Warning: spoilers ahead for League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. III: Century which is a MATURE comic
Fans of whimsy and wizardry might currently be enjoying the Harry Potter franchise’s 20th anniversary on film, but at least one flagship comic book writer has noted he’s had enough of the brand altogether. Alan Moore has long been known as the premier pundit of pop culture propaganda between the lines of his postmodern pipe dreams. But perhaps his greatest feat of critical philosophy came in his and artist Kevin O'Neill's seminal three-part 2009-2012 saga The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume III: Century. Though eclectic in tone and direction, Century snaps into focus with the eventual emergence of the Antichrist in the final chapter set in 2009, concocted through the mindscape of Moore as a thinly-veiled satire of that Gryffindor quidditch great, Harry Potter.
Aside from its sprawling journey through the field of 20th and 21st Century fiction, bringing together all manner of literary fiction from adventure novels to obscure British superhero fantasia, Century focuses on the efforts of a shadowy cult to birth the biblical Antichrist, using mostly the mode of copyright-free creations to help keep the story authentic. However, because the series flows well past its original moorings in the Victorian era into 2009, Moore’s need to keep the story relevant (and meta-textually rich) spins his story into more popular, and therefore trademarked, ground. The final book in the series, Century: 2009 culminates in a brutal satire of the biggest moneymaking franchise in the world at the time, the Harry Potter films, featuring a terrifying take on a psychotic Harry who suffers a villainous breakdown and murders everyone at Hogwarts.
What makes Moore’s deconstruction in this instance such a prescient one is twofold. Aside from its remarkably glib depiction of the young hero stock character Harry as a vicious school shooter-esque coward, his use of Harry highlights a telling point about the inherent hollowness of the franchise hero book series. In his reinterpretation of the character, Moore levels a scathing insult against the concept of box office franchises, portraying the erstwhile Harry as a drug addled wretch completely unaccountable for his many crimes in an attempt to demonstrate the ultimate cheapness of a hero who is “destined” to emerge victorious.
The popular Harry Potter book series by J.K. Rowling showcases a journey of discovery and growing up by three friends named Ron, Hermione and Harry, the latter of whom happens to be a prophesied savior of humanity. Despite its popularity, Moore has his unnamed version of Harry nearly destroy humanity, thwarted by the timely appearance of an equally unnamed Mary Poppins who summarily kills him by magically turning him into chalk and washing him away. While Moore’s version has the added twist of Harry’s breakdown occurring in the wake of discovering all his adventures were fabricated trials designed to manipulate him into a false sense of confidence, the point remains that his criticism of Harry’s knack for somewhat undeserved success does a disservice to him as a character, and the field of fiction as a whole.
Moore’s point is simple: an audience does not root for a character because they are destined to win: they root for them because they are relatable and likeable. As a series Harry Potter, having found a place in the hearts of millions of people worldwide, suffers from a tendency to ultimately feel superficially sweet and without consequence due to Harry and company’s ability to get out of any jam with little effort. Real heroes, Moore says, have to work for their success, earn it.
Though fairly under the radar at the time, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. III: Century’s oddball approach has stood the test of time. Perhaps its greatest achievement would be its rapier-fine commentary, courtesy of Alan Moore on the relative cheapness of Harry Potter’s franchise follies.