The Outhouse - The Greatest Comic Book Forum

by **The Shadow** » Tue Mar 27, 2012 2:31 pm

SilverPhoenix wrote:After reading this Interview twice, here are the things I took away from it.

1) If it wasn't already obvious, DC got real fucking lucky with how Watchmen was able to capture the zetigeist of the Comic Book Fans, along with capturing the attention of those who usually don't read comics. Of course, this isn't saying that Watchmen is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but the fact that DC can do what it wants with the property because the original will never go out of print has got to be one of the greatest instances of pure dumb luck in their favor.

2) Alan Moore has every right to feel the way he does about this situation, no matter how much kicking and screaming that his nay sayers do.

3) While I empathize with Moore, his bad experiences have shaped his perception on the medium in such a way that they make him blind to the many examples of exemplary work since Watchmen. Not only does he pay a disservice to the medium as a whole (even if I do respect the reasons why he feels this way), but his mindset inadvertently contributes to the next point....

4) On its biggest stage, The Comics Industry (not Medium, because there is no inherit mechanism that automatically makes medium an inherit driver for Nostalgia) is far too obsessed with the past. Whether it be the nearly endless use of characters created in the first 2/3rds of the 20th century, to the slavish devotion to a marketable status-quo that makes lasting changes to the shared Universe's overall narrative impossible, to the celebration of the derivative, it's no wonder why we can't keep the interest of new fans long enough to make an impact. Taking all of that into consideration...

5) This has to be the most creatively bankrupt summer I've ever seen on a "mainstream" comics level. With AvX's biggest hook (because I'm not sure anyone gives a shit about the story in this case) being something they've done twice before this, with one of those times being in the past 8 months and Before Watchmen being Before Watchmen, this summer will not be for those who lament on the lack of creatively of Marvel and DC.

Personally...

- I thank my lucky stars for the Indies, otherwise I would seriously consider using the rest of year to solely continue adding to my trade collection.

- I hope Before Watchmen and AvX bring in fans that are open to different experiences

- I hope that Before Watchmen and AvX aren't so badly received, that they alienate even more people from the medium.

6) By far the most important thing I took away from all of this (and I hope I'm not alone in this) is that aspiring creators have a responsibility to think outside of the box. While there is no crime in having aspirations to write Batman and Spider Man, the medium is at a point where the next great story that's going to capture the minds of the mass market isn't going to come from those characters and unless DC and Marvel change the way they deal with creators, it won't come from those companies. It's going to come from someone who isn't held back by the way things are, but from someone who thinks of what could be.

My 22 Cents.

Nice post.

While I am not an indie fan I see your points. I especially think point 3 is bang on.

by **David Bird** » Tue Mar 27, 2012 3:35 pm

The Shadow wrote:I watched the latest episode of Once Upon a Time last night and one character said something that your quote reminded me of... he said something to the effect of "people want a magic solution to all their problems but no one believes in magic."

Not attacking you I just thought it was an interesting quote.

An interesting quote, perhaps, but Moore really does believe in magic. His interests lie in the Enochian-influenced school, via Crowley.

by **Arion** » Tue Mar 27, 2012 3:46 pm

The Shadow wrote:Coming to the dance late, but both the University of Alberta and Queens University have lit classes with Watchmen on the syllabus and my mother-in-law who teaches English at Augustana University is developing a course on just graphic novels that would include Watchmen, Dark Knight, Maus and a bunch more.

So yeah, it is studied.

Good to know that.

by **The Shadow** » Tue Mar 27, 2012 5:28 pm

Arion wrote:
Good to know that.

Yeah, it sounds like a fun class my mother-in-law will be teaching. I'm even helping her develop it from a comic readers' perspective.

by **Arion** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 11:49 am

The Shadow wrote:Yeah, it sounds like a fun class my mother-in-law will be teaching. I'm even helping her develop it from a comic readers' perspective.

Is she a regular comic book reader or new to this?

by **avengingtitan** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 11:51 am

David Bird wrote:
An interesting quote, perhaps, but Moore really does believe in magic. His interests lie in the Enochian-influenced school, via Crowley.

Yea thats funny to me.

by **Nacmir** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 11:58 am

David Bird wrote:
An interesting quote, perhaps, but Moore really does believe in magic. His interests lie in the Enochian-influenced school, via Crowley.

I read once that he and Grant disliked each other more for magic issues than for their respective works. I love Pop Magic, it's a very fun paradigm, jt has helped me a lot in some creative processes.