Alan Moore Hates Superheroes: 4 Major Problems With His Argument

"I haven't read any superhero comics since I finished with Watchmen. I hate superheroes. I think they're abominations. They don't mean what they used to mean. They were originally in the hands of writers who would actively expand the imagination of their nine-to-13-year-old audience. That was completely what they were meant to do and they were doing it excellently. These days, superhero comics think the audience is certainly not nine to 13, it's nothing to do with them. It's an audience largely of 30-, 40-, 50-, 60-year old men, usually men."
Additionally, Moore disregarded the graphic novel format by stating the fans "latched on to it; they were simply interested in a way that could validate their continued love of Green Lantern or Spider-Man without appearing in some way emotionally subnormal." This is a rather narrow viewpoint from a man who largely helped reshape the way comics and superheroes were looked at, especially coming from the writer of Watchmen, a New York Times #1 bestseller for several weeks. His arguments are full of holes and hypocrisy and it's rather upsetting to see a once talented writer of the industry attack his fanbase so vehemently. And with that in mind, I am going to examine Moore's argument and break it down to show how the industry and genre have evolved for the better and why his claims are largely invalid.
Contributor
Contributor

Richard Church has a Bachelor of Arts in English and a diploma in Television Writing and Producing. He is an aspiring writer for short stories, novels and screenplays. He is also an avid fan of comic books and graphic novels.