Fast Company’s Co-Create blog has a great story on Before Watchmen, including input from Alan Moore that goes beyond the cartoonish curmudgeon that he seems to be in danger of becoming in a lot of reports:
I thought about it for a while–I could perhaps sue, although I suspect DC would be very comfortable with that. They have a whole battery of lawyers who could continue to fight this case for decades. And it’s not like I’m after money. It’s always been about the dignity and integrity of the work. I just want them not to do something. There’s no point in wasting resources for decades, when effectively, if there’s a legal case, I’d be prohibited from speaking about it, which DC is more worried about.
Moore also thanks those protesting the announcement of the project, and bemoans the franchise-centric nature of comics these days… a point that Jim Lee’s response underscores, as he talks about “[o]ne of the key characteristics of the comic book medium [being] that it is not brought to life by just one voice… These universes are developed and evolved by multiple creative voices, over multiple generations.” The entire medium, Jim? Really?
February 15th, 2012 at 11:57 am
no, he’s still a cartoonish curmudgeon. and i’m no lawyer, but beyond his very correct summation of what would occur, it’s hard to believe there’s much of a case to be made on his side. it might not apply, and i’m no fan of it to begin with, but the doctrine should be the same as what you reference in the ghost rider case; you have to defend your copyright. so, if i’m a judge, the first question i’m asking is why he didn’t sue over the watchmen movie.
February 15th, 2012 at 6:03 pm
Hrmmm.
February 15th, 2012 at 6:56 pm
That image above convinced me to buy the Minutemen comic.
February 15th, 2012 at 7:31 pm
What would he sue over? His own rewrite of the Charlton characters? These were not “original” characters. They are all incredible riffs on the Charlton Action line. It was his presentation of the characters that made the series amazing.
February 19th, 2012 at 2:44 am
Ooooooor he will not sue because he had no legal legs yo stand kn? Better to just moan and the do what he accuses DC of doing – using characters otherness are using without permission of compensation. Self-important tool.