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Despite what you might have heard on comic book forums, Alan Moore does not hate comic books.

Read enough of the Watchmen and Saga of the Swamp Thing author's interviews and you'll learn as much, especially in a recent chat Moore had in advance of his next Long London novel, I Hear a New World. In this particular discussion, Moore laid out exactly what troubled him when it came to sequential art as a medium: that is, the industry that produces it.

The interview in question was with RetroFuturista, published April 5. Asked to imagine a world where superheroes did not dominate the comic book landscape, Moore laid out his troubles with the industry, starting with his own personal troubles therein.

"While the comics medium is an astonishing art-form," Moore began, "The full potential of which has been barely scratched, I fear that my personal experiences in the comics industry during a not especially enjoyable career, have led to me disowning all of the work that I do not own – around 95% of it – and not wishing to be associated with comics any longer." 

If you've been following Moore's career at all, you know what he says to be true. Moore famously requested that his name be taken off adaptations of his most famous works, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, all of which (at this moment) fall under the DC Comics banner. 

"I don’t have copies of those books around the house," Moore says, "I don’t wish to discuss them, sign them, see them or, if I can manage it, even think about them or about that strip-mined and brutalised field ever again."

It's not the nicest way to refer to an entire medium, maybe, but that's not to say that Moore doesn't have his personal reasons to do so. Remember, one of the most controversial things to ever come out of Watchmen was the way its creator rights were handled. In short, DC agreed that Watchmen's rights would revert to Moore and artist Dave Gibbons once the comic was out of print for one full year... and then never stopped printing the comic. 

So yes, Alan Moore thinks there's more digging to do to unlock the full potential of the comic book medium. But you can see why he's not going to be the one picking up the shovel.

Get ready for what's next with our list to upcoming comics and how to buy comics at a comic shop, and our guide to all the free comics you can get with this year's Free Comic Book Day 2026 and Comics Giveaway Day 2026.