In a controversial version, guards creator Alan Moore argues that superhero movies have always been for kids, not adults, and condemns the modern culture surrounding fandom. Moore is the acclaimed writer behind comics such as guards, V for Vendetta, the society of extraordinary men, Swamp thingand Batman: The Killing Joke. In most of his works, even for DC, Moore is known for presenting challenging themes, including fascism, mental illness, and the occult.
Since his fame in the ’80s and ’90s, Moore slowly moved away from comics, citing mainstream culture as a major factor; the writer hasn’t made a comic in over five years, but concentrates on prose. His distaste for superhero culture in general also extends to film and TV, generally choosing to remove himself from adaptations of his works. That’s why Moore is a staunch advocate of sticking his name solely to his comic book projects, getting famous feuds with DC and filmmakers like Lana Wachowski, despite the massive financial success of the MCU and the DCEU.
More than a decade after raising concerns about the state of superhero fandom, in a new interview with the guard, Moore says superheroes were never meant to entertain adults. While he takes some of the blame for his contributions to the genre in the ’80s and ’90s, creating titles with more mature themes, he clarifies that superheroes have always been aimed at young boys. Refer to the adult queues to see Batman In movies, he calls that kind of infantilization dangerous and a potential precursor to fascism. View the full quote below:
Hundreds of thousands of adults [are] line up to see characters and situations created to entertain the 12-year-old boys — and they always were boys — from 50 years ago. I didn’t really think superheroes were grown ups. I think this was a misunderstanding that stemmed from what happened in the 1980s — which I have to put a significant chunk of the blame on, though not intentionally — when things like Watchmen first popped up. There were an awful lot of headlines saying ‘Comics Have Grown Up’. I tend to think that, no, comics weren’t mature. There were a few titles that were more mature than people were used to. But most of the comic titles were pretty much the same as ever. They weren’t comics growing up. I think it was more comics that catered to the emotional age of the audience coming the other way.
I said around 2011 that I thought it would have serious and worrying implications for the future if millions of adults lined up to see Batman movies. Because that kind of infantilization – that urge for simpler times, simpler realities – can very often foreshadow fascism.
How the critique of Moore’s superhero movie differs from other public figures
Moore’s comments aren’t surprising, given his public views on the superhero industry. His comics, especially guards, have attempted to humanize “heroes” and expose them as a farcical concept. But despite those important themes, Moore acknowledges that his approach to superheroes may have contributed to the dark undertones that other comic book writers have introduced into their stories. Still, as a leading comic book writer, he holds a unique position in critiquing modern superhero culture. Unlike other famous figures such as Martin Scorsese, who disapproved of Marvel movies, stating that they “no cinemaMoore has less to say about the movies and show himself and more about the people watching them.
The guards The writer’s statement attributing adult superhero fandom to the rise of fascism is a complex theory to prove, but also not surprising, given Moore’s political status as an anarchist and interest in magical occultism. Of course, the popularity of superhero media has risen well before certain political events happened; on the other hand, those with political beliefs that conflict with Moore’s occasionally carry symbols of characters such as Batman and the Punisher, representing their vigilante views. But while the unconventional guards writer condemns adult interest in superheroes, most adults probably keep a passionate amusement for the larger than life characters they loved during childhood.
Source: the guard
