Infantile Love For Superheroes Can Be Precursor To Fascism

[An4h0ny]

I don't agree 100% but it is an interesting observation.

“Infantile Love For Batman And Other Superheroes Can Be Precursor To Fascism,” Comic Legend Alan Moore Warns



Alan Moore, who brought the world Watchmen, V for Vendetta and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen among his many titles, told the Guardian of his fears for the future.

He said:

“I said round about 2011 that I thought that it had serious and worrying implications for the future if millions of adults were queueing up to see Batman movies. Because that kind of infantilisation – that urge towards simpler times, simpler realities – that can very often be a precursor to fascism.”

“Hundreds of thousands of adults [are] lining up to see characters and situations that had been created to entertain the 12-year-old boys – and it was always boys – of 50 years ago.I didn’t really think that superheroes were adult fare. I think that this was a misunderstanding born of what happened in the 1980s – to which I must put my hand up to a considerable share of the blame, though it was not intentional – when things like Watchmen were first appearing. There were an awful lot of headlines saying ‘Comics Have Grown Up’.

“I tend to think that, no, comics hadn’t grown up. There were a few titles that were more adult than people were used to. But the majority of comics titles were pretty much the same as they’d ever been. It wasn’t comics growing up. I think it was more comics meeting the emotional age of the audience coming the other way.”

The mask drawn by David Lloyd in Moore’s V for Vendetta has been adopted by those making anti-state protests across the world, something Moore greets with cautious approval. He told the Guardian:

“I can’t endorse everything that people who take that mask as an icon might do in the future, of course. But I’m heartened to see that it has been adopted by protest movements so widely across the world. Because we do need protest movements now, probably more than we’ve ever done before.”

Moore has just published his first collection of short stories, and says he is done with both comics and the huge global industry that he did so much himself to transform.

He said: “I will always love and adore the comics medium but the comics industry and all of the stuff attached to it just became unbearable.”

https://deadline.com/2022/10/alan-mo...mp-1235139369/

[mwynn]

Originally Posted by An4h0ny

I don't agree 100% but it is an interesting observation.

“Infantile Love For Batman And Other Superheroes Can Be Precursor To Fascism,” Comic Legend Alan Moore Warns



Alan Moore, who brought the world Watchmen, V for Vendetta and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen among his many titles, told the Guardian of his fears for the future.

He said:

“I said round about 2011 that I thought that it had serious and worrying implications for the future if millions of adults were queueing up to see Batman movies. Because that kind of infantilisation – that urge towards simpler times, simpler realities – that can very often be a precursor to fascism.”

“Hundreds of thousands of adults [are] lining up to see characters and situations that had been created to entertain the 12-year-old boys – and it was always boys – of 50 years ago.I didn’t really think that superheroes were adult fare. I think that this was a misunderstanding born of what happened in the 1980s – to which I must put my hand up to a considerable share of the blame, though it was not intentional – when things like Watchmen were first appearing. There were an awful lot of headlines saying ‘Comics Have Grown Up’.

“I tend to think that, no, comics hadn’t grown up. There were a few titles that were more adult than people were used to. But the majority of comics titles were pretty much the same as they’d ever been. It wasn’t comics growing up. I think it was more comics meeting the emotional age of the audience coming the other way.”

The mask drawn by David Lloyd in Moore’s V for Vendetta has been adopted by those making anti-state protests across the world, something Moore greets with cautious approval. He told the Guardian:

“I can’t endorse everything that people who take that mask as an icon might do in the future, of course. But I’m heartened to see that it has been adopted by protest movements so widely across the world. Because we do need protest movements now, probably more than we’ve ever done before.”

Moore has just published his first collection of short stories, and says he is done with both comics and the huge global industry that he did so much himself to transform.

He said: “I will always love and adore the comics medium but the comics industry and all of the stuff attached to it just became unbearable.”

https://deadline.com/2022/10/alan-mo...mp-1235139369/

There is a lot to unpack here. Yet not sure this is the place for that.

I will question the red part though as this seems to always be an easy marketing piece.

I will also bet that people will attack him, saying he is attacking his fan base. Looked at the comments.

Donald Trump really broke the Matrix some people will just never recover from it. Kinda sad. It’s so funny how much artists truly hate their consumers.

[Mikezilla3k]

Yeah, Alan Moore has basically lost it in recent years.............................superheroes are basically fantasy, wanting them is not an "urge to go back to 'simpler realities'" or some half-assed BS like that. It's just to relax and enjoy a fantastical world. Might as well say the same thing about Lord Of The Rings.

You just know some people are just gonna use this to push their toxicity even more now...........

His Swamp Thing run is still badass though.

[mwynn]

Originally Posted by Mikezilla3k

Yeah, Alan Moore has basically lost it in recent years.............................superheroes are basically fantasy, wanting them is not an "urge to go back to 'simpler realities'" or some half-assed BS like that. It's just to relax and enjoy a fantastical world. Might as well say the same thing about Lord Of The Rings.

You just know some people are just gonna use this to push their toxicity even more now...........

His Swamp Thing run is still badass though.

