Writer and artist Frank Miller’s harsh, anti-OWS voice does not boom in comic book shops and the halls of the Internet alone. Alan Moore, widely beloved author of the industry classics “Watchmen” and “V for Vendetta,” offers a badly needed antidote to the torrent of sneering contempt Miller published on his blog weeks ago.
The Guy Fawkes mask that has become a trademark of the OWS movement first appeared in Moore’s “V for Vendetta” in the 1980s. —ARK
Honest Publishing:
Frank Miller is someone whose work I’ve barely looked at for the past twenty years. I thought the Sin City stuff was unreconstructed misogyny, 300 appeared to be wildly ahistoric, homophobic and just completely misguided. I think that there has probably been a rather unpleasant sensibility apparent in Frank Miller’s work for quite a long time. Since I don’t have anything to do with the comics industry, I don’t have anything to do with the people in it. I heard about the latest outpourings regarding the Occupy movement. It’s about what I’d expect from him. It’s always seemed to me that the majority of the comics field, if you had to place them politically, you’d have to say centre-right. That would be as far towards the liberal end of the spectrum as they would go. I’ve never been in any way, I don’t even know if I’m centre-left. I’ve been outspoken about that since the beginning of my career. So yes I think it would be fair to say that me and Frank Miller have diametrically opposing views upon all sorts of things, but certainly upon the Occupy movement.
As far as I can see, the Occupy movement is just ordinary people reclaiming rights which should always have been theirs. I can’t think of any reason why as a population we should be expected to stand by and see a gross reduction in the living standards of ourselves and our kids, possibly for generations, when the people who have got us into this have been rewarded for it; they’ve certainly not been punished in any way because they’re too big to fail. I think that the Occupy movement is, in one sense, the public saying that they should be the ones to decide who’s too big to fail. It’s a completely justified howl of moral outrage and it seems to be handled in a very intelligent, non-violent way, which is probably another reason why Frank Miller would be less than pleased with it. I’m sure if it had been a bunch of young, sociopathic vigilantes with Batman make-up on their faces, he’d be more in favour of it.
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I believe Alan Moore’s work on the whole has contributed to a sort of half-assed approach to dealing with very real going-ons.
Listen folks… there are no magicians or superheroes, and no matter how well-meaning you might be, you ultimately are going to have to come back down to reality. There just isn’t any other way.
By Marian Griffith, December 6, 2011 at 9:17 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
@oceanna —- I almost
hope he’s wrong on the magnitude of the worldwide derivatives at around 60
TR—-
He is a bit on the low side actually. And that is only one specific type of derivatives.
The total amount of financial transactions (which is mistakenly called ‘the financial market’) is around the 600,000 trillion annually.
And yes, the bailout of the banks turned out to be a futile excercise. Instead of giving the banks time to get their finances in order, they took it for a signal that they could continue funneling money out of the economy and into their personal accounts. By now there is nobody left in the world to pick up the tab and the debt is going to break the back of the whole system.
“The momentum of OWS and its global counterparts aren’t going away anytime soon. Maybe that’s because the human species aren’t lemmings.” Hope you are right Oceanna, OWS addressing and teaching reality which apparently is hitting denial flowing through the beltway!
The derivative number is said to not be known, maybe it really is known? Soros is making noise about Europe crashing, so we may as well fasten our seat belts we are not lemmings, but we all are forced to ride along.
Making money the hard way, accordingly the only people who know what real work is are the Repulcians, like Newt Gingrich is working three jobs to make ends meet to pay his Tiffany Bill!
I suspect 99 percent is going to become a real number according to the stars who may be falling from the sky?
The worst articles I’ve read on OWS are from individuals claiming to have
seriously participated in an occupation, who insist on “leadership.” As if
horizontal structures are an aberration, and their uses are non-existent in
business, educational, and science endeavors. Cliches certainly have staying
power, especially when systematically attempting to discredit or attack
something.
Alan Moore has some sobering points, especially about derivatives. I almost
hope he’s wrong on the magnitude of the worldwide derivatives at around 60
TR. Though the now near collapse of the Euro bears out that figure. Seems to
me like the ‘08 bailout was a temporary and largely futile measure. Maybe
putty can sometimes give the appearance of fixing a leak in an about-to-burst
damn.
The momentum of OWS and its global counterparts aren’t going away anytime
soon. Maybe that’s because the human species aren’t lemmings.
Yeah Roy, “One simple question about the Occupy movement?” It is a simple question; “When do all the people in the movement become adult enough to clean up their own crap and trash?” and forgot to add the simplistically petty finishing question;... ‘and take a bath’?
