Jumbie Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 A review, with lots of good info, of Alan Moore's short story collection: http://www.sfsite.com/12b/vf190.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted January 28, 2005 Share Posted January 28, 2005 damn, my Alan Moore tribute when down with the crash... big fan tho, thanks for the link Jumbie, ill be sure to check it out soon when im back online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted May 26, 2005 Share Posted May 26, 2005 MOORE: DONE WITH DC, PULLS LoEG For Alan Moore, disagreements with DC Comics were mostly par for the course throughout the course of his contentious (at best) relationship with the company. Finally, according to Rich Johnston, the relationship may be at a complete end. Over the years, Moore has distanced himself from DC, chiefly as a result of what Moore saw as DC dodging its responsibility to pay royalties to artist Dave Gibbons and himself on associated merchandise shortly after Watchmen was released. Moore cut all ties with the company and later, set up his America’s Best Comics at Wildstorm Studios, when it was still part of Image. When Jim Lee sold the studio to DC Comics, Lee and editor Scott Dunbier personally flew to meet with Moore to smooth over the negotiations and worked with the creator to establish a “firewall” corporation, through which Moore would be paid for his work (rather than via paychecks from DC Comics). Despite the “hands off” relationship DC was supposed to have with Moore’s work, twice the company and Moore clashed: once over a reprinted Victorian era advertisement for a “Marvel Douche” in issue #5 of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen caused the issue to be ordered pulped and reprinted; and again when DC told Moore that he could not use a public domain story for a Cobweb tale for issue #8 of the Tomorrow Stories anthology. Finally, in 2000, as Newsarama broke the story, Moore pulled his support and participation from the 15th Anniversary celebration of Watchmen, which was to include an action figure line as well as a hardcover collection of the story. As a result of Moore’s statements and public stance against the project, DC cancelled the products altogether. Since that time, Moore has worked to complete his ABC work while pulling back from the active role he once played in the line, allowing others to carry on with many of the series and characters he originated. Moore’s stance with the Watchmen projects drove home the point for many that Moore sticks to his guns in a manner rarely seen in comics, refusing to work with those who have personally betrayed him, or acted in a manner he has found less than honorable. In Johnston’s return to his column, “Lying in the Gutters,” Moore explains that, due to his displeasure with Hollywood’s treatments of his properties (Moore was named in a lawsuit in which, he and 20th Century Fox were sued for the similarities between League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Cast of Characters, leading Moore to endure a ten hour deposition due to similarities between the two properties that the filmmakers, not Moore, included in the story), he’s pulled his name from the V for Vendetta film, and wants absolutely nothing to do with any more films based on his work. According to Johnston’s report, Moore had also issued an ultimatum to DC, via Dunbier, that if there were “any more meddling, any more pulping, any more problems," that he would pull League of Extraordinary Gentlemen v3 from the publisher. The third volume had already been announced by DC as being in the works, and to date, the first two collections of the stories by Moore and Kevin O’Neil remain consistent sellers for DC through the book trade. Again, according to the story, Moore took umbrage at what V producer Joel Silver said about Moore’s approval of the film. Moore requested a retraction of the offensive comments, received none, and as a result, will be taking League of Extraordinary Gentlemen v3 to Top Shelf According to Johnston, Moore and O’Neill will complete League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Dark Dossier later this year, and that will be that. The property will then move to Top Shelf/Knockabout for the third, and all future volumes. Top Shelf’s Chris Staros confirmed for Newsarama that he and Moore had spoken about the property moving to Top Shelf, but declined to comment on a timetable or specific projects and dates. For Johnston’s full report, which includes many more details of Moore’s upcoming work, click here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 There is some confusion as to what magic actually is. I think this can be cleared up if you just look at the very earliest descriptions of magic. Magic in its earliest form is often referred to as “the art”. I believe this is completely literal. I believe that magic is art and that art, whether it be writing, music, sculpture, or any other form is literally magic. Art is, like magic, the science of manipulating symbols, words, or images, to achieve changes in consciousness. The very language about magic seems to be talking as much about writing or art as it is about supernatural events. A grimmoir for example, the book of spells is simply a fancy way of saying grammar. Indeed, to cast a spell, is simply to spell, to manipulate words, to change people's consciousness. And I believe that this is why an artist or writer is the closest thing in the contemporary world that you are likely to see to a Shaman. I believe that all culture must have arisen from cult. Originally, all of the faucets of our culture, whether they be in the arts or sciences were the province of the Shaman. The fact that in present times, this magical power has degenerated to the level of cheap entertainment and manipulation, is, I think a tragedy. At the moment the people who are using Shamanism and magic to shape our culture are advertisers. Rather than try to wake people up, their Shamanism is used as an opiate to tranquilize people, to make people more manipulable. Their magic box of television, and by their magic words, their jingles can cause everyone in the country to be thinking the same