Alan Moore is Making a Videogame (Maybe)

[Meggiepants]

Well, it could be really interesting. I've always thought of Moore as a bit of a crackerjack surprise. You never know what you are going to get. He also tends to try things other people are afraid to.

It's funny, I always hear this about Moore not liking his stuff adapted to film. But I'm hard pressed to think of any of his major works that haven't been made into movies yet. From Hell, V for Vendetta, Watchmen, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Constantine... he hasn't done a very good job of stopping these people from adapting his work. I know, he retroactively removes his name, but really, I'm not surprised he's been talked into trying to do something with video games. Clearly, he has had frequent changes of heart in the past already.

 

[plugav]

How is this a shift in his stance on adaptations? I never read anything there about him adapting a work to a different medium, he was just working on a project with different mediums in mind.

His stance was clearly that: when you take a work from one medium, such as a comic book, then change it to fit another, such as film, you lose something, and he wasn't interested in doing that.

Making a new project intended for certain mediums in no way seems to conflict with that.

This.

 

[The Random One]

How is this a shift in his stance on adaptations? I never read anything there about him adapting a work to a different medium, he was just working on a project with different mediums in mind.

His stance was clearly that: when you take a work from one medium, such as a comic book, then change it to fit another, such as film, you lose something, and he wasn't interested in doing that.

Making a new project intended for certain mediums in no way seems to conflict with that.

This.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking too.

The reason Bearded God dislikes adaptions, I infer, is that he is the kind of people who pushes the medium forward, as seen on Understanding Comics. That kind of people wraps their minds around a medium and makes works specifically for them. (A regular artist asks himself, 'What is the best way to tell this story in the mediums I'm adept in? A pusher asks, 'What is the best story that can be told through this medium?) So to adapt his comic stories to anything else causes a necessary weakening, or even elimination, of the concept he originally created, and which in his view is integral to the story.

That said, as long as each installment of whatever he's doing now is done specifically for the medium it will be showing in, it'll be great. Although few people can do to games what Moore has done for comics, and Moore isn't one of them.

 

[Jamboxdotcom]

From what i have seen of Moore's latest work, it will probably involve poetry, drugs, magic and some weird cross-genre bible that can turn milk into clay.

Yeah.

sounds about right. but you forgot to add weird sex.

I don't know, I don't massively like Alan Moore. I think he is very overrated. That's not to say he's in any way bad, he's great, but not as good as people make out to be.

I read Dodgem Logic occasionally, and he seems really 100% committed to it, so I imagine this project will be closely linked in with that. DL is very political though, and that doesn't translate very well into games as a rule

no, Alan Moore is quite possibly the most brilliant writer in the world. it's just that he's also completely bat-shit insane... kinda like Grant Morrison.

- snip-

no, he's still insane. insanity can have its own logic.

 

[Therumancer]

This doesn't surprise me. I think the issue with the adaptions was that they were just that... adaptions, as opposed to translations of his work outright. The movie versions of things like "V For Vendetta" missed the entire point of the original work, as did things like "League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen". Someone looking at those things would have absolutly no idea what the original stories were about or trying to say. For example watching "V For Vendetta" you come accross with this image of a freedom fighter going against an oppressive, totalitarian regime full of self-serving buttheads. The original work was hardly that straightforward and part of the entire point was that "V" was hardly a hero, and the guys he were up against weren't straightforward villains. Heck, it can be argued that if intentions count Mr. Susan (replaced by Sutler in the movies) was the most well intentioned character in the whole thing, and actually was acting for the public good. "V" in comparison was out to pretty much have society burn for his own reasons, and really didn't give a crap what happened to anyone. That's part of what made it such a powerful story (it's been a while since I've read it though).

If Mr. Moore is developing this project from the ground up, and it's actually HIS vision as opposed to someone else's re-invention of his ideas, there is no reason why he wouldn't approve of that.

It will be interesting to see what this project is if it surfaces, and nobody tries to wrest control of it from him.

 

[Dectilon]

I can't wait to be trolled and don't get I'm being trolled

"The original work was hardly that straightforward and part of the entire point was that "V" was hardly a hero, and the guys he were up against weren't straightforward villains. "

Wasn't the first line even that cop saying (in text boxes) "I'm a facist."? I doubt that was in the movie.

 

[GothmogII]

I can't wait to be trolled and don't get I'm being trolled

"The original work was hardly that straightforward and part of the entire point was that "V" was hardly a hero, and the guys he were up against weren't straightforward villains. "

Wasn't the first line even that cop saying (in text boxes) "I'm a facist."? I doubt that was in the movie.

