By Rick Klaw
(Moving Pictures Masculinity issue, Feb/Mar 2006) "I think films are dumb... That's not to say that there haven't been some wonderful films made, but they are very, very much the exceptions that prove the rule." -Alan Moore, "The Alan Moore Interview," interview by author, A Blazing World by Jess Nevins (Austin, Texas: MonkeyBrain, 2004): 276-277. Alan Moore (along with Sin City creator Frank Miller) was responsible for the injection of relevancy into mainstream comics in the 1980s. Previously, comic books were often five to six years behind the current trends. Moore's skills moved mainstream superhero comics ahead of popular culture and established the trends. He was punk to the old guard's rock 'n' roll. His success paved the way for successful artists such as Moore protégé Neil Gaiman (bestselling author and MirrorMask screenwriter) and Mike Mignola (Hellboy creator), as well as the re-tooling of superheroes that lead to a recent spate of successful films such as the Spider-Man franchise, the X-Men series, and even The Incredibles. Moore's unique vision combined the inherent nostalgic elements of a forty-year-old medium that was essentially comprised of male adolescent fantasies with the nihilism of the liberal-minded, disenfranchised youth of Thatcher's Britain and Reagan's America. He was able to tackle contemporary issues while exciting the fan-boy with the incorporation of superheroes, literary references, obscure pop culture and magick (the word originally coined by Aleister Crowley referring to any act designed to cause intentional change and used to differentiate it from other practices, such as stage magic) into his works. While Moore's comics read more like literature than a typical comic book, he remained both approachable and familiar to his readers. In England he was already well known for his work on Marvelman (Miracleman in the U.S.) and the opening chapters of V for Vendetta. American critics and fans first noticed the British writer in 1983 when he began scripting DC's Swamp Thing, the tragic tale of brilliant scientist Alec Holland whose mind is trapped inside the body of a swamp monster. The comic book series originally premiered in 1971 and has had several incarnations, including a 1982 relaunch to coincide with Wes Craven's cult film. The series was on the verge of cancellation when Moore took over, injecting it with new life by introducing interesting characters and back story. For example, Moore determined that Swamp Thing is a vegetable being who thinks it is Alec Holland. The series ran until 1996. 1989's The Return of Swamp Thing (directed by Jim Wynorski) borrowed heavily from Moore's works. Several scenes were lifted directly from the comic pages. When Abagail Arcane and Swamp Thing first consummate their love, it is a beautiful and poignant moment in the comic book. In the movie it is cheap and tawdry, and if it weren't for the absence of nudity and moaning, the scene could be confused with porn. Neither Moore nor any of the artists with whom he worked received credit, and the film was a flop ($192,816 box office) - although it didn't prevent the production of a 1990 USA Network show. There wouldn't be another Moore-related feature until 2001. Directed by the Hughes Brothers and starring Johnny Depp, Heather Graham and Ian Holm, From Hell is, at its best, a shallow adaptation of Moore's complex graphic novel (1999) and at worst a unrealistic interpretation of Jack the Ripper. The source material offered solutions to the legendary murders from the viewpoints of both the victims and the suspects. Critic Chris Roberson referred to this massive book (originally serialized over ten years beginning in 1989) as the Citizen Kane of comics due to its ambitious scope and groundbreaking storytelling. (Chris Roberson, review of From Hell, Revolution Science Fiction http://www.revolutionsf.com/article.html?id=100). Using a method new to comics, Moore's endnotes not only cite sources but also relate essential anecdotes and asides. In From Hell, Moore and illustrator Eddie Campbell established a new standard for nonfiction graphic novels. The same cannot be said of the movie, which lacks scope and ambition. The Hughes Brothers barely touched on Moore's numerous esoteric references and combined two of the main characters into one. All this could be overlooked if not for the unforgivable sin of a contrived, tacked-on happy ending that the graphic novel didn't have. The film achieved a modest box office ($31,602,566). As problematic as The Return of Swamp Thing and From Hell films were, neither was as intellectually insulting as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003). Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2001 with artist Kevin O'Neill) brought together five Victorian literary characters under the aegis of the British Empire. The team, comprised of Mina Murray (the divorced Mrs. Jonathan Harker from Dracula), Allan Quatermain (the reluctant pacifistic hero of King Solomon's Mines), Captain Nemo (legendary sub commander and eco-terrorist from Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea), Griffin (H. G. Wells's Invisible Man), and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, defend the crown against the machinations of Fu Manchu, Professor Moriarty and each other. Moore successfully weaves these diverse individuals into a complex and engaging, if not fantastical, plot. Not only does he stay true to the original versions of these classic characters, he manages to create a truly Victorian novel, technological limitations and mannerisms intact. Moore's comic has achieved cult status with a sequel series, two critical analyses and websites devoted to The League. All this makes Stephen Norrington's film version that much more disappointing. This League features Allan Quatermain (portrayed by the very un-Quatermain-like Sean Connery), Mina Harker (née Murray, now a vampire), Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, Rodney Skinner (a new invisible man who uses Griffin's original formula), Dorian Gray and an adult Tom Sawyer. None of the characters behave anything like their original literary counterparts. The plot is overly complex, with telegraphed twists. Though it claims to be set in 1899, the film disregards all pretenses of Victoriana. Even the presence of the charismatic Connery could not salvage this action clunker. Oddly, respected comic book writer James Robinson wrote the screenplay and it was directed by Stephen Norrington, whose previous comic book project was the surprisingly good Blade. Shockingly, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen did more than $66 million in domestic box office and more than $112 million internationally. While writing Swamp Thing, Moore (along with artist Rick Veitch) created the character John Constantine, a British mage with a bad attitude and a mysterious past. Constantine hunted demons, seduced women, chain-smoked and drank a lot. He was surly and unrepentant, and was spun off into his own long-running series, Hellblazer. Staying true to Moore's setting, Jamie Delano and Garth Ennis deftly wove the fabric of contemporary London and its environs into the new series. Constantine (2005), with an inappropriately cast star (Keanu Reeves), the wrong city (Los Angeles) and a former music video director shooting his first feature (Francis Lawrence), was a surprisingly good adaptation. This Constantine smoked, drank, hunted demons and was a complete bastard. With domestic box office more than $75 million plus an international take of more than $154 million, the movie was the most successful Alan Moore-related property yet. Too bad his name doesn't appear in relation to the project. Moore detests the film industry. He has never seen any of his films. He gives all his movie royalties to his co-creators. According to Moore, he even asked for his name to be removed from the credits of Constantine. (Nevins, 276) To be fair, Moore often has problems in his chosen medium, where he now refuses to work with the two largest comic book publishers, DC and Marvel. "I hate the movie industry [because] if I make a bad comic, it does not cost a hundred million dollars, which is the budget of an emergent small third world African nation. And this is money that could have gone to alleviating some of the immense suffering in this world but has instead gone to giving bored, apathetic, lazy, indifferent Western teenage boys another way of killing 90 minutes of their interminable and seemingly pointless lives." -Alan Moore (Nevins, 277) A movie based on what is arguably Moore's most nihilistic work, V for Vendetta (1990), is slated for a March 2006 release starring Natalie Portman. Originally serialized during the height of the Thatcher/Reagan era, V is the story of an anarchist terrorist in a post-apocalyptic fascist Britain. The movie, from first-time director James McTeigue and a screenplay by the Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix), is rumored to have excised all of the anarchy references. Again, Moore asked for his name to be removed from the credits. It is difficult to imagine that in this political climate, a film about a sympathetic terrorist could be successful. Nostalgic nihilism is just not in fashion. -MPM |
