Alan Moore continues his Lost Girls mainstream media tour with an interview in USA Today that touches on the “vaguely creepy” feel of the book in the shadow of the JonBenét Ramsey case:
“Obviously the JonBenét case is bigger in the U.S., but we’ve been following it here in England,” Moore says. “Remember, we began writing these stories 16 years ago. We had no idea when we were going to have it finished, or what kind of world it would be emerging into. But we are not talking about reality.
“Our position is this is art and pornography. What we intended with The Lost Girls was to sever the connection between pornography and embarrassment, and between the pornographic imagination and the real world. These are two very distinctive spaces.”
There’s also mention of Moore’s disputes with DC Comics — and a diplomatic response from Paul Levitz — as well as a quick-hit sidebar with comments on League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier, and the writer’s thoughts on the V for Vendetta film.
Related: “Graphic novel makes booksellers nervous”
August 30th, 2006 at 9:34 am
Is it a tour if people keep coming to him rather than the other way around?
You know, I said this would be a big story…
September 1st, 2006 at 8:18 pm
As to the pornographic aspects, I genuinely don’t care. If these were original characters, I would be so buying these books. It’s MOORE, fer cryin’ out loud.
As to the JonBenet thing? Give me a break. This is just a blatant attempt to scare up more pornographer-in-the-closet fright points with people who already spend too much time telling other people what they can and cannot read/see/hear/do/think. It’s contemptible.
But the characters . . . I’m an author, with girl characters. When I’ve heard of some of the things that have been written with them online, I’ve been sickened. These authors did not write these girls in pornography. I think they would be sickened by this use of them, just as I am sickened by the thought of my characters being treated in ways I never intended for them and would deeply object to. I don’t think genius gives anyone the right to take someone else’s work and put it to uses the creator did not intend for it.