“With inventions like these, and a body of writing that spans nearly three decades, Mr. Moore, a 52-year-old native of Northampton, England, distinguished himself as a darkly philosophical voice in the medium of comic books — a rare talent whose work can sell solely on the strength of his name. But if Mr. Moore had his way today, his name would no longer appear on almost any of the graphic novels with which he is most closely associated. ‘I don’t want anything more to do with these works,’ he said in a recent telephone interview, ‘because they were stolen from me — knowingly stolen from me.’

In Mr. Moore’s account of his career, the villains are clearly defined: they are the mainstream comics industry — particularly DC Comics, the American publisher of Watchmen and V for Vendetta — which he believes has hijacked the properties he created, and the American film business, which has distorted his writing beyond recognition. To him, the movie adaptation of V for Vendetta, which opens on Friday, is not the biggest platform yet for his ideas: it is further proof that Hollywood should be avoided at all costs. ‘I’ve read the screenplay,’ Mr. Moore said. ‘It’s rubbish.'” (New York Times )