1. The Evolution Of Superhero Films
The last thing Alan Moore said about the superhero genre was how he thinks "it's a rather alarming sign if we've got audiences of adults going to see the Avengers movie and delighting in concepts and characters meant to entertain the 12-year-old boys of the 1950s." Much like his own written works, I'm not sure exactly how many of the superhero films of late showcase concepts and characters for an audience who would be 60 70 years old now. Sure, The Avengers is a very entertaining popcorn film with great action, snappy dialogue and an all star cast. It is not a bad film by any means, only that it is easily the one geared most toward a younger audience. However, the concepts and characters have been greatly modified to not only modernize them, but attract a larger audience than their target demographic to theaters. For instance, Thor has been updated to be an alien while still retaining his Norse mythology, making it somewhat more appealing rather than having actual gods interacting with humans. The only character who really has concepts from the 1950s is Captain America, but that is an inescapable plot point from the source material. Anyone who thinks Captain America still retains the 1940's 50's campiness need only read Ed Brubaker's run on Captain America and watch the Captain America: The Winter Soldier trailer, of which is based off Brubaker's work, to see just how much they are modernizing the character to reflect the current times and world. The small amount of campiness and cheer found in The First Avenger film are replaced by a foreboding dread at not just the enemy Cap faces, but how the ideals he fought for have been twisted to serve political agendas. Perhaps Moore does not realize this, but superhero films, much like their comic counterparts, have greatly evolved to not only entertain children, but provide a powerful plot with rich themes and character development. Not all, of course, have aimed to accomplish this or been successful at it, but the trend is undeniable; The Amazing Spider-Man, the Iron Man Trilogy (to an extent), Man of Steel and The Dark Knight Trilogy most of all put character and story first above an action-packed spectacle. Yes, they still have quite excellent action set pieces, but not at the expense of the story the filmmakers are telling. His opinion is also completely based on conjecture as he's openly admitted many times he has not seen the adaptations for V for Vendetta or Watchmen or bothered to watch films such as The Dark Knight or Avengers. It would seem Alan Moore is the one who needs to grow with the times than the superheroes he so passionately despises now. What do you think of Alan Moore's comments? Share your thoughts below.