Top 8 Alan Moore Illustrated Novels, Other Than Watchmen

Author Alan Moore turned the comics genre on its head and opened the doors for more mature stories in a medium that is considered child-fare with his seminal series Watchmen, soon to be a major motion picture. But Watchmen isn’t Alan Moore’s only work of genius – he is responsible for many of the greatest comic books and graphic novels ever written. Some you may recognize from the movies, while you others you may not. But regardless, these eight graphic novels are some of the most badass you’ll ever see.

1. V For Vendetta:

A fascist government has taken over England in the wake of nuclear war. Their power is absolute, until the fifth of November, when an anarchist named V blows up Parliament. It’s up to the reader to decide whether V is a terrorist or a hero? Despite a decent film adaptation, the themes of the movie were so watered down that Alan Moore ordered his name removed from the credits.

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2. From Hell:

Alan teamed up with artist Eddie Campbell to produce this well-researched account of the Ripper Murders. Forget the movie, Alan’s book addresses the ritualistic and Masonic nature of the killings, along with ties to the crown, and how the Ripper foreshadowed the twentieth century. Want to know how well researched the book is? I used the footnotes in the back to help me write a paper on the Ripper.

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3. Miracleman:

Mike Moran was a reporter, plagued by dreams of flying, until the day he remembered a magic word and turned him into Miracleman. Alan laid the seeds for Watchmen in this series with a realistic depiction of how the world would really react toward superheroes. The series is also notable for graphic, no-holds-barred, battle between Miracleman and his sidekick, Kid Miracleman. It also graphically depicts childbirth. Unfortunately, Miracleman is out of print and will remain out of print until certain legal issues are settled. Well, there’s always bit torrent.

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4. Batman: The Killing Joke

An inspiration for both Tim Burton’s Batman and The Dark Knight, The Killing Joke is the first book to deal with Batman and the Joker as opposites sides of the same coin, when the Joker tries to prove to Commissioner Gordon that one bad day can ruin your entire life. The only Batman story to make the Joker sympathetic.

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5. Swamp Thing:

The series that introduced Alan Moore to America. A freak accident changed Alec Holland from a respected scientist into a swamp monster. At least that was the concept before Alan Moore got his hands it and turned Swamp Thing into a living embodiment of nature that was never human in the first place. This series not only introduced us to John Constantine (much cooler in the comics than the Keanu Reeves movie) but also addressed themes of power, racism, love, and environmentalism during Moore’s six-volume run. Did I mention a showdown with Batman?

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6. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen:

Another work butchered by its film adaptation, follow the greatest heroes of the Victorian Age in their colonial powered glory as they strive to save the world from Sherlock Holmes’s nemesis, Professor Moriarty. Even more fun is Volume II as the team battles the Martians from “War of the Worlds”. Volume III is due later this year.

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7. Lost Girls:

Who’ve thought fairy tales could be so dirty? Apparently Alan and his wife Melissa Gebbie did in this erotic graphic novel about Wendy (Peter Pan), Alice (Alice in Wonderland), and Dorothy (The Wizard of Oz) recounting their sexual adventures on the eve of World War I. Alan will never have to worry about Hollywood messing this one up.

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8. Top 10: The Forty-Niners

Set in 1949, in the founding days of Neopolis, this sci-fi graphic novel – a prequel to the Top 10 comic series and written by Moore and illustrated by Gene Ha – follows Steve Traynor (aka Jetlad) as he and the other police officers of Neopolis Police Precinct 10 fight vampire gangsters and battle against bigotry towards robots, science heroes and mutants. You know, just an average day at the office…

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