First off, let's get this out of the way. Optimism, according to Google's definition is "hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something." There's also a train of optimism philosophical belief, espoused by the 18th century philosopher Liebniz that, "this world is the best of all possible worlds."
This world is the best of all possible worlds. I like the sound of that. So, if this is the best of all possible worlds, why is some of it so awful? Because people made it so. And if people made it awful, how can it get better? People can make it so.
With that idea in mind, let's look at Moore. I believe that some time after the demolition of his marriage and the demise of Big Numbers, Moore seemed to decide that in order for the world to be better, he had to make it better. He was having success with From Hell.
As we've already talked about, he decided to stop writing the gritty, awful stories like The Killing Joke, and to move in a more fun and hopeful direction. Unhappy over some of his previous Image work, he decided with Supreme to stop chasing what he thought the audience wanted, and started to write the stories he wanted and see if the audience came to him. They did. Wanting to bring back lost genres, like the western, he wrote cowboys into the Awesome universe.
Aware of all that came before, rather than criticize or make things worse, Moore decided to work against the stream and make things better. He started to create fun, optimistic worlds and stories. He was making the best of all possible worlds.
Another work he created that invoked this idea was Outbreaks of Violets. This unique work was created for the 1995 MTv Europe Music Awards, which decided to theme their awards around the concept of comics. They approached him about doing something along the theme, "Random acts of kindness." He wrote a storyline for 24 postcards and the producers found 24 renowned European artists and cartoonists to bring each one to life.
The work plays off our cynical expectations about the world and shows us how doing things a little different could have produced the best world. It's funny and wonderful. But most importantly, it's hopeful.
In my theory, Moore's optimism didn't last forever. DC buying out Wildstorm and his ABC line was a major blow, like the richest ex-girlfriend stalking him. The terrible adaptations of his works into films, Before Watchmen and DC screwing over his friend Steve Moore added to the negative energy. Look at his output since: the H.P. Lovecraft horror comics from Avatar, the zombie-ish Crossed+100, and the much more cynical books of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
There's nothing wrong with this, and I'm not trying to be critical of either his early or later work. It's just, for me, it's impossible not to see that for a while there was an optimism to his work that was beautiful. And that's what I'm trying to focus on here at Forgotten Awesome. Anyway, all this is so that I can show off Outbreaks of Violets. In addition to Moore's 24 postcards, the producers allowed each artist/cartoonist to create their own single-page work that would compliment the theme. They put it all together in a giant portfolio that I've posted below.
I did my best on the translations of these parts (and a big thanks to Smoky man at Alan Moore World for the translation from Italian help!). But if anyone knows the languages better and wants to look at the originals, just let me know.
Enjoy!
