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Comicscape - June 8, 2005

Before I get to the mail some of you wrote about Alan Moore's departure from DC, allow me to get this off my chest. You may have heard by now that Brett Ratner will direct next year's X3. He was hired after the departure of Matthew Vaughn (director of the very fine LAYER CAKE). Ratner directed such films as RUSH HOUR and AFTER THE SUNSET. I don't know who at Fox thought this was a bright idea, but they're going to kill this franchise. The early word is that the script isn't anything special and merely rehashes the second film. Putting a mediocre director like Ratner on this project is just another nail in the coffin. If anyone at Fox is reading this: this is a bad idea. Fans are not behind this idea and it will only hurt the franchise. But, to be fair, maybe there's a side to Ratner we haven't seen. I thought his RED DRAGON was pretty good. If Ratner can get that dark again, perhaps not all is lost. Marvel's had a pretty good run thus far, and I'd hate to see X3 have the same effect as BLADE: TRINITY reducing a heretofore good franchise to a joke. If Brett Ratner is reading this: make X3 dark, violent, intense, moving, heroic, and, for Christ's sake, don't rely on humor to carry the film. Humor is for comedies and one-liners won't make a good movie. Now, on to the rest of the column.

Last week's column on Alan Moore's departure from DC didn't summon a lot of reader mail, but I blame technical difficulties. COMICSCAPE was down Wednesday morning, and I receive the most mail during the first few hours after a new column runs. Readers likely encountered the error and didn't check again until much later, and then didn't write. Perhaps the initial rush of adulation or hatred everyone reserves for me on Wednesday morning dissipated by the time the column ran. Regardless, I do apologize for the error. I reported it immediately, but it simply took time to correct. I encourage everyone to write in the future, even if the column's inaccessible for a few hours.

Next week, I'll interview THE SURROGATES creator Robert Venditti. THE SURROGATES is a forthcoming science fiction comic from at Top Shelf Productions that's caused some early positive buzz. After that, we'll have two weeks of BATMAN BEGINS one week for my thoughts and another for yours. After that, I'll come up with something until San Diego Comic Con. I'm going to be at Comic Con this year to cover the event for CINESCAPE, as well as to schmooze, booze, and pitch my own comic book IMMORTALS to anyone that will listen and take a free Kinko's-born preview copy. Now, on to your mail! To ease the reading experience, my comments are in bold.

Glen Owens writes:
I read your column on Alan Moore and DC, and it's definitely filled in some holes for me in their on-again/off-again relationship. I also think that in your own musings, you came to the correct conclusion to the whole thing, which is that they should just part and never look back. From what I've read here and in other places I don't think there's really any hope of reconciliation from either party and it also sounds like there are some pretty heavy handed decisions being made by both parties.

I try to be fair when I judge these situations. Often, readers demonize one party without realizing that oftentimes, there are just conflicting motivations. I believe in right and wrong, but rarely are there cases in which one party is out to destroy the other. More often than not, party X wants something that party Y can't or won't allow for their own reasons sometimes valid, and other times utterly invalid. In this case, I'm not sure that there's a side to pick and it's probably best that Moore and DC don't work together.

There's definitely no doubt that Moore has been responsible for some of the best 'genre-changing' works out there, and by that I mean books that defy the typical comic stereotype, at least in the mainstream markets. In the mid to late 80s, we saw quite a few books that made comics 'cool' again and suddenly comics were the forefront of a new pop-cultural movement. Old characters got new treatments, new attention and as a result new interest.

One new development of the time (I say new, that's probably not the right word) was that the big publishers found themselves at odds with young, upstart comic companies that had some major talent in the stable and ink to burn. I know Alan worked through DC for a lot of his early stuff but the important part is that DC was surely taking stock in the comic marketplace and looking at how best to protect themselves and their 'property', both intellectual and physical from the popularity of the smaller publishing houses. And unfortunately a lot of independent authors, illustrators and even small companies were going to get burned as a result.

