Moore, Alan Books

Batman: The Killing Joke

Alan Moore, Brian Bolland

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 173 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

This one really did nothing for me 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Batman makes yet another visit to Arkham Asylum, this time he simply wants to talk with the Joker, and see if they cannot somehow come to an understanding. But, the joke's on Batman when he finds that the Joker has escaped again. It seems that while Batman would like to end their long-running feud, Joker wants to take it to a whole new level. Grabbing Commissioner Gordon, he sets out to teach him, and Batman, a lesson in madness.

I am a huge comic book/graphic novel fan, but this one really did nothing for me. The author set out to give the story a "morally ambiguous theme," but that is not all he left ambiguous. Batman acts strangely out of character, less a dark knight, and more...well, nothing really, he's just less Batman. The Joker is well done, truly the crown prince of evil, but why add yet another Joker origin story? It seems to have nothing to do with the rest of the story. The ending is totally non-existent - I suppose that the author wanted an ambiguous ending, so he just left his board and went out for a Whopper and Coca-Cola. "Move along please, there's nothing to see here."

I thought that this was a terribly weak addition to the genre - filled with potential, but none of it totally realized. I highly recommend AGAINST this book. [If you want to read a good Batman story, with a similar theme, then read Batman: Jekyll & Hyde by Paul Jenkins.]

Editorial Review:

The Killing Joke, one of my favorite Batman stories ever, stirred a bit of controversy because the story involves the Joker brutally, pointlessly shooting Commissioner Gordon's daughter in the spine. This is a no-holds-barred take on a truly insane criminal mind, masterfully written by British comics writer Alan Moore. The art by Brian Bolland is so appealing that his depiction of the Joker became a standard and was imitated by many artists to follow.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier

Alan Moore

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 81 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Is Billy Bunter really Big Brother 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Even if you haven't read the 101 novels, plays and pulp magazines referenced in this thrilling roller coaster action adventure, you'll still love it. It's high speed chase through 1950's England climaxing at the 3D top of the world, punctuated by extracts from the fabled Black Dossier - The book about all the previous Leagues of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Is that James Bond? Is that Emma Peel? Has Billy Bunter grown up and become George Orwells Big Brother? You Decide.

Editorial Review:

England in the mid 1950s is not the same as it was. The powers that be have instituted...some changes. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen have been disbanded and disavowed, and the country is under the control of an iron-fisted regime. Now, after many years, the still youthful Mina Murray and a rejuvenated Allan Quatermain return and are in search of some answers. Answers that can only be found in a book buried deep in the vaults of their old headquarters, a book that holds the key to the hidden history of the League throughout the ages: The Black Dossier. As Allan and Mina delve into the details of their precursors, some dating back centuries, they must elude their dangerous pursuers who are Hell-bent on retrieving the lost manuscript... and ending the League once and for all.

Swamp Thing Vol. 1: Saga of the Swamp Thing

Alan Moore

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Sophisticated Suspense 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

The above title was once the series tagline. Anyway, Vol.1 starts off with the autopsy of Swamp Thing by the Floronic Man showing that Swamp Thing was never human. He was only the memories of Holland combined into the living swamp. He soon returns to the swamp and sets up roots in the swamp and begins to grow some sort of vegetables. Abigail soon finds Swamp Thing and is confronted by the Floronic Man and tells her the above information. However, once Floronic Man gets in touch with his inner plant, he goes on a rampage and destroys many houses and takes many lives. Swamp Thing soon comes out of his catonic state and confronts Floronic Man and tells him he's hurting 'the green'. This chapter also features a special series of camo's by the JLA. The book then takes a supernatural turn when Abigail takes a job at a childrens asylumn. One child in particular knows a very dark and disturbing secret. The last few chapters involve the demon Etrigan as well.

This was a very good series of chapters. It starts out slow, but eventually, you just can't put this book down. My favorite chapter is 'The Sleep of Reason', when we are introduced to Paul (the disturbed child, who Abigail works with)and his macabre 'visions' of the so called 'Monkey King' demon. Also, Etrigan enters the fray. Great first run by Alan Moore. I hope to get more of his Swamp Thing series soon. A very good read for any comic fan. (By the way: I'm 15).

Swamp Thing Vol. 2: Love and Death

Alan Moore

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Worth it just for, 'The Rite of Spring' 4 out of 5 stars.
17 of 17 people found this review helpful.

Vol. 2 of Alan Moore and Steve Bissette's, 'Swamp Thing,' collaboration continues the 30 issue horror epic in excellent fashion. Readers are treated to 200+ pages of horrific goodness encompassing everything from the Swamp Thing's backstory, to his descent into a highly imaginative realization of Hell to a whimsical homage of Walt Kelly's, 'Pogo,' comic strips. As good as these bits are the absolute strength in Vol. 2 is found in its final chapter - "The Rite of Spring.' Published originally in 1985 as issue #34 of, 'The Swamp Thing,' this episode from start to finish deals with the physical/metaphysical consummation of love between the Swamp Thing and Abigail that will blow your mind. Forget all that you've heard that this episode is nothing but 'sex with a vegetable.' At its base, 'The Rite of Spring,' recreates the swooning emotions of love and passion in comic book form more effectively then 99.99% of every page of published prose out there on that matter. At its original time of publishing it was a watershed moment in comics history and reading that chapter some 20 years later it still retains every bit of its artistic strength.

Editorial Review:

What Alan Moore, Stephen Bissette, and John Totleben accomplished during their time on the comic book series Swamp Thing shouldn't be underestimated in the history of comics and, specifically, the history of horror comics. The modern comics landscape has been changed by the Vertigo line of books--an imprint that traces its roots back to this version of Swamp Thing. By taking a horror character fully entrenched in a superhero world (as silly as that might seem), this creative team put a new face on horror comics and on horror in general. Swamp Thing: Love and Death is the second collection of the team's work on the series, presented here in full color. Don't let the mediocre Swamp Thing movies fool you, this book is filled with sophisticated suspense and terror.

DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore

Alan Moore

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Sometimes Laughably Dark 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Alan Moore is bubbling over with great ideas, but the short form of the DC universe isn't his strong suit, it's like asking Thomas Hardy to write for the Larry David show. In this book I found about half of the pieces impenetrable, and I would be surprised if Moore himself recalled some of them.

And sometimes a dull or mediocre story is saved by some great draftsmanship or spectacular inkwork--the Superman + Swamp Thing tale reprinted here is a good example of that. Superman is stricken by a deadly disease and goes South to die--why? Because it is the only area free of fellow superheroes--yes, you heard me. And while he's there in the swamp and collapses, Swamp Thing helps him while he's in a trance and afterwards, well, when he's back to his normal Superman self he--well, obviously I can't continue without a "spoiler warning," but when you read to the end you'll have those question marks floating in front of your eyes like bats in a cave.

In the longer stories, however, Moore really shines. The "Killing Joke" (Joker vs. Batman) is mordant to a fault, but Moore's convulsive energy manages to give a lift to even the most overdetermined of situations, so it never gets tiring and the transitions between Joker's past and present are beautifully staged and presented. Moore even thinks of a way to avoid getting locked up in the "origin story" trap, as the Joker realizes that his memories are so scrambled that what he imagines happened to him might not have in "real life," though some sort of trauma is indicated.

Best of all is the famous Superman dies story "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" which glories in a complicated yet credible sequence of tragic events, and a cast list that boggles the mind--nearly every important figure in the whole Superman saga gets to make an appearance, like the Hollywood stars poking through the narrative fabric of George Stevens' THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD.

All in all rather a mixed bag but with some real keepers easily worth the price of the collection.

Editorial Review:

The Worlds Greatest Super-Heroes as interpreted by one of the most acclaimed authors in comics today.The work of Alan Moore (WATCHMEN, V FOR VENDETTA, LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN) in the DC Universe during the 1980s is now considered a benchmark for great stories with fresh approaches to iconic characters.This volume collects such well-known classics as The Killing Joke and Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?

Swamp Thing Vol. 3: The Curse

Alan Moore

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Horrific Goodness 4 out of 5 stars.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.

The saga continues with this third volume in the collected works of Alan Moore's helming of the Swamp Thing comic series spanning issues 35 through 42. Although this middle arc is seemingly lacking in a grand storyline of sorts - important ground is covered with the Swamp Thing discovering new abilities (mainly his ability to abandon his physical body and re-generate a new one), introducing some new characters, espousing on social issues and oodles of horror mainstays (vampires, werewolves, zombies) doing battle with ol' Swampy himself. As far as contributing to the overall story arc this volume is somewhat lacking, but nonetheless makes for a very entertaining read all the way through.

Well-deserved reputation for Greatness 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

The third collection of the Moore-Bissette-Totleben run on "Swamp Thing" proves to (so far, I haven't read the whole series yet) the most chilling of the run, as the Swamp Thing begins to understand the extent of his power as the Earth elemental, while encountering all manner of horrors, including the first appearance of DC-Vertigo mainstay, John Constantine.

The strength of this collection lies in the unusual approach to some pretty basic horror icons. "The Nukeface Papers" introduces an urban-legend brought to life, while at the same time raising the specter of the dumping of nuclear waste. In "Still Waters", Swamp Thing does battle with a group of vampires that have taken to living underwater, and the hellish offspring they have produced. In "The Curse", Swamp Thing encounters a werewolf with a tragic twist. And in "Southern Change", Swamp Thing must battle the poltergeists of the past, as an old plantation becomes the set of a soap opera set in the Antebellum South, and the cast become vehicles for the unresolved tragedy of slavery.

And through most of this is Constantine, his abrasive manipulation and sense of guilt fully formed (although looking more like musician Sting under Bissette and Totleben's are then later artists depict him). Constantine knows something is coming, and he knows he needs to make Swamp Thing ready for it. But, in what has become typical of the character, Constantine sees no particular reason to simply tell anyone what he's up too. Thus, the bond between Swamp Thing and Constantine is built on necessity and mistrust, which reverberates to this day.

While Moore is matchless in his ability to think outside the box, these ideas would mean nothing if not for Bissette's and Totleben's depictions. The image of a group of vampires draining on a swimmer, and then diving deeper into a city long ago submerged is chilling. The deformed Nukeface, long ago addicted to waste, and rotting from the inside out, is appropriately sobering and nauseating. Slavery, always a disturbing topic, is made more disturbing as modern people are forced into roles that are morally repugnant to them, and forced to live out the past, while corpses of long dead slaves rise from the ground. It's harder to think of a more perfect fusion of writing and art in this medium.

This represents the best comic books have to offer. Fans would be foolish not to at least give these stories a try.

Top Ten (Book 1)

Alan Moore

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Moore'sstillgotit 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

What if the world was populated by superheroes. What would that be like? Well, you'd have to have superpowered cops. And here is where Moore takes off. He creates another phenomenal world, showing his abilities as a writer. Great stuff.

Funny spoof of the superhero genre 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is an entertaining series, following the antics of a squad-room of big-city cops in a world populated entirely by super-powered beings. The Top Ten are the toughest of the tough, and they take on every kind of disturbance - domestic, extraterrestrial, whatever. The text and art are densely cluttered with inside jokes, stuff to make brainiac fanboys laugh themselves silly. Because it's all so farcical, the story arcs aren't terribly involving, but the book is really about the inside humor and oddball characters, and Alan Moore's fans will get a big kick out of this one. (ReadThatAgain book reviews)

A good Read 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

BOOK ONE Review :

It took me a while to get into this book. For the first two chapters I was less than impressed by what seemed a genereric superhero story but from chapter 3 onwards the interesting story lines and subplots really began to grab my attention. The characters are pretty strange but Moore develops them nicely as the book goes on and this really is a satisfying read.
The artwork within the book is good although the quality of the paper could be better. There is a lot of things going on in the frames and it is worth a second read to pick out some of the funny things going on in the background.
This book is definitely recommended for Moore fans. A lighter read than "The Watchmen" but none the worse for that.

BOOK TWO Review:

I really enjoyed book one and this book contined to impress. Moore does an excellent job of developing the characters from the first book and adds a few new ones to the mix. The most enjoyable of the new characters is officer Joe PI who is a robot with a sense of humor. Joe PI integrates very nicely with the old team and generates some good story lines and one liners. The plots in book two are as good if not better than the first collection.
There are tons of things going on on every page (many of them you will miss on the first read) but the book never becomes a chore to read. Highly recommended but you must read book one first.

Swamp Thing Vol. 5: Earth to Earth

Alan Moore

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

His Blue Heaven 5 out of 5 stars.
15 of 15 people found this review helpful.

If you've read the prior collections in this series and you thought things couldn't get any better, well you ain't seen nothing yet. This installment of the Swamp Thing graphic novel series contains just six issues from Alan Moore's run (#51-56), but that does include the double-sized blockbuster issue #53. In any case, quantity is meaningless here because Moore and his artistic team have reached the dizzying heights of their powers, unleashing the most mindboggling and gutwrenching stories in comic history. The basic subplot running through the series at this point is Abby's arrest for immoral conduct while Swamp Thing was off saving the universe, and her escape to Gotham City. As Swampy is searching for his true love, she is being held by the authorities in Gotham. In the overwhelming "Garden of Earthly Delights" (issue #53) Swamp Thing unleashes his full elemental powers on the uncaring city that imprisons his lover, and even temporarily defeats Batman in the process. Sadly, Swampy is supposedly assassinated by government agents, and finds his spirit floating in outer space. This is where Moore's imagination really goes into overdrive, giving us the highly unique and moving story "My Blue Heaven" (issue #56), a tremendous tale of loneliness and soul-searching, where Swamp Thing is blue in more ways than one. This episode is also another pinnacle for the artistic team, and much credit must go to colorist Tatjana Wood for her moody and unconventional work. By this point regular artists Stephen Bissette and John Totleben had mostly moved on - Bissette was only doing the covers and Totleben's only major contribution is "Garden of Earthly Delights." The artistic torch had been passed to the outstanding team of Rick Veitch and Alfredo Alcala, who barely miss a beat in keeping the series' haunting and lovely artwork rolling. The only sad thing about this edition of the Swamp Thing series is that fact that Moore's run would soon come to a close.

Top Ten: The Forty-Niners (Top Ten)

Alan Moore

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Unfulfilled Potential... 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I am afraid to say that the Booklist review listed here is very wrong... This 6-part story is not superior to the original 'Top Ten' books.

While Gene Ha's artwork is fantastic, the one that doesn't come to the show this time is Alan Moore. It's all too crammed, half-baked and without the feeling that 'Top Ten' had. As inventive as some of the elements are, ultimately the writing of the characters and their dialogue is like weak tea compared to what Moore is capable of. It just all feels rushed - a story with a massive world like this needs more time given to it, both in the amount of pages (there's half what there should be) and from Moore himself.

Editorial Review:

This is the tale of Neopolis, a modern metr-opolis with a citizenry made up exclusively of super beings. In this city where everyone is blessed with powers, it takes a unique and powerful police force to protect and serve. The officers of Precinct 10 encounter all manner of the super powered and the supernatural on a routine basis.

The Eisner Award-winning TOP 10 team of writer Alan Moore and artist Gene Ha reunites for a graphic novel that delves into the past, revealing the origins of Neopolis and the first officers of Top Ten. Discover the original Top 10 officers who blazed the trail and made Neopolis the city it is today.

Promethea - Book 5 (Promethea)

Alan Moore

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Big Finish, or Going Out With Style 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I've been reading comics for nigh on thirty-five years now, and PROMETHEA is one of my all-time favorites. This concluding volume wraps up the show in fine fashion as Promethea ushers in an "apocalypse" that is wholly unexpected, and is based on the original Greek meaning of the term. The coda issue is STUNNING, one of the most innovatively written and designed comic stories EVER, I kid you not.

As to the other poster's somewhat off-handedly critical comments about "air brushed" art: well, I do not know what technique the amazing JH Williams III used in parts of the finale story, but let me contextualize WHY he chose a new style for some scenes. In the final story imagination and reality begin to blur and Williams uses a semi-photo-realistic style to suggest "reality," as in our reality, which blurs with comic book reality. After 30-some issues of spectacular innovation Williams keeps the new design ideas flowing in this final volume.

Needless to say, you probably will not be buying this volume without having read the first four books, so you will already know if you HAVE to read v5 or not. I think it is a majestic finish to a truly remarkable work of art, and if there were seven stars, I'd grant it that (seven being a lucky number!).

PROMETHEA gets my highest possible praise, love and respect and yes, it even nudged out Neil Gaiman's incandescent SANDMAN meta-megaseries.