The more I think about it, the more I realize how much Before Watchmen is a gift to the ongoing argument that is the Comics Internet; no matter which “side” you’re on, you have something to point to and get angry about. “Alan Moore said that there were no talented people in comics!” “JMS said that at least it isn’t as bad as having Mr. Hyde rape the Invisible Man to death in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen!” and so on. It may not beat Avengers Vs. X-Men in final sales, when the various titles are eventually released, but it’s possible that it may be the comic to finally do the very thing that Brian Michael Bendis promised way back when he was doing House of M, and tear the internet in half, which is something, right…?
(Something that is interesting from the J. Michael Straczynski interview linked above: The revelation that the series don’t seem to be as interconnected as it may at first appear. JMS explained that “We’re all over the place [in terms of timeline], depending on what part of a character’s life the individual writer(s) wanted to explore. The only commonality they share is that they don’t go beyond the first page of the WATCHMEN GN. We are specifically not touching anything after that point as a gesture of respect.” Well, that and the fact that it couldn’t be called Before Watchmen if it didn’t happen before Watchmen, of course…)
March 17th, 2012 at 9:31 am
Graeme,
I find it laughable and disappointing that JMS states Moore and his backers have no moral ground upon which to claim Watchmen 2 is a bad idea. I’ve been a fan of JMS ever since Babylon 5 – and, if you’re wondering, I’ve only read the “good stuff” he’s done in comics (No Superman, No WW, No Spidey once JRJr left, so he’s remained fairly well-regarded in my mind, on that count) – but he, like so many others, seem to miss the point with this entire argument.
Neil Gaiman directly attributes his good working relationship vis-a-vis Sandman for DC/Vertigo with the way Alan Moore was treated and his vocal and strident response to that. Moore’s stance comes off as selfish to some, but at the heart of it, Moore is asking for these corporations to respect the creators, respect the work they do, and allow them the opportunity to work in an industry where writers and artists own that which they create like “real publishers” do. By signing the petition started by Frank Miller against labeling in the 80s along with the Creators’ Bill of Rights and being one of the handful of creators, if not the only one, who did not go back on his word, Moore has been at the forefront of creators’ rights in mainstream comic publishing.
By taking on Watchmen 2, despite all of his arguments, JMS is only propagating the status quo wherein Marvel and DC can leech off the writers and artists who work for them (will Marvel provide a bountiful pension to Bendis when his books no longer sell for them? it seems highly unlikely).
DC was smart to get high-profile creators to work on this. But, by agreeing, these “big names” have legitimized the outdated work practices at the Big Two. That is the moral issue at hand. and I find it depressing to think these people don’t see the problem here.
Ah, well. I’ll just go try to track down Saga, or get caught up on Wasteland, or pick up the new Fantagraphics or Top Shelf book. That, for me, is the good stuff anyway.
Thanks for all you do, sir. Don’t wear yourself out keeping this blog alive.
chris beckett