From what you wrote, it sounds like Mr. Moore didn't really have a good grip on what his creation could become, and given the success of Watchmen, hell, who COULD have predicted that! But I think that DC had an idea of how groundbreaking the work could be (or at the very least different), so they were pretty determined to wrap it up for future use, reprints, etc. As a result, Mr. Moore negotiated something for himself that was VERY easy for DC to get around and he got burned. Bad. That was probably a pretty big wake-up call, and I'm sure he thinks about it at least once a week, if not more. When one looks at all the smaller companies that have been absorbed by the juggernauts of DC and Marvel and then curse the big two for trying to monopolize the industry, the general public needs to realize something. To make that happen, someone had to sign on the dotted line and be given a check. And in this instance, it sounds like a check that Mr. Moore just doesn't want anymore.

Glen, people like to demonize Marvel and DC, but those two monopolize the industry because readers facilitate their success. They thrive because we buy their books. I buy a lot of independent titles as well as mainstream ones, but it's almost like we have no one to blame but ourselves. No one made Alan Moore work for DC (though to be fair, I doubt he saw his future troubles on the horizon when he started working for the company), and no one makes us continue to buy the WATCHMEN trade paperback and prevent Moore and Gibbons from getting the rights.

From that point on, I believe his mind was made up. It sounds like he was talked into participating in some things that he did against his better judgment and then regretted them later, which pretty much galvanizes the point of him just severing his ties and moving on.

That, or he participated in some things that seemed like a good idea at the time. I'm sure Moore would tell you he was the wronged party in most of these situations, rather than admitting any culpability (I'm not blaming Moore for anything in particular, but I doubt he sees himself at fault).

The advantage he got, even out of all the bad times, was that his name has become a brand on its own with the ability to sell work and books just by its use alone. And that's something that desperately needs to be protected, even if the need for protection can only be perceived by Alan Moore himself. He truly is ensconced in the comics industry with his own legion of fans, so I don't think he needs to worry about his audience. The ones that know his work and know of him will most likely follow him no matter what. I know I would.

For the most part, I still follow Moore's work because of his name, but aside from THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMAN, I felt some of the ABC stuff wasn't up to par with his older work. However, I temper than judgment because I'm way behind on a lot of it for practical reasons alone.

I agree with his decision to leave. That's really the smart thing to do in his case, and it's a business decision (albeit one with some hefty emotional baggage buried behind it.) Once he's clear, he'll hopefully have the peace of mind to concentrate on his work which seems to be his passion and let DC just rest.

DC is doing what companies do (not just comic companies), which is watch that bottom line like a hawk and tighten the strings for the sake of profitability. It's not personal; it's just what they do. I'm sure they've treated MANY other creative minds like Mr. Moore in the same fashion but he just seems to have the ability to get his feelings known in a very public way.

Readers (and virtually everyone else) act surprised when corporations do things for financial reasons. I don't justify unethical business practices, but squashing a story or a parody advertisement out of fear of lawsuits or negative publicity is entirely expected.

I definitely wish him the best, because without him and his influence these books just wouldn't be so damn fun to read.

Glen, regardless of what happens, we'll still be able to read Alan Moore's comics. LOST GIRLS is still coming, and he has other projects in the pipeline. He talked about retiring a while back, but it hasn't happened yet. We should be thankful that someone so talented is still writing comics. Thanks for writing, Glen.

Dale W. Walker writes:
Moore seems to invite trouble with bits like the 'Marvel douche' dig he planted. Some of his complaints are a bit "pissy", but he's dead-on about wanting a formal retraction from Silver. To infer one had Moore's blessing when not the case should be criminal. Most definitely when the remark's from the producer who thought a supermodel plus a Baldwin brother equaled certified hit.

Dale, if you run Joel Silvers's name on the Internet Movie Database, you'll see he's produced some, uh, interesting movies. To be fair, he's produced a few movies that are damn near classic (PREDATOR, DIE HARD, THE MATRIX), but there are also such shame-bringers as RICHIE RICH and HUDSON HAWK. I don't wish death on the man or anything, but I worry about him producing V FOR VENDETTA. And he should still retract his comments about Alan Moore.

He's the most important comic writer EVER- and I don't think I need to tap the brake in saying that; he imagines the scenes perfectly for his specific medium- and that's why the artists w/ whom he collaborates usually become writers very quickly afterwards. American comics become more "adult" after Alan Moore started writing them- and I mean they became more sophisticated when I say "adult". The man's prose in SWAMP THING alone is worth the bodywork of any ten fanboy scribes- it's that good. Not to mention the quality of the more popular titles which followed.