“As far as I can see, the Occupy movement is just ordinary people reclaiming rights which should always have been theirs. I can’t think of any reason why as a population we should be expected to stand by and see a gross reduction in the living standards of ourselves and our kids, possibly for generations, when the people who have got us into this have been rewarded for it;”
Encore, Encore,....standing ovation… we all need to do our own Encore!
Truth is so damn well hidden by lies sponsored by those who do everything in their power to keep the truth tucked away and well hidden!
As for comic books,... I read them with Republican consistency until I was 13 years old!
Thank you Alan Moore, for simply speaking the truth!
By Phnatduppf, December 4, 2011 at 11:16 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
@rumblingspire
Pan-Human Nationalism And The Dynamic Utopian Potential Perfect Future, its progenitor the Pan-National Humanist Movement and subsequent form Pan-Sentient Nationalism.
Basically a conglomeration of at least the soul and intent of the occupy/anonymous types and the realisation that the force with which nationality is stamped onto us at birth is an offensive assault.
The notion of nations is almost as archaic abhorrent and damaging as the continued existence of the work for a token way of life.
By Marian Griifth, December 4, 2011 at 3:06 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Alan Moore give an accurate qualification of the work of Miller, and the many in the comics industry who are like him (e.g. look at the whole controversy surrounding the Red Hood and the Outlaws comic):
Mysogenic, misguided, phobic.
Sadly from the reactions of the complaints leveled at the comics industry Frank Miller c.s. are genuinely incapable of even seeing the problems with their own works, and resort to a weird inverted conviction that they are supporting the movements and ideologies that their comics are deriding or degrading. And frequently they resort to blaming the messengers when the flaws of their work is pointed out to them in ways they can not reason away for themselves.
I admire Alan Moore for speaking out, but I do not think for a moment that this speech is making any more impression than the public outrage over the rebooted DC comics did earlier this year. A pat on the head and a ‘little girl don’t you worry your pretty head about the boys and their toys’, and a return to business as usual which is dwindling subscription and purchases numbers.
By rumblingspire, December 3, 2011 at 11:57 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
“Our entire political thinking seems to me to be based upon medieval precepts.”
Exactly. One of the biggest things holding us back is the concept of nationhood. the myth of nations has been used by the powerful to control populations and resources, first by the aristocracy and now by gangster merchants. it wasn’t the king that should have been beheaded. it was the flag that should have been burned.
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By EmileZ, December 9, 2011 at 3:15 am Link to this comment
I like his work on “Swamp Thing”.
I believe Alan Moore’s work on the whole has contributed to a sort of half-assed approach to dealing with very real going-ons.
Listen folks… there are no magicians or superheroes, and no matter how well-meaning you might be, you ultimately are going to have to come back down to reality. There just isn’t any other way.
Magic is deception. Deception is a waste of time.
Report thisBy Marian Griffith, December 6, 2011 at 9:17 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
@oceanna
—- I almost
hope he’s wrong on the magnitude of the worldwide derivatives at around 60
TR—-
He is a bit on the low side actually. And that is only one specific type of derivatives.
The total amount of financial transactions (which is mistakenly called ‘the financial market’) is around the 600,000 trillion annually.
And yes, the bailout of the banks turned out to be a futile excercise. Instead of giving the banks time to get their finances in order, they took it for a signal that they could continue funneling money out of the economy and into their personal accounts. By now there is nobody left in the world to pick up the tab and the debt is going to break the back of the whole system.
Report thisBy Leefeller, December 6, 2011 at 7:53 am Link to this comment
“The momentum of OWS and its global counterparts aren’t going away anytime soon. Maybe that’s because the human species aren’t lemmings.” Hope you are right Oceanna, OWS addressing and teaching reality which apparently is hitting denial flowing through the beltway!
The derivative number is said to not be known, maybe it really is known? Soros is making noise about Europe crashing, so we may as well fasten our seat belts we are not lemmings, but we all are forced to ride along.
Making money the hard way, accordingly the only people who know what real work is are the Repulcians, like Newt Gingrich is working three jobs to make ends meet to pay his Tiffany Bill!
I suspect 99 percent is going to become a real number according to the stars who may be falling from the sky?
‘We the people’... means only human beings!
Report thisBy Oceanna, December 6, 2011 at 7:25 am Link to this comment
The worst articles I’ve read on OWS are from individuals claiming to have
seriously participated in an occupation, who insist on “leadership.” As if
horizontal structures are an aberration, and their uses are non-existent in
business, educational, and science endeavors. Cliches certainly have staying
power, especially when systematically attempting to discredit or attack
something.
