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10 Alan Moore Comics You Must Read! (Besides Watchmen)

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Perhaps Not
08/13/09

In reply to 10 Alan Moore Comics You Must Read! (Besides Watchmen)
You know, I know this post is several months old, and I know it's not cool to rag on the writers in the comments, but howzabout you remove the GIANT-ASS SPOILER from the end of the Promethea rec? Please? Some people haven't read the series and they don't KNOW how the story turns out.
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Quilt
02/28/09

In reply to 10 Alan Moore Comics You Must Read! (Besides Watchmen)
There's a few in here that I haven't read yet. Nice list.
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Laura Eleanor Jefferson
02/28/09

In reply to 10 Alan Moore Comics You Must Read! (Besides Watchmen)
I really liked the first volume of _Promethea_ , its heroine and her life and her fine universe, and then I became progressively more bored with the exposition of ceremonial magic(K) and Kabbalah. I have nothing against occultists but I get fed up when WONDERFUL art and plot are put to the service of exposition of hidden knowledge I already know. The plot and characters I had cared about got blown into Cosmic catnip. Big whoop.

I wouldn't sound so miffed if I hadn't been so hopeful.
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Charlie Jane Anders
02/28/09

@Laura Eleanor Jefferson: yeah... honestly the first 12 issues are my favorite comics ever, anywhere. And then.... you can pretty much skip straight to issue 29 and read the last couple issues, without missing anything in between.
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Grey_Area
02/28/09

In reply to 10 Alan Moore Comics You Must Read! (Besides Watchmen)
Halo Jones for, as the kids say, the Win. Probably heavily influenced by Haldeman's Forever War in the third act, but hey, it really is a powerful piece.

I feel that his tales of the Green Lantern Corps deserve an entry of their own on this list. but then again i never read 1963 and only have fuzzy memories of his run on Captain Britain. There can be only ten.
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Grey_Area
02/27/09

In reply to 10 Alan Moore Comics You Must Read! (Besides Watchmen)
Excellent list, Charlie. I might quibble or play "What about...", but the rules of 10 Best Things clearly state there can only be ten. That's a rough field to hoe with so much Moore-y goodness to choose from.

Let's hope movies get made out of every single one of them!

heh heh heh
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Charlie Jane Anders
02/27/09

@Grey_Area: If we had 11 things on a top 10 list we would open a pocket dimension of sex magic and Melinda Gebbie would probably come tumbling out and follow us around. Wait, why is that bad?
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edosan
02/27/09

@Grey_Area: Considering the track record of adaptations of Moore's comics, I'd prefer they stop making movies. The problem seems to be that he wrote most of these things as postmodern commentary and they try to make straight-up movies, missing the point.
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Grey_Area
02/28/09

@Charlie Jane Anders: Is no bad. I just wish Mr. Moore got to meet Krystine Kryttre, who I worshiped from afar. a truly kick-ass SF Underground Comix babe who was taken from us far too early.

Also, I would have tried to include the Bojeffries Saga into the list. but whutev.
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Grey_Area
02/28/09

@edosan: Do I actually have to label certain comments w/ SARCASAM?

Sheesh.
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Grey_Area
02/28/09

@Grey_Area: OR SPELL THINGS CORRECTLY?!?!?
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jbq
02/28/09

@Grey_Area: SarcaSam sounds like a DC villain, though.. Maybe you're channeling something?
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Grey_Area
02/28/09

@jbq: SarcaSam is new character in the beginning upcoming Supermax film. He acts as the audience's point of view as he gets processed into the super-duper-ultra-mondo-mega-superprison.

Warden: For you and the rest of these depraved freaks, this is your life. Some of my charges have threatened entire nations but there can be no escape from...Supermax.

SarcaSam: *ppbt!* Uh, yeah. Whatever.
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faustmonkey
02/27/09

In reply to 10 Alan Moore Comics You Must Read! (Besides Watchmen)
Sorry, Charlie. I admit to skimming -- I looked at the entries themselves. Having said that, you really should give Miracleman a read.
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Charlie Jane Anders
02/27/09

@faustmonkey: I actually plan to check it out soon, by means which I shall not specify here. Thanks, and no worries!
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faustmonkey
02/27/09

In reply to 10 Alan Moore Comics You Must Read! (Besides Watchmen)
The Killing Joke is a less essential Alan Moore work than 1963? Captain Britain is better than Voice of the Fire? I'd recommend his brilliant scifi Culture Shocks collection over Captain Britain. I own pretty much everything Alan Moore owns, and even as a Moore diehard I'd admit Captain Britain a lesser work. If someone seeks out Captain Britain as a result of this article looking for something on the caliber of Watchmen, they're going to be sorely disappointed. Meanwhile, Miracleman, which IS on the caliber of Watchmen, is NOT on this list, and you haven't even read.

