Watchmen Creator Breaks Silence On Modern Comics Industry

Watchmen and V for Vendetta creator Alan Moore has broken his silence, revealing his true understanding of today's comic book industry.

Per Popverse, Moore spoke up about the idea of nostalgia influencing how modern-day readers build a relationship with comics in a conversation with RetroFuturista. "[Nostalgia is] probably a reliable commercial tool, however, in that as the world becomes more complex and overwhelming, more and more people seem to be retreating from their responsibility to help create a tolerable present by seeking refuge in an imagined idyllic past or in their own childhoods, when they felt safe and happy and as if they understood things. Nostalgia is, and always has been, since the word was first coined, an illness. It literally means ‘homesickness,’ but in effect refers to all of our yearnings for a world that, with our serial view of time, we feel we have inevitably and irrecoverably lost," Moore said.

The legendary comic book scribe pulled references to his own work to further his point. "Admittedly, with both [Watchmen and V for Vendetta], some of their subsequent American adaptations, prequels, [and] sequels have gone some way to convincing me that a majority of my comic work has probably never been understood by perhaps a majority of its mainstream superhero-fan audience. This is not their fault or mine, it’s just a misunderstanding that it has taken me too many decades to become aware of or rectify."

He then concluded with a comment about the financial and fandom investment in the superhero genre as a whole. "I'm surprised to hear that [the superhero genre has] been strengthened, as from the sales figures I hear, I’d assumed that the genre was on its last spandex-clad legs, but what do I know? As suggested above, the whole field and that sub-genre in particular aren’t things that I keep up with or have an interest in anymore," Moore admitted during the interview.

Are Comic Books Relying On Nostalgia Too Heavily?

Image via Warner Bros.

It's completely reasonable to view the stance that Moore is taking as a rational one; perhaps a majority of his work has failed to be understood fully, and maybe nostalgia-baiting has lost its luster. It's far too easy to blame the reliance on nostalgia as a tired marketing tool, yet Moore is absolutely correct when he deems it "reliable" as well. The yearning for the things of the past, especially the media of the past, influences consumers' emotions (and their wallets). That insatiable longing or want for what we cannot have, or what we want to return to, has bled into comic book production. Marvel and DC Comics' endless desire to spotlight heroes such as Spider-Man and Batman could possibly be credited to each character's nostalgia factor as they're passed on from generation to generation.

At the same time, the superhero genre does need some nostalgia to be injected as a narrative tool. There's a balance that publishers are expected to strike, neither leaning too heavily into the predictable tropes of certain storylines, nor isolating themselves from the core staples that their brand has been founded upon. As the superhero genre continues to grow with more innovative angles, such as DC Comics' Absolute Universe or Marvel Comics' Ultimates from Deniz Camp, there's still room to satisfy a hunger for more nostalgia beats along the way.

Watchmen and V for Vendetta are available wherever DC Comics are sold.

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  Writer Alan Moore

  Penciler Dave Gibbons

  Colorist John Higgins

  Publisher DC Comics

  Publisher(s) DC

  Artist Dave Gibbons

  In the classic comic series that has spawned multiple retellings, The Watchmen follows a murder mystery investigation that uncover a conspiracy that calls into question the meaning of heroes.