As everyone in the comics world knows. DC will be launching it's controversial series' Before Watchmen, the prequels to the legendary award winning comics series (sorry hipsters Watchmen is not a graphic novel it is a twelve issue limited series. It is a closed story but there was no authorial intent to be a graphic novel) tomorrow. And there will be no review of it at all on this site because I do not plan to read it. I just don't care, I read Watchmen for the first time last year, don't know why, my dad got it back when it came out, but I digress, and I don't need any more Watchmen.
The comic is a great story about a group of aging superheroes in a world where being a costumed hero is illegal. One is killed and the story is about the unraveling of that mystery. But the story is only really the platform upon which the tale unfolds, the real meat of it is the reflections of the characters from when they where heroes. And on top of that it is a masterpiece of comics formalism, a tale meant to be a comic that only works as a comic (sorry Mr Snyder) but enough of that, there are many who've written about Watchmen that have said everything that I have to say, most likely better, so I'll let you seek them out.
Like any Great book, I was left fulfilled by my Watchmen experience. and so I'm not really interested, DC definitely has the rights (however dubious) to make this series, and they have some great artists and writers on it so it will be of the highest quality. But like I said I'm good on Watchmen.
But one reason that has nothing to do with my deciding to not read Before Watchmen is Alan Moore. Many Many and did I mention Many, comics fans are united in supposed solidarity (bet you half of em buy it) behind the wronged Alan Moore, who naturally is griping about this whole thing. His main complaint is that he's been cheated out of his intellectual property, his second is that it's creatively wrong, to use his characters for the new series'. Now his first point I have sympathies for, Moore's deal with DC basically (as I have heard it) was that if Watchmen ever went out of print, the rights to the series would go back to Moore and artist Dave Gibbons*. This I'm sure was done because DC didn't think that the series would end up being so huge as it was not DC's practice to give up copyrights to anyone. Needless to say it was a big hit and weather, by demand, or a serious dick move Watchmen has never left print. Now this is a fair point, Moore and Gibbons where promised certain concessions that many believe where never delivered, DC has made Many millions off of Watchmen, and they still would make many more even if Alan Moore and Gibbons where to own the rights. And I believe they ethically should have them. It's his Second argument that it is wrong to use his characters in any sequel material, that bugs me.
First, many don't know this, but there was always meant to be more Watchmen, it was even originally mean to be written by the original authors Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, but time, bad blood and the books renown have conspired to make more Watchmen impossible, until now. But the big sticking point to me is the way Moore tries to make an ethical debate out of other people using his characters when his entire career has been built upon the foundation of doing just that. Many of Moore's greatest works are post modern takes on classic literary characters, notably The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Lost Girls and oh Yes Watchmen. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, is about characters from many Victorian novels later on life becoming a super team. And Watchmen (it's most religious fans don't like it when we bring this up) started out as a big series involving the characters DC had just bought from Charlton comics. The story goes that when DC saw that Moore was "playing for keeps" with the characters, DC had him make them into thinly veiled Captain Ersatz'. But the final straw with Moore's complaints for me is the existence of the graphic novel lost Girls. Lost Girls, is an erotic/pornographic, book that features Alice, Wendy and Dorthy of Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Oz fame respectively. Now I've got no problem with erotica or porn not my taste but an author can do what he wants. My problem is I'm Pretty sure Carroll, Barrie and Baum would not be amused buy this. But Moore views it as perfectly fine because they're dead, and the characters are public domain. So turning memorable children's characters into porn is fine even though one could tell the original authors most likely would not care for it, is okay, but for the legal copyright holder making series' based on Moore's work that will mostly likely be in keeping to the tone and character of the original is wrong? I'm sorry Alan Moore, looking at you're body of work, you don't get to have the high ground here.
* Now Moore was no rookie at the time he wrote Watchmen working most if not all his career with publisher owned material. I have a hard time believing that Moore actually trusted DC comics to give the rights to Watchmen to him ever! Screwing the talent has and will always be company policy at the big two.
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