Well, LOST GIRLS is going to be "adult" in the other sense of the word (hooray for sophisticated pornography!), but I understand your intention. I read his run on MIRACLE MAN recently, and it's a crying shame that it's not really available anymore. Alan Moore is going to be remembered for as long as comics are around.

James Grayson writes:
I am reminded of a time when I was much younger and had twisted my ankle. "It hurts when I walk on it," I complained. My mother's cruel, unsympathetic, and perfectly correct answer was, "Then don't walk on it."

Alan Moore has been repeatedly burned by the American-based corporations who publish and distribute his work and its derivatives. He had burnt his bridges at DC Comics once, only to find himself pulled right back in to the mess he had sworn to leave behind. I'd say it's reasonable to suggest that he's been looking for any reason to leave Wildstorm since the DC merger. His ankle has been twisted, and it hurts to walk on it. Like a reasonable adult, then, he doesn't want to walk on it.

James, I don't think this is an outlandish assumption. Moore's venom towards DC seems so intense that it wouldn't have taken much for him to leave. I think that his anger is justified, but I still believe he's punishing the wrong party. But, he's within his rights to leave. No one disputes that.

My relationship with my employers is built on a simple trust. They will make clear to me the nature of my job and the prescribed methods for its performance. I will then work hard performing my job to the best of my ability. And then they will pay for my work. I expect them to be honest and forthcoming with any information that affects the requirements of my job, or the compensation I receive for doing my job. In return, they expect that I will equally honest and forthcoming with them. It's an arrangement that has to this point served us fairly well, and I think everybody's pretty happy with it.

There seems to be this idea among the corporate distributors of art, though, that lying and cheating and stealing is a better way to turn a profit than being honest and doing good by the people who do good by you. Alan Moore is certainly not the first writer who has been victimized by sneaky contracts and shady deals from DC Comics. Just ask the families of Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster.

Publishers' gouging their talent is the oldest story in the comics business. That lack of respect can ultimately bring down the industry. However, while your example of Siegel and Schuster is true, they were ultimately compensated. One shouldn't make generalizations, as not every creator has been gouged. I just don't like saying that all publishers are evil and greedy, as there are probably some counterarguments that could suggest otherwise. It's not a simple issue at all, and it depends on whom you talk to about it.

The simple fact is that Alan Moore has done significant and important work in modern comics, and he's been repaid rather poorly for it. The films based on his work should all have the words "quite loosely" inserted into the "based upon" credit. His name has been used to assert an un-required creator approval which he never gave on "V for Vendetta". He's right to want to take his business to another company, one which might behave with some integrity. Of course, there's no true guarantee that Top Shelf won't try to pull some of the same stunts that DC did. However, unlike DC, Top Shelf doesn't have an established history of pulling these stunts on Alan Moore.

I doubt Moore's going to have many problems with Top Shelf, at least not the same kind he had with DC (I only qualify that, because there will always be disagreements and grievances of some kind).

Here's something of a challenge. The rights to "Watchmen" remain with DC until the book goes out of print for two years. Now, DC hasn't been keeping "Watchmen" in print solely for the purpose of thumbing their corporate nose at Alan Moore. The main reason it stays in print is because it sells. That they can also thumb their nose at Moore is probably viewed as something of a happy side effect.

I think WATCHMEN only has to be out of print for a year, not two. However, I may be wrong. I doubt they're really thrilled that Moore's unhappy with them about WATCHMEN, though obviously they're not unhappy enough to relinquish the rights.

If we the comic readers agree that Moore has been treated poorly, though, here is where we can do something about it. We can stop buying "Watchmen". This isn't a light proposition, because "Watchmen" is a phenomenal work which deserves to make someone a great deal of money. I would prefer, though, that the great deal of money goes to the creators of the phenomenal work, and not the already-rich corporation which happened to distribute it.

Perhaps it would be better to say that we'll hold off on buying "Watchmen" until the rights revert to the creators. In the meantime, those of us who already own the book can loan it out to all our friends, with the express condition that however much that friend falls in love with the book, they cannot rush out to buy their own copy, because that enforces the idea at DC and other offices that treating creators poorly is a good way to make money. And we must also make certain that Alan Moore understands that we are intentionally stalling sales on his book, until he is able to republish it under a deal which allows him and his co-creators their just earnings.

