Marvel: Hire Alan Moore

Marvel: Hire Alan Moore

Nov 19

I would like to sketch for you now a brief fantasy. I recognize from the outset that this fantasy probably has little to no realistic chance of actually happening. I expect the comments to be full of reasons why it cannot happen.

Still, a sketch, if you please.

Marvel should hire Alan Moore before Watchmen comes out next March.

Based on the little I’ve read, there seems to be some nitpicky animosity between Moore and Marvel, but not at the same level as the way DC has fucked around with Moore over the years (and to be fair, vice-versa). So if I were Joe Quesada, here’s what I’d do.

1) Wade into the nightmarish mess that is the Miracleman rights situation with a battalion of Marvel lawyers and fix it. Don’t fix it so that Marvel owns Miracleman; fix it so that the rights are properly assigned in such a way that a reprint could go forward. Do this pro bono, out of the kindness of your heart and your willingness to help a great lost classic of the medium finally see republication.

2) Extend the offer to Gaiman, Moore, whoever that they can if they so choose reprint Miracleman as Marvelman, and that Icon would be happy to offer their services as publisher of the reprints, as well as any new Marvelman stories Gaiman see fits to create. Present these deals in a very attractive way.

(and yes, I realize that granting such a boon may have legal implications on the whole Captain Marvel business with DC, and the rights to the word “Marvel” or some such. I bet a good lawyer could figure it out, and if not…well, that’s why this is a fantasy.)

3) Fly to Great Britain. Bring a cabal of your top, most respected, and most reverential talent.

4) Show up at Alan Moore’s house. Kiss unholy, righteous ass.

5) Offer him buckets upon buckets of money to write comics for Marvel. I’d first try to talk him into taking on one of the mainstream Marvel books, but let’s be honest–that would be a mess, for Moore and Marvel.

Instead, I’d suggest Alan Moore’s Marvel Universe, in which he is allowed to create an entire version of the universe for his own creative needs. The books would be shunted off into their own reality, just like the Ultimate Universe, and Moore could play it however he wanted to–start with iconic, classic versions of the characters; start the whole thing at the beginning; draw up a continuity-heavy interlinked system of stories; or just tell entertaining one-offs that make best use of the characters. Give Moore a nice chunk of budget to use in hiring top-level writing and artistic talent as needed, and offer him the services of an editorial team in the US to handle all the logistics of the project.

Again, a sketch of a fantasy. But…shit.

I’m just imagining the insanity that would ensue if Marvel Comics were able to announce a week before Watchmen’s opening day that the co-creator of the upcoming blockbuster superhero movie was going to write for Marvel. I’m mostly a DC fanboy, but with the shitstorm that’s been happening over there lately, I’d love to see Marvel deliver a killing blow that would at least put DiDio out of a job, if not Levitz too.