A few weeks ago, a dusty-old interview with Alan Moore resurfaced with an out-of-context title to suggest that Mr. Moore was lambasting comic books in general and the Marvel Cinematic Universe specifically. It makes sense. We are in the midst of a golden age of comic book adaptations so Moore semi-incendiary statements, (more on that in a minute) seemed primed for controversy. Never mind that the interview is six-years old.
I know what you’re thinking: what?
For the uninitiated comic books date back to the 19th century and The Yellow Kid. But the medium really came into its own in the 1930s, first with Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s Superman, built upon by Bob Kane’s street-level Batman, and rounded out by William Moulton Marston’s Wonder Woman. You might have heard of them.
Who?
Alan Moore began, like so many others, as a fan. Inspired, he started his own comic book title while still in grade school. Smart, edgy, and irreverent, Moore’s writing style perfectly fit the counterculture movement in England. Before long the big boys from the US, (Marvel and DC) came calling. Seriously, his Killing Joke is considered THE Joker origin by many.
But Moore really made his reputation through independent titles like The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, V for Vendetta, and his magnum opus, Watchmen. In fact the only thing Mr. Moore is better known for is curmudgeonly criticism of the comic book industry.
“The industry is shady, it need to be taken over…” Jay-Z, HOVA
Mostly, Moore’s criticism has been on the nose. Marvel and DC both have ripped off creators for decades. Fandom can indeed be toxic. But as a constant creator, himself working in the industry, (all the while complaining of the slings and arrows of publishing) Moore appears the lady who doth protest too much.
So, what did he say?
In short, Moore said that he’s done with comics and questions their artistic merit. Moore cites the aging comic-book reader and fan service diluting the art—specifically, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, (Iron Man, The Avengers, et al). Moore contends that what was once a perfectly good means of getting adolescents into reading has become little more than comfort food for Gen-X and Millennials, especially white-male geezers.
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| Yeah, Alan is a "hoot" at parties. |
Moore has always been a polarizing figure in the comic community. So, of course, the (geek) press has resurrected Moore’s comments to gin-up clicks from both fans and haters.
What does this have to do with my genre?
Aspiring and published authors have one thing in common: self-doubt. Ironically, comic-book publishers and mainstream publishers have one thing in common: profitability. Publishers pursue profitability with a ruthless, if myopic, pathologic drive. So, an author is only as good as their last sales numbers. Likewise, publishers are only as good as their last quarterly revenue report.
Which often leads authors, (published and aspiring) to feel a little uncertain of their work. As stated in other posts, the author who doesn’t meet sales goals seldom gets another chance at bat. Same for the buying editor/publishing agent who signs the underperforming scribe.
This business model has been in place longer than comic books have been in circulation. But the model is broken and it is breaking the industry. This is borneout in the glut of freelance development editors, writing coaches, and agents on social media—all with multiple years working for the big publishing houses. Oh, and myriad independently published authors.
But if that isn't you, prospects are daunting. Add-in genre criticism and it is really easy to doubt the merit of your story. Which is a shame because as goes the old saw, “if you want to read it, so does someone else.” That brings us to Moore’s assessment.
Sure, comic books have become a medium of aging readers. Mostly because most kids have more immediate entertainment readily available: video games, streaming services, and old-fashioned cable TV.
All of that is even before you factor in online communities and all the entertainment options there.
But all is not lost. There is that one young woman who works 2nd shift at the call center or the guy who works the drive-thru at Taco Bell or at the non-binary cat who covers the hospital lab and they LIVE for Old Guard, or America’s Sweetheart, or Sandman.
And, yes, it is comfort food for the world-weary after a week of punching the clock/paying the bills. See, there’s no disputing Moore’s contention. The MCU, Marvel comics, DC comics—all of them are performing fan service.
Delivering on customer expectations (if not exceeding them) is HOW YOU SELL A PRODUCT. But the movies are to comic books what comic books are to fishing stories. The comic book is enough spectacle to convey a story more complex than you'll hear at the neighborhood bar. While the MCU has to worry about offending the foreign movie market, comic books can create more space for complexity and a bit of commentary. Comic books don't have to make three-times-their production cost to be considered profitable, either.
It's still about story, "genre" is just where Amazon categorizes it
When that young office worker/fast-food worker/lab flunky buys a comic book they're looking for a good story. So is the 50-ish accountant who CANNOT WAIT for Wakanda Forever. Or, you know, so I’ve been told. The only difference is the medium and film does not negate print.
Simply the best SciFi you haven't read.
Ten years ago (possibly longer as I’m the 50-ish accountant who’s iffy on time-spans) space opera was considered passé. Everyone wanted BIG concepts, DENSE/DEEP worldbuilding, and HARD science.
And then James S.A. Corey published Leviathan Wakes and everyone remembered what they loved about science fiction. To hear it from critics, the western genre has been dead and buried. But Jacob Tracey, Joanna Brady, and Joe Pickett didn’t get the memo and their horse-operas are KILLING IT.
Long story short, Regency Romance to Horror, Noir to middle-grade, your genre still has hungry readers looking for a new entertainment. We all want familiar stories told in new ways. The genres we gravitate to, the tropes and norms we know, are comforting to us after a long day or a long week. That is the greatest service a writer can provide: a relaxing, comforting story at the end of the day.
Maybe he's just cranky because he needs a nap?
When he did the interview, Alan Moore was 62 years old. He had, by that point, been working in comic books for over 35 years. Very few stay in the game half as long. Godmother of modern crime and queer fiction, Patricia Highsmith wrote comics for six years and decided she would chance it as a novelist even at the risk of starvation. It is thankless work for horrible wages and zero equity.
And you thought Moore was salty...
Ultimately, I believe that the genre still has merit and serves a special medium for special stories. I also think Moore is done. He is right that the comic books are still skewed—white and male. I also believe there are independent titles that are change as the readership changes. Part of that change requires grumpy old men to step aside and take a seat. Upside: there will be something good for them to read.
I own none of the images above. All are used here for instructional/educational purposes as covered under the Fair Use Doctrine.