This will take time. A boycott doesn't work in its first week. If, however, DC has to keep dealing with copies of the book being returned for credit, they will take it out of print. As long as there is no perceived demand for "Watchmen" however we can get it, they won't bring it back into print. And then, when Moore gets his rights back, he can decide whether or not to publish a new edition of the book himself. If he chooses to publish it, we must be ready to swarm the bookstores and buy the thing right out. Make the publishers go back to press in the first week, sort of thing.

Because we love the book, right? And we want to see the creators rewarded, right?

While I think Moore should at least receive royalties for the book, asking people not to buy the book for a year is a lofty proposition. CINESCAPE gets hits in the hundreds of thousands, and WATCHMEN probably sells more than that. But, if readers really want Moore and Gibbons to have the rights, you are correct the book has to be out of print, and the only way to do that is to drive down demand. However, with a movie adaptation on the way that will doubtless attract new readers, I'm not sure there's much one could do to make people not buy the book, let alone get DC to stop printing it. Until next week, guys, keep the faith.

New This Week
By Al Brown and Kurt Amacker

DARK HORSE

BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL #102 (MR) $2.99

DC COMICS

ACTION COMICS #828 $2.50
The mighty Gail Simone (BIRDS OF PREY) begins her run! Novel idea: let the chick writer do a book that's not about chicks! Wow, DC is really ahead of the curve on this one. I really shouldn't be bitching about it, I guess. The important thing is, more Gail Simone is more good. The downside is that Byrne is drawing, and I am so over him.

BATMAN DARK DETECTIVE #3 (OF 6) $2.99

BATMAN LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #192 $2.50

BATMAN STRIKES #10 $2.25
Five bat titles this week - these three and the two Justice League titles - six if you count GOTHAM CENTRAL, plus an appearance in LEX LUTHER MAN OF STEEL. That makes seven total Batsignals, not counting trades, reprints or NIGHTWING. I do the math so you don't have to.

BREACH #6 $2.50

BUGS BUNNY VOL 1 WHATS UP DOC TP $6.99
Bugs Bunny in trade? Yeah, I was really looking forward to reading the "Duck Season! Wabbit Season!" arc all in one sitting.

CRISIS ON MULTIPLE EARTHS VOL 2 TP $14.95

DAFFY DUCK VOL 1 YOURE DESPICABLE TP $6.99
I like the way Daffy looked when Elmer Fudd shot him in the face.

FABLES #38 (MR) $2.75

GOTHAM CENTRAL #32 $2.50
This month, GCPD separates two children fighting over a Batman figure at the school yard. Elsewhere, Batman holds a serial killer by his ankles from a rooftop 30 stories up.

GREEN ARROW #51 $2.50
Al: You ever wonder why they made both a Green Arrow and a Green Lantern? Did someone have a thing for green back in the old days? Shouldn't they have called him Blue Arrow or something to help the newbies tell them apart? Wait a minute...did anyone else feel like I'm kinda going Queer eye for the Superhero on the DC Universe?
Kurt: Al, you might as well paint a target on your chest.

JLA #115 $2.50

JOHN CONSTANTINE HELLBLAZER RARE CUTS TP (MR) $14.95

JUSTICE LEAGUE ELITE #12 (OF 12) $2.50

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA ARCHIVES VOL 4 HC $49.95

LEX LUTHOR MAN OF STEEL #4 (OF 5) $2.99

MAJESTIC #6 $2.99

NIGHTWING #109 $2.50

RANN THANAGAR WAR #2 (OF 6) $2.50

SUPERMAN GODFALL TP $9.99

TOM STRONG #33 $2.99
I'd make some crack like "Enjoy Alan Moore while you can!" but it's not like he's retiring (yet).

IMAGE

AGE OF BRONZE #20 $3.50

CITY OF HEROES #2 $2.99
I hate comic books based on video games. But it is written by Mark Waid.

EARTHBOY JACOBOUS GN $17.95
You should know that in the beginning of this story, a retired cop hits a flying whale with his car and finds a boy in its mouth.