This list seems like a struggle to even FIND ten items, because each series represents such an enormous body of work. It might have benefited from breaking up the individual series more, telling us WHICH of the six Swamp Thing volumes is the one to read -- you mention Top 10, for instance, but not the Forty-Niners, a brilliant companion novel that's arguably better than its source material. Saying "Go read League" doesn't account for the fact that the first volume is a fantastic page-turner, but that Black Dossier is impenetrable to a casual fan.
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Charlie Jane Anders
02/27/09

@faustmonkey: Hi there! You obviously skimmed my post and didn't read it properly, but I'll answer your objections anyway.

Let's see... First of all, the list represents my favorites, and those of the other io9 writers I talked to. These are the works I feel happy about recommending, and the ones that I think represent the diversity of Moore's work in an interesting way.

I do mention "The Killing Joke" and I recommend a volume that includes it. See above, re: the diversity of Moore's work. Also, see my comments below about why "The Killing Joke" has sunk in my estimation in recent years. (And in Moore's estimation as well, from what I've heard.)

I've never read Miracleman because it's not in print and it's impossible to find. I'm not recommending it to our readers for the same reason.

Also, I state clearly that my favorite Swamp Thing volume is the first. I mention the Forty Niners. And I mention that "The Black Dossier" is a bit of a letdown, after the first two volumes.

Thanks for your input!
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
02/27/09

In reply to 10 Alan Moore Comics You Must Read! (Besides Watchmen)
Where does one find these "comics torrents" I hear you young'uns talking about? For the out of print stuff only, of course, I would NEVER pirate something that's still available, oh no.

1963 and Top 10 sound very entertaining to me.
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joneez wants the clunkers he paid for
02/28/09

@Evil Tortie's Mom: I use a file sharing program called Vuze (dl at [www.azureus.com]) and find my torrents on [www.isohunt.com.] check out the isohunt forums and [www.azureuswiki.com] to see if it's for you.
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
02/28/09

@joneez is enjoying a California 'winter': thanks much! and keep enjoying the non-snow.
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lightninglouie
02/27/09

In reply to 10 Alan Moore Comics You Must Read! (Besides Watchmen)
"John Byrne's classic reboot..."

If by "reboot" you mean "explosive, chunky vomiting."
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ColemanGiggles
02/27/09

In reply to 10 Alan Moore Comics You Must Read! (Besides Watchmen)
I own every single issue of MiracleMan. It is one of the single best comic series ever created!
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Charlie Jane Anders
02/27/09

@ColemanGiggles: I'm going to come to your house and beat you senseless and steal your comics. Or maybe just steal your comics.
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Plague
02/27/09

In reply to 10 Alan Moore Comics You Must Read! (Besides Watchmen)
Promethea just may be Moore's craziest venture- at points it is so far away from a "superhero" comic book that your head might explode.

At least until he puts out his magic grimoire in graphic novel form sometime in the next decade.
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braak: You are, as usual, completely correct.
02/28/09

@Plague: Promethea IS his magic grimoire. It is an anagogue.
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jeffedsell
02/27/09

In reply to 10 Alan Moore Comics You Must Read! (Besides Watchmen)
Just to be a completely nitpicky Top 10 Fan, Sgt. Kemlo "Hyperdog" Caesar is in fact a Doberman with human intelligence, who wears a human-shaped exoskeleton which allows his head to stick out the top. (After the exoskeleton was damaged, he was forced to run around the station on all fours like a regular dog, much to the amusement of his co-workers.)

I really can't praise Top Ten enough -- you need to read each issue at least twice, once for the main story and again to see all of the scifi/fantasy/comics references jammed into every panel.
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Charlie Jane Anders
02/27/09

@jeffedsell: Ack! You are right of course.. fixing it. :)
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slaine17
02/27/09

In reply to 10 Alan Moore Comics You Must Read! (Besides Watchmen)
What, not even a mention of D.R. and Quinch?! For shame!
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KhaiJB
02/27/09

@slaine17: you know it... how can they be missed out?

Hey Charlie!

[www.bbc.co.uk]

Enjoy!
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Charlie Jane Anders
02/27/09

@KhaiJB: Ooh awesome! Thanks!
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SaranyaOrion
02/27/09

In reply to 10 Alan Moore Comics You Must Read! (Besides Watchmen)
Left out Lost Girls? For shame!
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Charlie Jane Anders
02/27/09

@SaranyaOrion: See below. I liked Lost Girls, it's just not in my top 10.
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RanOutOfUserNameChoices
02/27/09

In reply to 10 Alan Moore Comics You Must Read! (Besides Watchmen)
I'm surprised Killing Joke isn't on here. Not that I think it's his best, I'm just surprised it's not on here.

And no love for Lost Girls?
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Charlie Jane Anders
02/27/09

@RanOutOfUserNameChoices: Oh, I meant to mention Killing Joke in my section on "Whatever Happened." I used to love Killing Joke, but now I've gone off it. I think the past 20 years of comics have made me dislike Killing Joke retrospectively -- and Moore himself has, IIRC, distanced himself from it a bit.

As for Lost Girls, I spent some time looking through a friend's copy and enjoyed it... but it wasn't something I'd put in the top 10 must-read list.
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Charlie Jane Anders
02/27/09

@Charlie Jane Anders: Oh, I just double-checked, and I actually did namecheck "The Killing Joke" in that section. Oh good.
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