Happy 70th Birthday Alan Moore

A Milestone For Moore

Alan Moore turns 70 today and here’s 10 comics people should read written by him…

1. Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

Making its debut back in 1986 originally as a 12 part maxiseries, there is little new to be said about Moore and Gibbons’ subversive take on the superhero. Gibbons showed off his dynamism and power as a comic artist and a brilliant storyteller here.

2. V For Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd

Originally run in Warrior magazine in the UK between 1982 and 1985, DC reprinted this with a lot of new material added. V For Vendetta is an inventive look at a dystopian England which sadly was prescient as a work of speculative fiction. Lloyd’s art was the perfect gritty foil for Moore’s script.

3. League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol.1 by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill

Moore and O’Neill’s wonderfully crazed portrayal of so many familiar literary and some not so familiar literary and cultural figures felt like a real breath of fresh air when the first series debuted back in 1999. O’Neill was the perfect choice to bring Moore’s tableau to life here.

4. From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell

An unsettling take on the tale of Jack The Ripper, Moore and Campbell pulled no punches in a comic that at times shocked the reader. The seeming visual simplicity of Campbell’s lines belies a deeper and more sophisticated story.

5. Swamp Thing by Alan Moore, Stephen Bissette and John Totleben

Moore’s first superhero series took the character back to its roots (pardon the pun) but gave it a modern horror sensibility mixed in with Wein and Wrightson’s gothic approach. Bissette and Totleben with occasional penciller Rick Veitch were the ideal visual foil for Moore’s concepts here.

6. Ballad Of Halo Jones by Alan Moore and Ian Gibson

Halo Jones debuted in 2000AD back in 1984 and Moore made the episodic format work to full advantage with a strong female protagonist and another wonderfully idiosyncratic artistic partner in the shape of Ian Gibson.

7. Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland

Published in 1988 as a standalone graphic novel, Moore’s brutal retelling of the Joker’s origin interweaved with a new equally unstinting tale still holds up as one of artist Brian Bolland’s boldest pieces.

8. Bojeffries Saga by Alan Moore and Steve Parkhouse

Proving that the man with the beard does have a sense of humour, this story of supernatural folk sharing a house in Moore’s home town of Northampton is quirky, clever and funny with artist Parkhouse bringing his writing to life with vibrancy and joy.

9. Miracleman by Alan Moore and Garry Leach

Bringing back an obscure 1950s British superhero and giving it a new spin back in 1982, Moore invested Marvelman/ Miracleman with creative energy, assisted by Leach’s powerful art. The DNA of Moore’s approach to Watchmen can be seen here.

10. Promethea by Alan Moore and JH Williams III

The most surreal and trippy of Moore’s ABC line, Promethea reads like Wonder Woman on acid and assisted by artist Williams III, Moore weaves a bewitching tale that offers an immersive experience for the reader.