On Harry Potter and... being scary

Excerpt from an interview published in 2004 on comicworldnews.com, a translation from a French interview done for Comic Box. The complete article is available here: Part 1 and Part 2.

Comic Box: As a specialist of magic stuff, how do you look at the Harry Potter phenomenon?
Alan Moore: Well, I try to think about it the least possible! I don’t want to be rude or insulting for Ms J.K. Rowling, because it is a wonderful destiny for a young single mother to succeed in making a worldwide hit book, written on her spare time. I bought the first book when it came out, because I liked the illustration on the cover, but I never read it. When everybody started talking about it I remember it was that book. So, I forced myself to read the first twenty pages, but I wasn’t convinced. Maybe, it is because it is aimed at children… Still, usually I love children books. I just find that the quality of Harry Potter in terms of writing is not up to the standards I’m used to for children books.

C.B.: You have to admit that considering your style, it’s a surprise to hear you like children books! You do everything in your power to look scary!
A.M.: And it’s not going to change (laughs). My wife offered me a very very long coat for my birthday. Very gothic, I must say, like the monks’ robe, very frightening (laughs), I like it a lot… But I wouldn’t like to see somebody dressed like that coming out of the mist! I was already scary without the coat! One night I was coming home, I petrified a group of men going out of the pub! And when I moved away I heard them say: «Phew! I don’t even want to know what THAT was!» (laughs).

C.B.: And you also have a lot of rings! Kids remark that…

A.M.: That’s true. But they don’t seem to be scared by that. They don’t necessarily have the references to be scared by someone like me, they’re my greatest fans! I have also some success with the old ladies. When they realize that I won’t kill them or steal their bags, they are so relieved that they find me pleasant. Now I have to convince the people between the young and the old, who represent the major part of humanity, and I should do something good!