The problem is however whether we can trust Moore's account of himself. As you may perceive from Promethea - and much more clearly from Supreme and especially Judgment Day - he's gone all post-modern on us, beginning in the mid-nineties. He is, or was until recently (I haven't read anything of his since Top Ten), fixated on the primacy of "narrative" and the view that altering narrative can alter the universe. That is what is at the back of his claim, in some nineties interviews, of having turned to magic. You may find it in Judgment Day, magnificently rendered - this is one of his best mini-series ever. But it does not dispose me to trust his accounts of his past, as you can imagine.
You missed some of Moore's best work. I cannot recommend WildC.A.T.s enough; it is one of the ten or so best superhero series ever written, with no subversive subtext whatever, and the best supervillain anyone ever invented (I cannot say anything more precise, or it would spoil the shock of the last few issues). While some of the related mini-series were only so-so, WildC.A.T.s vs. Spawn had the best ending of any Moore series whatever - if you have tears, prepare to shed them now. (The only flaw is that it is rather telegraphed.) From Hell is cranky but greatly interesting, as is Supreme. Judgment Day is another masterpiece, and the only imaginative apology made for po-mo that really works. 1963 is uneven, but the best part are marvellous, especially for those of us who "remember when". Top Ten is 100% brilliant, but its ending - as I will argue in my next essay - shows why Moore has found himself having (in his mind) to argue for views that you rightly see as loathsome. Nonetheless, I recommend every one of these.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-11-04 06:46 am (UTC)You missed some of Moore's best work. I cannot recommend WildC.A.T.s enough; it is one of the ten or so best superhero series ever written, with no subversive subtext whatever, and the best supervillain anyone ever invented (I cannot say anything more precise, or it would spoil the shock of the last few issues). While some of the related mini-series were only so-so, WildC.A.T.s vs. Spawn had the best ending of any Moore series whatever - if you have tears, prepare to shed them now. (The only flaw is that it is rather telegraphed.) From Hell is cranky but greatly interesting, as is Supreme. Judgment Day is another masterpiece, and the only imaginative apology made for po-mo that really works. 1963 is uneven, but the best part are marvellous, especially for those of us who "remember when". Top Ten is 100% brilliant, but its ending - as I will argue in my next essay - shows why Moore has found himself having (in his mind) to argue for views that you rightly see as loathsome. Nonetheless, I recommend every one of these.