Alan Moore Is A Puke

On Friday, I saw V For Vendetta. I loved the comic when it came out. I was worried about this movie after seeing the painful "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" and Frank Miller's "Robocop 2". My fears were put to rest. This movie is a little different from the comic book. Instead of Britian surviving a limited nuclear war between the US and the Soviets; the UK shut the doors after monster plagues the collapse of the US. Instead of dawdling long on visual elements, this movie, well, moves.
I heard that Alan Moore withdrew his name from the movie. He had problems with it. I think Alan Moore is a genius. A genius and a puke. You can be both. Actually, I think it's uncommon not to be both (Mr. Lucas, I am looking at you). Tonight I looked for an interview or article that detailed his objections. I found them in the Comic Book Resources. Let the hideous litany of how a vapid Hollywood savaged the imagination of such a talent:
  1. "They don't know what British people have for breakfast, they couldn't be bothered. 'Eggy in a basket' apparently. Now the US have 'eggs in a basket,' whish is fried bread with a fried egg in a hole in the middle. I guess they thought we must eat that as well, and thought 'eggy in a basket' was a quaint and Olde Worlde version.
  2. ...they decided that the British postal service is called Fedco. They'll have thought something like, 'well, what's a British version of FedEx... how about FedCo? A friend of mine had to point out to them that the Fed, in FedEx comes from 'Federal Express.' America is a federal republic, Britain is not."
These are minor minor points. First: I have egg-in-the-hole. I love it. When my British grandmother made it for me like her mother did, I guess I thought it was British. Alan Moore -- being from a country that boils 60% of their food and deep fries 60% of their food-- might want to double check about this massive topic. Second: if you use "FedEx" you get sued. If you use "FedCo" you don't. Alan, you know what suing is don't you?
A while back, I looked up a list of Alan Moore's credits. So many of his lines were abandonned mid-stream or on some sort of a hiatus. Is this bad luck? Nope: it's a cocktail of controverial material (like an issue of Swamp Thing featuring Jesus Christ); stories that editors don't want to publish; and Alan Moore dropping the work.
What's next for Alan Moore? "Voice Of The Fire": a story set in Northampton over 10,000 years. Or, as I would like to call it: "A Canticle For Wallace and Gromit." Is Alan Moore tapped out? League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a grouping of public domain characters. "Voice" is set in his home town in the area he grew up in. Will 2008 bring Alan Moore's "Grocery List"? I can't wait for the mushy peas.
I think publishers probably look at Alan Moore as a scorpion on the back of fox. Despite the quality of his work he'll sting them eventually. It's his nature.

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