Thomas Bilous
asked
Alan Moore:
How do you feel about the 'Anonymous' and 'Occupy' movements use of the Guy Fawkes mask which you had a role in making so symbolic in 'V for Vendetta'? Do you draw any parallels with their movement and the text itself? And how about the 'V' and modern day politics, which seem to be ominously (and terrifyingly) similar?
Alan Moore
For a number of years – and this has bearing upon a number of the questions that I’ve been asked, so perhaps best to mention it now – I have found it to be in my own emotional best interests to completely sever my association with all of those works which I do not own, and which thus I can only disown. The alternative is to remain simultaneously angry and depressed about these things, and I don’t see how that would serve anybody’s best interests. Therefore I don’t keep any of those books around; don’t wish to read, see, or sign them ever again; and although at the time they were heartfelt pieces of work that I was very proud of, all that they genuinely represent to me now is a lot of unpleasant memories and broken friendships. I know that for a lot of people, these works may be their very favourite pieces and may personally mean a lot to them, and I certainly appreciate that affection and apologise if my position is dispiriting. The readers have every right to enjoy these books, but I would just ask everyone to understand why I personally cannot enjoy them anymore. So, on the subject of V for Vendetta I have few thoughts at all, whereas I retain a great deal of admiration for much of the work done by Occupy and Anonymous. From my position, if I have had one of my ideas stolen from me and turned into yet another cash-generator for some abhuman corporation, then if it has at least escaped into the wild sufficiently to be of some symbolic use to today’s protest movements, that makes me feel a lot better about having written it in the first place. It makes me feel that the work may have had some use beyond its purely commercial agendas, a use more in keeping with my intentions back in 1981when I was first putting the ideas for that work together.
More Answered Questions
Sebastien Tahucatte
asked
Alan Moore:
Hi, First of all, let me just say that I am a huge fan of The Watchmen, The Killing Joke and From Hell. My question is about the Watchmen and the alternative historical narrative you exploited for the story. Do you think that if you or anyone was to make a story as such; meaning an alternative historical narrative would it be easier or more difficult according to you to write such story nowadays, than in 1985?
Alan Moore
21,376 followers
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