Alan Moore is Britain’s greatest living graphic novel writer, with an output that is staggering in both scale and scope. His most well-known and popular graphic novel is Watchmen, which single handily reinvented the whole superheroes genre. The ambitious Zack Snyder directed film version would have either triumphed or bombed when you read this but hopefully it will ignite an interest in Moore’s work.
V For Vendetta (1988/ Vertigo)
Moore’s prediction of a far right neo Nazi hell on Earth dystopia, where 1984 is a daily reality is almost on the button, except of course he got the wrong political party. England has become a closed off society to the outside world whose population have become slaves both physically and mentally to a ruling elite after a near nuclear war breaks out. That is until a Guy Fawkes mask-wearing avenger starts his campaign of revenge culminating in bombings, murder and mind games along with acts of terrorism that sees him finish the job that the original November the 5th plotter failed to do. Along with a young mysterious girl named Evey we follow them as they almost bring this nightmare of totalitarianism crashing down. Never has an anarchist been so witty, charismatic and charming.
Batman: The Killing Joke (1988/DC Comics)
A reinvention of the caped crusader that came out in the same year as Frank Millers radical ‘The Dark Knight Returns’, this short story offers a more personal and disturbing portrayal of the Batman’s most dangerous adversary – the Joker. Escaping from Arkam Asylum one last time this screwed up and psychotic loon goes on one last revenging and disturbing escapade that results in a grand finale at a disused fairground where we are led to believe in the last few frames that our hero has finally done the deed and ended the Joker for good. We even get a back-story that provokes sympathy for the green haired one before we are jerked back into watching another poor guy get the chop. A depiction of the Joker, which has influenced all others since.
Supreme: The Story Of The Year (1996/Checker)
Loosely homage to the ultimate superhero Superman, Moore reinvents the classic heroic man of steel as Supreme. An archetypal of the stiff upright and moralizing fifties crusader brought up to date, the story follows our heroes’ adventures over the last forty years as he struggles to come up against the troubles of our modern times. Written in an entertaining and humorous manner, Supreme comes up against both the mundane and a wealth of complex issues involving his own use as a brand. Very much a piece of post modernism.
From Hell (1999/Knockabout)
More complex and multilayered than a graphic novel was supposed to be, this epic tome equals Watchman in both its ambition and importance. With Eddie Campbell’s scribbled and sketchy style of illustration causing nausea and claustrophobia the dirt and grime of Victorian London almost rubs off on your thumbs as you turn the pages. No depiction since has captured the brutality and seediness so well. We follow surgeon turned Jack the Ripper Dr.Gull from his service to Queen Victoria to his eventual transcendence into pure horrific madness. The chapter on Mary Kelly is almost banal in barbarity as the good Doctor offers up his work to a higher plain. Forget the rubbish movie version and happy ending, this original doesn’t offer up the same optimism.
The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol 1 – 3 (1999-2007/ABC)
Imagine a world where characters from the pages of the novels by Conan Doyle, Lewis Carroll and H G Wells among many others rub shoulders with real historical people. A copyright nightmare that’s seen some volumes release dates put back months, Moore pitches Captian Nemo, Alain Quatermain, Dr.Jekyell and his psychopathic alter ego Mr.Hyde, the Invisible man and Mina Murrey against adversaries like Moriarty and a Martian invasion from Mars. Volume 3 moves forward to the late fifties and features a rather creepy and cowardly James Bond, which wouldn’t exactly make Fleming very happy to see his hero depicted, no qualms though for Moore. With multitudes of plots, characters and references, which makes the mind boggle this is a really ambitious undertaking even for this man. Three more volumes have been announced with the first coming out sometime in the next few months.
Promethea (1999/ABC)
One thing Moore does really well is write strong parts for women and this is his best to date. A young Sophie Bangs is the latest in a long line of vassals for a 5th century mystical Egyptian warrior to come to life through. Set in a modern day New York that is heavily dominated by science, this collage student loses herself in myths. Promethea is both real and imagined and is used as a weapon against both the dark forces that are out to destroy it and the modern world, which wants to contain it. A groundbreaking graphic novel that changes illustrational style throughout and takes in references from magic, cabalism, Alistair Crowley and ancient pagan mysticism to paint a multi layered world of dimensions and thought. This set of stories is well and truly out there and encourage further reading.
Words By Dominic Valvona
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