words and have the same banal thoughts all at exactly the same moment. In all of magic there is an incredibly large linguistic component. The Bardic tradition of magic would place a bard as being much higher and more fearsome than a magician. A magician might curse you. That might make your hands lay funny or you might have a child born with a club foot. If a Bard were to place not a curse upon you, but a satire, then that could destroy you. If it was a clever satire, it might not just destroy you in the eyes of your associates; it would destroy you in the eyes of your family. It would destroy you in your own eyes. And if it was a finely worded and clever satire that might survive and be remembered for decades, even centuries. Then years after you were dead people still might be reading it and laughing at you and your wretchedness and your absurdity. Writers and people who had command of words were respected and feared as people who manipulated magic. In latter times I think that artists and writers have allowed themselves to be sold down the river. They have accepted the prevailing belief that art and writing are merely forms of entertainment. They’re not seen as transformative forces that can change a human being; that can change a society. They are seen as simple entertainment; things with which we can fill 20 minutes, half an hour, while we’re waiting to die. It’s not the job of the artist to give the audience what the audience wants. If the audience knew what they needed, then they wouldn’t be the audience. They would be the artists. It is the job of artists to give the audience what they need. -Alan Moore > your favorite comic book writer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jables Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I know you only came here to curry favour with the new management(we cool, Logans?), but that's an incredible quote. Sauce? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dag Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I have not read Mr. Moore, but I am a fan of his interviews and I hope to read his work in the future. I do know that he is deeply involved in the occult though and that he claims to worship the Roman snake god Glycon. He has also inspired one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thelogan Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 You heathens need to go watch The Mindscape of Alan Moore. The man is a goddamned mad genius. It doesn't matter if you like his funnybooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thelogan Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I wrote that before Vagrant posted :P Also, now that NZA has revealed the secrets of my power, he may have outlived his potential usefulness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panch Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 (edited) On Hondos there are four Alan Moore fans. Edited July 28, 2012 by Panch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 i like to think of it as such a default stance, there's only 2 people who haven't come around to the truth yet do we have 6 regulars here in comics now? that'd be a record! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alive she cried Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Do I qualify as a "regular"? I know I am an Alan Moore fan. What I tend to do though is let ye read everything, let ye weed out the rubbish and then let me know which are the great books and arcs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keth Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Bah I couldn't find a "League" thread anywhere (except in movies of course) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 So apparently Grant Morrison and Jason Aaron kinda think Alan Moore's a dick now too. The Jason Aaron one takes a snippet of something Moore said on the Before Watchmen front that I couldn't help but snicker at: At the end of the day, if they haven't got any properties that are valuable enough, but they have got these ‘top-flight industry creators' that are ready to produce these prequels and sequels to Watchmen, well this is probably a radical idea, but could they not get one of the ‘top-flight industry creators' to come up with an idea of their own? I know DC did Moore dirty and Before Watchmen is a tragedy (it's actually not because people notice and remember tragedies) but did the guy who padded out the bulk of his career using other peoples' characters (or thinly veiled versions of those characters) just insult all of modern comic writers for not coming up with their own ideas? Removed from the Before Watchmen context that is the stupidest thing I have ever heard him say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrizzle Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 It's not really about the characters though, it's about ethics. Yeah, Moore took mostly public domain characters and put them in different settings. He didn't call it "Alice in Wonderland 2: It's Tea Time (the official sequel)". There IS a difference. A lot of those characters are also base archetypes that have been mined countless times by others in a multitude of media, some for a hundred years. And, in every case I can think if, he didn't mine the original content for any blurb he could expand into a full story. He DID come up with his own ideas. Pretty unique and fresh ones at that, for the most part. It's hypothetical, but I also think he wouldn't have used any if the original creators had publicly and vehemently declared how much they disagreed with him doing it. It shouldn't be about using the carefully worded letter of the law to do what you like, it should be about respecting talent and the things they have given you. Dislike the man all you like. He's bitter, jaded and frustratingly arrogant. But he's also right. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alive she cried Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Good recent interview with the man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 It's not really about the characters though, it's about ethics. Yeah, Moore took mostly public domain characters and put them in different settings. He didn't call it "Alice in Wonderland 2: It's Tea Time (the official sequel)". There IS a difference. A lot of those characters are also base archetypes that have been mined countless times by others in a multitude of media, some for a hundred years. And, in every case I can think if, he didn't mine the original content for any blurb he could expand into a full story. He DID come up with his own ideas. Pretty unique and fresh ones at that, for the most part. It's hypothetical, but I also think he wouldn't have used any if the original creators had publicly and vehemently declared how much they disagreed with him doing it. It shouldn't be about using the carefully worded letter of the law to do what you like, it should be about respecting talent and the things they have given you. Dislike the man all you like. He's bitter, jaded and frustratingly arrogant. But he's also right. True but he's not talking just about the people behind Before Watchman. His statement seems to intimate that the entire comics industry is full of talentless hacks with no ideas of their own. Jason Aaron hasn't been seen within 2000 miles of Before Watchmen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrizzle Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Looks like it's the popular writers in the comic book industry who are taking their turn to be over dramatic emotional babies. He didn't mention the man by name, he made a generalization (even with a question mark at the end). Aaron is hurt because Moore has likely never heard of him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 When Dave Gibbons phoned me up, he assured me that these prequels and sequels would be handled by ‘the industry's top-flight talents'. Now, I don't think that the contemporary industry actually has a ‘top-flight' of talent. I don't think it's even got a middle-flight or a bottom-flight of talent… Pretty hard to misread that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrizzle Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Fair enough. Personally, I disagree and think there's definitely some bottom-flight talent working in the mainstream industry. This is kind of like how a union worker on strike would see a scab that comes in to do their old job, happily putting up with their asshole bosses. Said union worker would have some very harsh things to say about that person and their work when directly questioned about it, while swept up in fury. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Some sure, but to just throw the entire medium under the bus because you're pissed off at one company and a handful of writers is a petty bullshit thing to do. He's not just dissing the scabs, he's dissing everybody (even though he's admitted to not having read comics for several years), if literally anyone else had done this they wouldn't have so many defenders. Alan's entitled to be mad, he's entitled to hate the Before Watchmen teams, but he could at least pimp the medium that's been his bread and butter for the last three decades and send a little love to all the future Alan Moore's anguishing in comics hell trying to get their work seen. It's shitty and he should feel shitty for saying it, he needs to pick his battles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrizzle Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 I can't think of a single living person who has as much right to be angry with the industry. You realize people are getting their panties in a bunch because an old man who doesn't read comics is saying comics aren't good these days? You and Panch can sit around telling each other how awesome Aqualad is and how evil that mean ol' beardy man is for saying mean things. But NOTHING should take away from the body of work he's created. And if he's essentially saying, in a more tactful way, "there isn't anyone as good as ME working in mainstream comics", then I agree entirely. No one even remotely close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 You and Panch can sit around telling each other how awesome Aqualad is and how evil that mean ol' beardy man is for saying mean things. But NOTHING should take away from the body of work he's created. And if he's essentially saying, in a more tactful way, "there isn't anyone as good as ME working in mainstream comics", then I agree entirely. No one even remotely close. See but you're still trying to make this about superhero comics and DC. And he's not just saying "There's no one as good as me" he's saying "There's no one good at all" and that reading comics is pointless because nothing will ever be as good as it was back in the 80s when he was doing Watchmen. It may be an old man who doesn't read comics anymore but it's also the most influential name in the business among fans. I'm not taking away from his body of work, I'm just saying that Alan Moore, the man, is an asshole. Period. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panch Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Logan, you surely have to disagree with Moore's "none good as me" statement. While it's probably true, it's still something you don't say. Lots of guys out there work hard as hell at the craft of comics and don't deserve to be spit on by a guy they probably look up to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrizzle Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 See but you're still trying to make this about superhero comics and DC. I am because it is. And Marvel. And every other company that imitates them. It's about the contemporary mainstream industry. Always has been, and that's always what he's asked about. Very few comic book fans give half a shit about any other comics. I've spoken to people who know him about this, and he has friends in the industry who do work he enjoys. But not cape work. And no, Panch, I don't have to disagree with that statement. And I'm sure Moore feels the same way you do about it, because he never said it. I said it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keth Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Keep em coming guys 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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