Why no, in fact, I have a copy right here in my hands, and I quote:

Good evening London. It's nine o' clock and this, is THE VOICE OF FATE.

 

[Twilight_guy]

Yeah because being good at one medium makes you good at all mediums... wait a second.

It sounds like hes planning some crazy story that spans multiple mediums like a story told partial in a movie partially in a book partially in a game type deal. That'd be interesting.

 

[Realitycrash]

I'm sorry, but Alan Moore? And "You didn't hear it from me"? Is that supposed to get us exited?
Oh, no. I'm way, way, way waiting for more info before I get exited.

 

[liquidsolid]

Well the way I always understood Alan Moore's stance on adaptions was that film adaptions of his comic books would never work because he creates panels that are "un-filmable". However, it does seem as if a video game adaption could work, especially if he is involved in it's creation.

I'm looking foreword to seeing this develop.

 

[Ericb]

He's insane, but we need more insanity in gaming, right?

Lots more, but hell yeah we do.

 

[OldAccount]

I will buy your game, Mr Moore. No matter what it is as long as you made it I will buy it, I will play it and I will like it.

 

[mexicola]

Ah Moore you cheeky bugger. You go on and make vomit in form of a video game and I will buy it, just so I could condone bat-shit craziness.

 

[Hungry Donner]

How is this a shift in his stance on adaptations? I never read anything there about him adapting a work to a different medium, he was just working on a project with different mediums in mind.

My first thought as well. I don't think Moore has any problems with films as a medium, he just doesn't like other people taking his work and shoehorning it into the medium it wasn't intended for. Although it's possible Moore dislikes and distrusts film execs enough at this point that he'd be uninterested in a film project even if he was "assured" strong creative control over the entire process.

 

[Jumwa]

The reason Bearded God dislikes adaptions, I infer, is that he is the kind of people who pushes the medium forward, as seen on Understanding Comics. That kind of people wraps their minds around a medium and makes works specifically for them. (A regular artist asks himself, 'What is the best way to tell this story in the mediums I'm adept in? A pusher asks, 'What is the best story that can be told through this medium?) So to adapt his comic stories to anything else causes a necessary weakening, or even elimination, of the concept he originally created, and which in his view is integral to the story.

That said, as long as each installment of whatever he's doing now is done specifically for the medium it will be showing in, it'll be great. Although few people can do to games what Moore has done for comics, and Moore isn't one of them.

I read an interview with him a few months back where he laid out his notions on the issue: he set out to do something with comics that was both meaningful and showed the unique versatility of the medium. He wanted to do something in comic books that no other entertainment or art medium could do, or could do as well, at least. Which would explain why he balks at the notion of transferring his comic work to film.

 

[rembrandtqeinstein]

I really liked the Watchmen movie. They were as faithful as they could be to the comics. I haven't found 4 hours to watch my directors cut copy yet.

Maybe he can make the one game I want to play before I die. A cyberpunk adventure game using modern technology. Those died out in the 90s.

 

[Salad Is Murder]

I think it's a pretty good plan. He'll sell his creative control off to someone else who will make a subpar interpretation of the source material, then he can get more ad revenue when people go to his blog (or whatever) to listen to him ***** about how they always screw everything up and can't be trusted with his vision or whatever and be the poor misunderstood, tortured artist-victim.

C'mon Alan, you're schtick's getting old.

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

How is this a shift in his stance on adaptations?

Who said anything about adaptation?

An artist wants to try a different medium out. Why not?

Edit: Wait...

Moore revealed that he is now looking at a project created with a number of different mediums in mind. While it's evidently not settled yet, he said there may be "possibly some surprising stuff happening in the next 12 months"

"You didn't hear it from me," Moore added.

Alan Moore's creating Homestuck [http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6]?

 

[Verlander]

I don't know, I don't massively like Alan Moore. I think he is very overrated. That's not to say he's in any way bad, he's great, but not as good as people make out to be.

I read Dodgem Logic occasionally, and he seems really 100% committed to it, so I imagine this project will be closely linked in with that. DL is very political though, and that doesn't translate very well into games as a rule

no, Alan Moore is quite possibly the most brilliant writer in the world. it's just that he's also completely bat-shit insane... kinda like Grant Morrison.

I disagree. He got recognition for going against the grain in a medium that was angled firmy in one direction. He is a great writer, but there are many who are better.

Also, he does the anarchy thing, which tends to get people overrated tenfold. I love some of his books, but he isn't the flawless master people make him out to be.

He also strikes me as a massive dickhead. That's not really relevant though