NEGATIVE BURN WINTER 2005 $9.95

STRANGE GIRL #1 $2.95
Al: Finally, a comic book about Kurt's girlfriend!
Kurt: My wife's gonna be pissed. Thanks, Al.

TOMMYSAURUS REX GN $11.95

MARVEL

Al: I feel the need to comment on the recent news that Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, Red Dragon, The Family Man) has been signed to direct X-Men 3: WEAK. The third film in a superhero franchise is never any good, as we all know; this announcement makes it unlikely that the X films are gonna break the trend.
Kurt: Dude, if Al hates the idea of Brett Ratner, you know something's wrong. This guy refers to VAN HELSING as a misunderstood classic.

ASTONISHING X-MEN LTD ED VARIANT #10 $2.99
Al: What's really surprising to me is that despite the fact that Kurt and I make fun of variant covers every single time Marvel makes one, they still haven't cut it out. Really, I thought we had way more clout than that.
Kurt: I had a private conference with Joe Q. and I told him to keep making them because you buy every goddamn one of them.

DISTRICT X #14 $2.99
And this is the final issue for this baby, which started out promisingly and finished irrelevantly. Dear Marvel, please do not relaunch this with a different name in a few months, okay? We don't care. Again, thanks to our enormous clout at Marvel, I'm certain they will listen to us.

GRAVITY #1 (OF 5) $2.99
Al: Yet another new young hero. Not a lot of buzz around this one. Sean McKeever's done nice work on MYSTIQUE and MARY JANE, and the art by Mike Norton looks nice and energetic from first glance, so I'll take a look.
Kurt: Why do you keep commenting on all the books about kids, you freak?

LAST HERO STANDING #2 (OF 5) $2.99

MARVEL KNIGHTS SPIDER-MAN #15 $2.99

MARVEL NEMESIS IMPERFECTS #2 (OF 6) $2.99
I feel like the words Nemesis and Imperfects shouldn't both be in the title at the same time. It's confusing to me.

MARY JANE HOMECOMING #4 (OF 4) $2.99
Get her while she's still fresh, Al.

NEW THUNDERBOLTS #9 $2.99

NEW WARRIORS #1 (OF 6) $2.99
Al: Um, because we demanded it? Who's "we"? Here's what let's do: if you were one of the people who demanded the return of the New Warriors, drop me a note. Email Kurt, or post in the Comments area or something. If even one person responds - and not, like "Sure, I'm psyched for it", but "Yes, I demanded it" - that means you have to have actually written Marvel and said something along the lines of "Dude, I miss the New Warriors" - I will concede the point. Otherwise, though, I'm gonna argue that "we" did not, in fact, demand it. Which doesn't necessarily mean we won't check it out, or that we don't have a weird nostalgia for Speedball; many of us do, because we're weird like that. It's just that Marvel is constantly insisting that we're demanding this or that. Judging from Marvel's solicitations, we spend all our time writing pissed-off emails demanding things. I like to think that we have slightly more important things to do with our time. Like, at least in Kurt's case, writing slash fiction about Gambit.
Kurt: I only write slash fiction featuring Gambit and Al Brown in prison together. And then I send it to Al's parents.

PULSE #9 $2.99
Now pulse-free!

PUNISHER #22 (MR) $2.99
Frank Castle kills people, I rejoice. Lather, rinse, repeat.

TOXIN #3 (OF 6) $2.99
A harrowing story of Al Brown's trip to the free clinic after he takes ecstasy rectally.

ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #19 $2.25

ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR VOL 3 N-ZONE TP $12.99
Aw yeah, this arc was so badass!

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #78 $2.50

X-MEN #171 $2.50
So, Milligan's first arc is over. What'd y'all think? I'm gonna go out on a limb and say I kinda enjoyed it slightly more than other people seem to have. I thought it was problematic, sure, but I liked that Milligan chose a unique way to introduce the interpersonal arcs he's - presumably - going to deal with over the rest of his run. Here, he starts right in on the Gambit/Rogue issues he heated up during Golgotha by, apparently, deciding that Gambit likes 'em young. I'm still onboard, albeit not insanely enthusiastically.

X-MEN THE END HEROES AND MARTYRS #4 (OF 6) $2.99
Can they end already? It feels like they've been ending for the past three years or something.

Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at comicscape@cinescape.com.