Alan Moore has some sobering points, especially about derivatives. I almost
hope he’s wrong on the magnitude of the worldwide derivatives at around 60
TR. Though the now near collapse of the Euro bears out that figure. Seems to
me like the ‘08 bailout was a temporary and largely futile measure. Maybe
putty can sometimes give the appearance of fixing a leak in an about-to-burst
damn.
The momentum of OWS and its global counterparts aren’t going away anytime
Report thissoon. Maybe that’s because the human species aren’t lemmings.
By drsivana99, December 5, 2011 at 10:48 pm Link to this comment
“When do all the people in the movement become adult enough to clean up their own crap and trash?”
I dunno—maybe when the bankers do???
Report thisBy rumblingspire, December 5, 2011 at 8:58 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
@Phnatduppf
i never have answered that question; “What are you going to be when you grow up”?
Report thisBy rumblingspire, December 5, 2011 at 8:52 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
@call me roy
I’ll stop shittin in the park when you stop murdering species, gunning down innocent people, polluting the environment and feeding us corn syrup.
Report thisBy Leefeller, December 5, 2011 at 8:38 pm Link to this comment
Yeah Roy, “One simple question about the Occupy movement?” It is a simple question; “When do all the people in the movement become adult enough to clean up their own crap and trash?” and forgot to add the simplistically petty finishing question;... ‘and take a bath’?
Report thisBy call me roy, December 5, 2011 at 6:25 pm Link to this comment
One simple question about the Occupy movement?
When do all the people in the movement become adult enough to clean up their own crap and trash?
Report thisBy berniem, December 5, 2011 at 2:42 pm Link to this comment
Call me naive, but I still miss R.Crumb! FREE BRADLEY MANNING AND TIM DECHRISTOPHER!!!!!
Report thisBy TheEnd, December 5, 2011 at 11:37 am Link to this comment
Good article - TheEnd
Report thisBy Leefeller, December 5, 2011 at 10:00 am Link to this comment
“As far as I can see, the Occupy movement is just ordinary people reclaiming rights which should always have been theirs. I can’t think of any reason why as a population we should be expected to stand by and see a gross reduction in the living standards of ourselves and our kids, possibly for generations, when the people who have got us into this have been rewarded for it;”
Encore, Encore,....standing ovation… we all need to do our own Encore!
Truth is so damn well hidden by lies sponsored by those who do everything in their power to keep the truth tucked away and well hidden!
As for comic books,... I read them with Republican consistency until I was 13 years old!
Thank you Alan Moore, for simply speaking the truth!
Report thisBy Phnatduppf, December 4, 2011 at 11:16 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
@rumblingspire
Report thisPan-Human Nationalism And The Dynamic Utopian Potential Perfect Future, its progenitor the Pan-National Humanist Movement and subsequent form Pan-Sentient Nationalism.
Basically a conglomeration of at least the soul and intent of the occupy/anonymous types and the realisation that the force with which nationality is stamped onto us at birth is an offensive assault.
The notion of nations is almost as archaic abhorrent and damaging as the continued existence of the work for a token way of life.
By Marian Griifth, December 4, 2011 at 3:06 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Alan Moore give an accurate qualification of the work of Miller, and the many in the comics industry who are like him (e.g. look at the whole controversy surrounding the Red Hood and the Outlaws comic):
Mysogenic, misguided, phobic.
Sadly from the reactions of the complaints leveled at the comics industry Frank Miller c.s. are genuinely incapable of even seeing the problems with their own works, and resort to a weird inverted conviction that they are supporting the movements and ideologies that their comics are deriding or degrading. And frequently they resort to blaming the messengers when the flaws of their work is pointed out to them in ways they can not reason away for themselves.
I admire Alan Moore for speaking out, but I do not think for a moment that this speech is making any more impression than the public outrage over the rebooted DC comics did earlier this year. A pat on the head and a ‘little girl don’t you worry your pretty head about the boys and their toys’, and a return to business as usual which is dwindling subscription and purchases numbers.
Report thisBy rumblingspire, December 3, 2011 at 11:57 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
“Our entire political thinking seems to me to be based upon medieval precepts.”
Exactly. One of the biggest things holding us back is the concept of nationhood. the myth of nations has been used by the powerful to control populations and resources, first by the aristocracy and now by gangster merchants. it wasn’t the king that should have been beheaded. it was the flag that should have been burned.
burn all flags
Report thisignore all borders.