Alan Moore isn't an anarchist. He is, perhaps, now. Until about 1990, he was, beyond reasonable doubt, a Communist. Not just a Marxist, a Marxist-Leninist. ( Read more... )
PersuasivejohncwrightNovember 3 2006, 17:51:50 UTC
You will think me a philistine, but I confess I have not read most of the Moore to which you refer here to support your point. I have read WATCHMAN and V FOR VENDETTA, a number of issues of PROMETHEA (before I gave up in disappointment), all of his SWAMP THING run, KILLING JOKE, a few others
( ... )
As a long-time fan of Moore's work, I'm not quite sure what to make of this essay. Your main argument is based on WildC.A.T.s, one of the few Moore works I haven't read, so I can't say anything about that part.
Now on the one hand, it can hardly come as a surprise to anybody that Moore is a leftist, and since European leftists are indistinguishable from communists to Americans, that's pretty much that.
On the other hand, Moore's V for Vendetta, his anarchist work, started publication in 1982, well before the time you've chosen for the 88-91 crisis of faith you're claiming he had.
And that period of low productivity coincides with Moore's attempt to become a self-publisher. (That period was a time when a lot of creators in the comics industry turned to self-publishing; 1988 was the year of Dave Sim's Creative Manifesto and the Creator's Summit in Northampton.) Moore turned out to be a poor businessman, which shouldn't have been surprising, given how much of a hermit he is. Anyway, Big Numbers failed not because of low quality (I
( ... )
Your defensive response is understandable but stupid. As my name should have told you, I am European myself, and what is more I know the Marxist tradition from the inside. My analysis of Moore's work includes substantial items on From Hell and V for Vendetta, with which you have not even tried to engage - in fact, it seems you have not noticed them at all. It also includes a note on his changing attitudes to American superhero icons, from his Batman GN (1989) through the madness of the Twilight proposal (another thing you have not bothered to deal with) to the "return to basics" of 1963 and thence to the triumphant return home of WildC.A.T.s, one of the greatest superhero continuities ever written by anyone - and I mean anyone. All these things show a progression. All these things have certain definite contents. You ignore most of what I said, state that you have not read something I have (as if that deprived it of value!) and dismiss my argument. This is not proper arguing at all.
You're right that it was stupid of me to have assumed you were American without having checked; I'm sorry.
And you're right that I haven't engaged with your comments about From Hell. I read it as it was coming out, and haven't re-read it, and don't have a copy handy, so I can't even tell what you're talking about when you say "chapter 8, pages 31-32". Which is a shame, since these seem to be the claims that most strongly support your thesis.
However, you didn't mention V for Vendetta at all. The very first mention of it on this page is in John C Wright's comment. The reason I mentioned it at all is that your opening sentences seemed like a reaction to V for Vendetta.
Anyway, your argument seems to break down into (roughly) these parts (which I'm ordering from most to least important, as I see them):
1) From Hell demonstrates anti-capitalism, displaced anti-Thatcherism, sympathy towards early socialism, and at least one strong symbol of attachment to Marx. I can't address these points, for reasons I've already explained, but at
( ... )
As a science fiction author whose personality and beliefs have been (once) discussed by two guys who didn't know me, might I suggest that one of you or the other send Mr. Moore a letter and simply ask him his beliefs? He does from time to time grant interviews.
OK, I may be way off here, but my gut feeling has always been that communism doesn't work because the whole system works against human nature. As I understand it, one of the basics of the communist system is that everyone gets paid the same wages for the same jobs--no merit raises, promotions, etc. There's no way to 'get ahead', if you will, for an innovative or ambitious person to legitimately make more money or better himself. I think that accounts for the tremendous amount of corruption in most communist countries--when there's no way for an honest, hard-working person to advance, that leaves the way open for dishonest people to advance through corruption
( ... )
Comments 17
Reply
Now on the one hand, it can hardly come as a surprise to anybody that Moore is a leftist, and since European leftists are indistinguishable from communists to Americans, that's pretty much that.
On the other hand, Moore's V for Vendetta, his anarchist work, started publication in 1982, well before the time you've chosen for the 88-91 crisis of faith you're claiming he had.
And that period of low productivity coincides with Moore's attempt to become a self-publisher. (That period was a time when a lot of creators in the comics industry turned to self-publishing; 1988 was the year of Dave Sim's Creative Manifesto and the Creator's Summit in Northampton.) Moore turned out to be a poor businessman, which shouldn't have been surprising, given how much of a hermit he is. Anyway, Big Numbers failed not because of low quality (I ( ... )
Reply
Reply
And you're right that I haven't engaged with your comments about From Hell. I read it as it was coming out, and haven't re-read it, and don't have a copy handy, so I can't even tell what you're talking about when you say "chapter 8, pages 31-32". Which is a shame, since these seem to be the claims that most strongly support your thesis.
However, you didn't mention V for Vendetta at all. The very first mention of it on this page is in John C Wright's comment. The reason I mentioned it at all is that your opening sentences seemed like a reaction to V for Vendetta.
Anyway, your argument seems to break down into (roughly) these parts (which I'm ordering from most to least important, as I see them):
1) From Hell demonstrates anti-capitalism, displaced anti-Thatcherism, sympathy towards early socialism, and at least one strong symbol of attachment to Marx. I can't address these points, for reasons I've already explained, but at ( ... )
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment