I'm gonna come right out and say it. Alan Moore is a tool. He is miserable, egotistical, mean spirited asshole, who really does not not how to act.
Today we all found out that DC Comics would be moving forward with an initiative called Before Watchmen. It would consist of several prequel mini series about different characters from the original story. It was pretty cool seeing who would be handling the comics and what they all had to say about getting to work with huge characters. Even David Gibbons came out and gave the projects his blessing.
And then Alan Moore came out.
In typical Moore fashion, he once again proved himself to be ignorant and immature. He talked about about how he did not want the project to happen, and that he thought it was pathetic that DC was still using his ideas to make a buck. Now I'm not saying Moore is not entitled to have his own opinion, but every time he has come out and condemned an attempt to expand or adapt one of his works, he always comes off as having no credibility. Alan Moore never sat in on meetings with these creators to see what they are conjuring up. He does not know not what they have in store for his characters. Who knows, maybe he may have liked what he he heard, and even helped out. The same can be said for how he blasted Zack Snyder's film adaption of Watchmen. The man is close minded, and does not even consider that an adaption of his could be executed in a positive manner. It's like these people who make them are beneath him in his eyes. Who knows maybe if he popped Watchmen into his DVD player one night, he might actually see the love and care that Zack Snyder put into the movie. Sure, he may hate it too, but at least he would have watched it through, and would not come off as someone talking out of their ass. Hell, even V For Vendetta, which altered the story from the comic, still was respectful to the story from the comics, and kept the book's central themes. Sure, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen did not pan out so well, but that's just one movie. The others did pretty decent jobs of remaining true to the source.
It should also be noted that Alan Moore signed a contract along with David Gibbons that stated the rights to Watchmen would only revert back to them if DC did not use the property in some way for a year's time. DC has held up their end of the bargain and used the property with reprints, the movie, games, and now with prequels, so Moore is not owed anything more than the royalties he initially got for writing the comic in the first place. Also, if Moore really wanted to to have control over what happened with Watchmen, then he really should had a little more common sense than to publish the series at DC. He should have self published it with Gibbons. I mean what did he think would happen? DC and Marvel exist to create characters that will last for years and develop into franchises. Moore has written characters that were created by other writers himself.
I just wish Moore would have a more open mind to people doing adaptions and expansions of his work. Sure there is money to made from these projects, but the creators involved come at these projects from a place of love and respect, and it's disheartening and frankly a little troubling that Alan Moore can not understand that.