The news of Alan Moore’s proposed retirement from comics recently breaking got us over here at BiC discussing our five favorite titles written by him over the years. Moore has had quite the career and picking the best of the best was no easy task for a lot of us.
So instead of telling each other how wrong we are, we decided to do things with a weighted score (basically, a #1 slot is worth 5 points, #2 is worth 4 points, and so on). Below our writers have given their top five favorite Moore comics and even some anecdotes about what the writer has meant to them over the years.
Nathan Becker
1. Batman: The Killing Joke
2. Swamp Thing
3. V for Vendetta
4. From Hell
5. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Elliot Cole
1. Watchmen
2. Marvelman/Miracleman
3. Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?
4. Batman: The Killing Joke
5. Providence
Sorry for not having an anecdote about Moore. I respect his writing, but I’m not a die-hard fan. It doesn’t help that I’m firmly in the Grant Morrison camp and there is obviously a lot of bad blood between the two. Clearly I’m not trying to bash Moore… I gained a lot of respect for him after reading an article about how he responded to a 9 year old fan’s letter.
Seth DeHaan
1. Marvelman/Miracleman
2. V for Vendetaa
3. Batman: The Killing Joke
4. Promethea
5. From Hell
John Faust
1. Watchmen
2. The Killing Joke
3. Saga of Swamp Thing
4. V for Vendetta
5. Either League of Extraordinary Gentlemen or From Hell (Both were great and it is hard to choose).
Mike Fugere Jr.
1. From Hell (this is his masterpiece, and I defy anyone who challenges this)
2. The Saga of Swamp Thing
3. Promethea
4. Miracleman
5. V for Vendetta
Note: Watchmen is probably his most “important” work, but it isn’t my favorite. I mean, I love it to death, but not as much as these five.
My introduction to Alan Moore was through Spawn, oddly enough. I was about 12 years old when Image was still riding its wave of the 90s comic boom. I was an angry preteen (listening to Megadeth and wearing black t-shirts and what have you), and my favorite comic was Todd McFarlane’s Spawn. I picked up the series at issue #32 (I remember this because it was when Spawn’s outfit became way more metal).
I quickly became obsessed with the series and had to own all the back issues. I mowed lawns and squirreled away lunch money to buy them at the local comic store. I remember getting my hands on issue #8 and reading it right away when I got home (the markup on these things were insane and the early issues were too expensive to buy them more than one at a time). After I finished it, I was somewhat disappointed. Where the hell was Spawn in this Spawn comic? He was barely in it. I busted my ass to get enough cheddar for this comic and I didn’t even get to see Al Simmons beat the shit out of any demons and/or angels. I felt cheated. But after I set the book down, I felt I needed to read it again…and again, and after some time, I realized this was the most disturbing issue of Spawn I had ever read.
On my next trip to the comic shop, I decided to forgo buying another back issue, instead I asked the clerk if there were any more Spawn comics written by this Alan Moore guy. The clerk told me about some other stuff Moore had written, but 12 year old Mike didn’t care. He wanted Spawn: Blood Feud and he wanted it now! I probably should have listened to the clerk. But that’s where my love of Alan Moore started, with silly comic about angels, demons, and vampires. I didn’t realize I was a true fan of the writer until a few years later when I read some of his more seminal work.
Earl Je
1. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
2. V for Vendetta
3. Killing Joke
4. Watchmen
5. Saga of Swamp Thing
Jared Leatzow
1. Promethea
2. Marvelman/Miracleman
3. From Hell
4. Supreme: Story of the Year
5. Watchmen
Alan Moore is essentially what re-sparked my interest in comic books. My entire life I’ve been a comic book reader, but entering high school I was slightly less interested in them. An older friend of mine loaned me a copy of V for Vendetta and I was completely blown away. V doesn’t make it on my list, but it was an important book for me. It got me interested in reading comics again.
Then I went down an Alan Moore rabbit hole for a few years, reading all the mainstream stuff, and some of lesser known titles he has worked on. Promethea is by far my favorite, and in my mind one of his most ambitious titles. The concepts are so weird, otherworldly, and it takes a real effort to digest some of the headier concepts presented in that comic. Miracleman was an utter delight.
One title I have on here that I don’t see anyone else mentioning though is Supreme: Story of the Year. Originally, Supreme was a Wal-Mart brand Superman created by Rob Liefeld. Under Alan Moore’s authorship though the character was made a lot more interesting, the character in some ways examines and pays homage to comic book history, tropes, and the evolving style of art up until that point.
Daniel Mills
1. Watchmen
2. Batman: The Killing Joke
3. Saga of the Swamp Thing
4. Superman: What Ever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?
5. From Hell
Michael Shaw
1. V for Vendetta
2. Watchmen
3. Killing Joke
4. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
5. Swamp Thing
John F. Trent
1. Killing Joke
2. Watchmen
3. V for Vendetta
4. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
5. From Hell
Brad Vought
1. Watchmen
2. Batman: The Killing Joke
3. V for Vendetta
4. Saga of Swamp Thing
5. From Hell
So you are probably wondering how did it all turn out. Well here are our Top 5 Alan Moore stories of all time!
5. From Hell
Illustrated by Eddie Campbell, [easyazon_link identifier=”0958578346″ locale=”US” tag=”bounintocomi-20″]From Hell[/easyazon_link] portrayed the Whitechapel murders with grueling attention to detail and put forth a grim speculation of the identity of Jack the Ripper. It was heavily researched and took a decade to complete, but From Hell is easily one of the greatest historical fiction comics ever written.
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4. Saga of Swamp Thing
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Moore breathed new life into a staggering DC series in the early 80s. The [easyazon_link identifier=”1401246923″ locale=”US” tag=”bounintocomi-20″]Saga of Swamp Thing[/easyazon_link] quickly became one of the most influential comic series in both the superhero and horror genre. With its mature themes and cerebral storytelling, Moore’s 40+ issue run was way ahead of its time.
3. V for Vendetta
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A dystopian vision of England where a fascist government is challenged by a lone anarchist. With striking visuals by David Lloyd, sophisticated dialogue, and an iconic anti-hero, [easyazon_link identifier=”140120841X” locale=”US” tag=”bounintocomi-20″]V for Vendetta[/easyazon_link] has become a must read for diehard comic fans and casual readers alike.
2. Watchmen
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There isn’t much more anyone can say about Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s Hugo Award winning seminal work. This one changed the game forever and held a mirror to the sycophantic superhero worship that plagues the comic industry. [easyazon_link identifier=”1401245250″ locale=”US” tag=”bounintocomi-20″]Watchmen[/easyazon_link] is both a great satire and one of the finest examples of graphic storytelling.
1. Batman: The Killing Joke
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At a mere 56 pages, [easyazon_link identifier=”1401216676″ locale=”US” tag=”bounintocomi-20″]The Killing Joke[/easyazon_link] is insanely slim compared to the other work on this list, but it is no less important. Illustrated by Brian Bolland, this tale focuses on the origin of The Joker and focuses on the idea that everyone can become a lunatic after “one bad day.” This book solidified the darker tone Batman comics were adopting and presenting crippling (no pun intended) events that are still echoing through new dark knight titles to this day.
So that’s it, folks. Those are our Top Five Alan Moore comics. Do you agree with us? What are some of your favorites? What did we forget? Are we complete idiots? Let us know!