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Watchmen co-creator Alan Moore believes he was "comically naive" to think he could change comics in the 1980s
Alan Moore has written some of the most influential comics for DC over the years, but he still remains sour on how the industry treats the people who create comics.
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When Watchmen hit shelves in 1986, it marked a turning point in how comic books would be perceived by the mainstream public. The story was dark but accessible and, importantly, rooted in the widely held anxiety at the time about potential nuclear annihilation. However, as ahead of its time as Watchmen was, Alan Moore admits that he was “comically naïve” about the impact he could have on the comic book industry.
During a recent interview, Alan More was asked if there was something his younger self believed with absolute certainty that time has proven incredibly misguided. His answer was both insightful and incredibly depressing, which kind of sums up Moore’s writing in general. “Probably my belief that I could perhaps change the comic field for the better, or at least make it a place where I could bear to work, which I now find both comically naïve and a bit depressing, though not what I’d call tragic.”
It is an interesting way to reflect on his career, which has seen him write some of the most iconic stories about some of the most iconic characters in comics. However, his criticism doesn’t seem to be directed at comics themselves so much as the comic book industry, which doesn’t have a great history of valuing artists. Alan Moore clearly hoped that he could be a force for change within the industry itself as well as among other creatives and writers, and, sadly, hasn’t seen that pan out. Which is a shame because he is clearly deeply passionate about the art form, even if he disagrees with the way it is treated by capitalism.
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