Alan Moore Confirms His Retirement from Comic Books

Alan Moore is icon amongst comic book fans. As the mind behind some of the greatest storylines or series in the medium (the ‘big two’ being Watchmen and Batman: The Killing Joke), Moore brought a level of sophistication and prestige to the comics that is usually reserved for literary works and their authors. However, as respected as he was for his densely- layered and complex comic book stories, Moore himself never embraced the fame or the opportunities that came with it; he’s been notoriously outspoken and vigilant in his refusal to lend his work to Hollywood adaptation, or his criticism of the modern state of comics and its two big publishing houses (Marvel and DC).

Ironically enough, though, it isn’t frustration that is apparently pushing Alan Moore towards officially retiring from comic books, but rather, a feeling of completion.

The Guardian is running the story that Moore has officially confirmed he is retiring from comic books soon, with the writer/creator stating that he has “about 250 pages of comics left in me.” Again, Moore isn’t stating that he’s done with comics out of any negative experience, but rather the sense that he’s done what he can with the medium:

“I think I have done enough for comics. I’ve done all that I can. I think if I were to continue to work in comics, inevitably the ideas would suffer, inevitably you’d start to see me retread old ground and I think both you and I probably deserve something better than that… I know I am able to do anything anyone is capable of doing in the comic book medium. I don’t need to prove anything to myself or anyone else… I will always revere comics as a medium. It is a wonderful medium.” –Alan Moore

Ever the creator, Moore won’t simply rest on his laurels. Instead, he will try to create in new spaces where he doesn’t already reign as a creative god, with specific mention of films and “giant” literary novels. No telling how his unique method of storytelling and extensive mix of knowledge and imagination will translate to those other mediums, but many comic fans would probably agree that if any creator is feeling done with their comic book creative abilities, it’s probably best for everyone that he/she move on.

Read the full interview with Alan Moore over on The Guardian. His final comic book work will include one final book of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.