involved. \*\* I’m just chiming in to express my surprise that no one else has mentioned the irony here. Its been a long time since I read Cerebus (which I enjoyed immensely for the most part), but I’d be more than a little leery about using Dave Sim as a resource for ANYTHING. And “annoying and self-involved” sums up Sim (boy, trying saying that five times fast) about as well as anything except “misogynistic and misanthropic.” As far as Moore goes, I’m only familiar with his most popular works, and I find him pretty amazing. Sure, there are things I don’t like about his work, and he loses me completely with the magic hooey, but there’s no arguing with his raw talent. If nothing else, its great that there’s someone out there who views the medium as a challenge, rather than as an excuse to be lazy. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955/19 "2003-12-04T21:18:37Z")
Next to Neil Gaiman, the best writer in comics. I haven’t read all that he’s written, but nearly all that he’s written has been great. My favorites: 1. Batman: The Killing Joke. The best one-issue comic ever. 2. V for Vendetta 3. Watchmen 4. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen The one exception is Swamp Thing. His version is OK, but no where near as good (or as groundbreaking) as Len Wein’s original. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955/20 "2003-12-04T22:13:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > \*\*Isn’t that a bit like saying, “I’d respect Stanley Kubrick more if he wrote a really good book of poetry”? \*\* No. Alan Moore’s name was attached to two bad movies that foundered explicitly because he distanced himself from their scripts and productions. His one novel to date, **Voice of the Fire** , foundered because of some very self-indulgent features (like writing the first chapter in a weird, made-up language; this worked in limited doses in comics stories set on Rann and Barsoom, but in a novel it just comes across as bad faith). AFAIK, Stanley Kubrick has done nothing resembling either of these things. Your analogy is flawed. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-moore-what-do-folks-think-of-him/216955.md?page=2)