Yes not sure how it is different than stores of Hercules, Zeus and others. Anyway Moore needed to promote something, and this is going to get him some attention.

[An4h0ny]

Originally Posted by mwynn

Yes not sure how it is different than stores of Hercules, Zeus and others. Anyway Moore needed to promote something, and this is going to get him some attention.

Agree that this is mostly his motivation here.

I think there is a valid point to be made about how a society can drift one way or another... but he has always had his own unique take on things.

[mwynn]

Originally Posted by An4h0ny

Agree that this is mostly his motivation here.

I think there is a valid point to be made about how a society can drift one way or another... but he has always had his own unique take on things.

It always felt like he adjusts himself to hate a past version of himself and the things he created.

Or he hates the way the things he created were commercialized.

[Akibiyori]

Originally Posted by mwynn

Yes not sure how it is different than stores of Hercules, Zeus and others.

I’ve heard this kind of thing before. The Greek myths and religion were a huge departure for how humans thought about the divine and themselves. There’s a world of difference between that and super powered people with “regular problems.” Superheroes may be godlike but our relation to them is entirely different.

[s2mikey]

Originally Posted by Mikezilla3k

Yeah, Alan Moore has basically lost it in recent years.............................superheroes are basically fantasy, wanting them is not an "urge to go back to 'simpler realities'" or some half-assed BS like that. It's just to relax and enjoy a fantastical world. Might as well say the same thing about Lord Of The Rings.

You just know some people are just gonna use this to push their toxicity even more now...........

His Swamp Thing run is still badass though.

Yeah - this falls in line with people blaming video games for violence or listening to Ozzy Ozbourne records causing a turn to Satanism. No, no and more no.

You make a conscious decision to be an !@#-hole or you dont. Period.

[Zivouhr]

Originally Posted by Mikezilla3k

Yeah, Alan Moore has basically lost it in recent years.............................superheroes are basically fantasy, wanting them is not an "urge to go back to 'simpler realities'" or some half-assed BS like that. It's just to relax and enjoy a fantastical world. Might as well say the same thing about Lord Of The Rings.

You just know some people are just gonna use this to push their toxicity even more now...........

His Swamp Thing run is still badass though.

Yeah, that writer guy of Watchmen is reading way too much into it and also way off the mark with his blanket of reasoning. And for him to say Batman Begins, The Batman, Dark Knight films were written for kids is ridiculous and shows how off the mark he is. He sounds a bit jealous Batman is getting more of the spotlight than his Watchmen series.

Batman is about helping people, making the world free of criminals who hurt innocent people, fighting for what's right, and not letting corruption or evil people take over. Just because people like being entertained by Super Heroes, doesn't mean they're stupid and will follow corruption.

[Stanis]

Originally Posted by Zivouhr

He sounds a bit jealous Batman is getting more of the spotlight than his Watchmen series.

Dude, the guy wrote one of the most famous Batman stories of all time, The Killing Joke. During his heyday, Moore`s run of writing comics was all timer after all timer, he has nothing to be jealous about. Sure Moores a kook now, but Millers Dark Knight Returns IS fascist so Alans not alone in that thinking (after 9-11 didnt Frank Miller turm full on pro fascism and wrote a book that DC rejected about batman killing terrorists?)

I heard Alan turned away from comics into a magic sex cult leader so yeah, dont listen to a thing he says now, but he practically invented the modern take on superheros, and things like The Boys wouldnt have existed without his impressive writing skills influencing the genre

[kylor]

Didn't know enjoying a Batman movie made me a fascist. The more you know.

[BudBaxter]

Alan Moore also believes magic is real & he can cast spells on people.

[drb999]

I think a lot of other things lead people into embracing fascism a hell of a lot more than love of superheroes.

[Damon1281]

Attempting a fame adjustment?

[Stanis]

Alam Moore wrote Watchmen. That is the basic plot of Watchmen.
So Moore is a kook, and has been saying this since the 1980s.

[moreorless]

To be honest though I don't think superhero movies have tended to strike me as indulging in fascist like mindsets. You could argue some of them are conservative I spose but I think by there nature they do tend to be quite individualistic and honestly I think they have often tended to feel they have something to proove.

If I was looking at blockbuster fantasy cinema which felt more fascistic it would be stuff that follows the ID4 formula, alien invasion style films were it plays up the idea of a united society(with strong family values played up) standing up to the implacable "other" which needs to be utterly destoryed.

[Poya]

Weren't Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen the first comics to truly talk about fascism in superheroes? Batman does not come across as a saint in that former story.

[Zivouhr]

The Best of 1966 Batman/Bruce Wayne - YouTube

Batman seems like a good guy. Plus he repels biting sharks with his Shark Repellent Spray. That's a good thing too.

[kylor]

Alan Moore:



Me:

[Det. Bullock]

Have you all read Watchmen?

This is not new, the difference is that back then he thought he could salvage certain aspects and characters, now he doesn't.

Originally Posted by Poya

Weren't Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen the first comics to truly talk about fascism in superheroes? Batman does not come across as a saint in that former story.

The difference is that Miller thought that was way cool deep down.