New Brevoort Formspring

Y'know, I don’t want to hi-jack this site too much, so let me put this out there first: My name is Hardy Gilbert, and you can contact me at hardy.gilbert@gmail.com or via Facebook, if anyone would like to discuss debate the topic of Alan Moore and Swamp Thing. That said, if space and Mr. Brevoort allow, permit me, please, a few counterpoints, Mr. Sucks. I totally agree with you on the aspect of Talent. I thought my facetiousness in my opening lines was clear, so I apologize they came off as more serious than intended. My main point, like yours, was one of Talent. As I explicitly stated, the success of Moore’s Swamp Thing was due first and foremost to Alan Moore (and his talented collaborators, natch). No debate with you there. However, I never said Alan Moore “got lucky.” Your words, sir, not mine. Furthermore, your original argument/query was why MORE comics today can’t read like Moore’s Swamp Thing, and you then proceeded to list a qualification that doesn’t really apply as you thought.  In fact, it seems as if you are asking Editorial to quantify and routinely apply that which can ONLY be qualified: Talent.  As for low expectations and new creative teams always being successful, I never meant to imply that, but I DO stand by my observation that many of our favorite runs by break-out talent tend to happen when said talent is allowed relative carte blanche, and the history of comics (and your own examples) illustrate that this generally happens with lower-tier characters, incipient cancellation, etc., which means that more than likely, we arena’s going to see a new Alan Moore come into a top-selling title cold turkey (Remember, all this other great Moore stories in the DCU are largely due ton his success on Swamp Thing). But let’s get back on point: You asked Tom why more comics can’t read like Moore’s Swamp Thing as you interpreted it, which both Tom and I felt was rather specious. I, like Tom, posited that Moore’s Swamp Thing, though genius, wasn’t quite the adherent to DCU continuity you remembered it as, and that, like most of us, you are really asking why more comics today don’t excite you the way a fondly remembered  run did when you were younger.