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Watchmen

by: Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons


I have always been a graphic novel buff ever since buying Hitman & Preacher in my late teens. And now in my early 30's I came across an old box containing my old graphic novels, I felt that I struck gold! I loved the V for Vendetta movie and decided to purchase the V for Vendetta graphic novel and found it gripping, intense and incredible (not that I'm a non-conformist!). Thus leading me to Watchmen. What can I say, WOW! This is my second read of Watchmen within a month. It's definately better reading it again & again! It is imperative to read Watchmen before the movie. So, what are you waiting for.....go & buy it!!!!!

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Batman: The Killing Joke (Deluxe Edition)

by: Alan Moore

April 25, 2008
This was my first introduction to more "adult orientated" graphic novels (as opposed to comics). I bought it on a whim after seeing the cover featured in a TV programme hyping the 1989 Tim Burton Batman movie, and it was a real eye-opener. The tone is certainly much darker than the image of Batman which I'd grown up with (ie Adam West in all his campness) and provides a fascinating origin for the Joker. He comes across as an ordinary man driven beyond his capacity for reason, instead of the stereotypical insane clown of lazier Batman stories. (In fact the entire story is based around his "one bad day is all it takes" philosophy...)
The story itself is short but all the more effective for it, with some beautifully - if chillingly - drawn ... Read More:

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V for Vendetta

by: Alan Moore, David Lloyd

April 14, 2000
I watched the film before reading the book and I loved it, I thought the entire thing was brilliant and loved V (Hugo Weaving was fantastic) and I was always intending to read the book. A work colleague told me that the book is a lot different from the film (as is usually the case) so not too long ago I brought the book and had finished it two days later.

Alan Moore has written an amazing piece. The entire idea of England becoming one of the only countries that survived a massive war and the political party that took over are fascist and its basically a Big Brother moment where they watching everything you do. Evey unlike in the film is just a sixteen year old girl who doest have enough money to live so she becomes a prostitute. Unlike in ... Read More:

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The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

by: Alan Moore, Kevin O'Neill

November 29, 2002
Alan Moore is a creative genius. Yes, he does the superhero thing with Watchmen and his DC and Marvel forays, but this is a whole new spin on it! This graphic novel will make you want to re-read all those classics gathering dust on your shelves, because all of the major characters are torn from Victorian masterpieces. Allan Quartemain, Captain Nemo, The Invisible Man, Mina Murray (formerly Harker), Dr Jekyll and of course Mr Hyde are summoned to form the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. All the characters are well portrayed, especially Mr Hyde. But they all have flaws and dark sides. The Invisible Man is a rapist for instance, not your jolly scientist. You have all these classics in a James Bond-esque plot, spying for the Empire to save the world from a devious ... Read More:

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The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: v. 2

by: Alan Moore, Kevin O'Neill

October 22, 2004
I think that in his review the Kinniburgh Kid got it right. While there are times that this is very clever, even in a moral sense, there are moments when it goes over the line from subversive genius to bad taste. It has a very angry feel that the authors wanted this to be the end of the League and that they want to see how far they can push the story.

Towards the end there is a definite feeling that they are being pushed reluctantly into writing a sequel and that they want to make sure they don't have to do anymore!

For me the funniest things are the creatures of Dr Moreau which are quite brilliant and worth three stars on their own. I will never look at Rupert or The Wind in the Willows in quite the same way again.

There is ... Read More:

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Watchmen

by: Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons

December 19, 2008
I have always been a graphic novel buff ever since buying Hitman & Preacher in my late teens. And now in my early 30's I came across an old box containing my old graphic novels, I felt that I struck gold! I loved the V for Vendetta movie and decided to purchase the V for Vendetta graphic novel and found it gripping, intense and incredible (not that I'm a non-conformist!). Thus leading me to Watchmen. What can I say, WOW! This is my second read of Watchmen within a month. It's definately better reading it again & again! It is imperative to read Watchmen before the movie. So, what are you waiting for.....go & buy it!!!!!

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Lost Girls Collected

by: Alan Moore

January 31, 2008
Moore and Gebbie have presented us with a gift and a challenge. First off, this is a beautifully presented artefact. The three volumes in their slip-case look and feel wonderful. Melinda Gebbie's art is enchanting, almost dreamlike. She presents the images suggested by Moore with real beauty and honesty. Moore, in turn, asks more of his artistic collaborator than many would be able or comfortable to provide. Just about every kind of human-on-human sexual activity is here. It's erotic, yes. It's pornographic, yes. It's graphic, yes. However, because of its beauty and intelligence, none of the situations or images are utterly repellent. Moore and Gebbie force us to ask very difficult questions of ourselves. We see and read and understand these things on these pages, ... Read More:

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From Hell

by: Alan Moore, Eddie Campbell

June 02, 2008
Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell have excelled themselves with this excellent graphic novel telling the story of Jack the Ripper, who needs no introduction. The artwork is primarily pen and ink and blends well with the subject of this story. While the text can look a little spidery at times, it actually works well with the illustrations and so I think this is an excellent testament to the professionalism of Eddie Campbell.
The story itself is a very complex study of the Ripper murders and Alan Moore calls upon some of the greatest Ripperologists to weave the known facts with situations he sees as fiction but, nevertheless, events which could have taken place at the time. Once again, the mood depicted in the artwork captures Alan Moore's writing perfectly.
This is ... Read More:

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The Complete Future Shocks

by: Alan Moore

May 05, 2006
Some of Alan Moore's earliest work, this is a collection of - mostly - unconnected short stories published in "2000AD" in the early 1980's. Considering their age, they remain remarkably fresh and inventive, with flashes of dark humour. What sets these tales out from his later work is a certain economy of style; in a few pages Moore can make readers laugh whilst prompting some quite profound questions in their minds.
Thoroughly recommended - if only as light relief whilst working through the "Travellers Almanac" in volume 2 of the LoEG!

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The Complete Ballad of Halo Jones (2000 Ad)

by: Alan Moore

January 02, 2007
Halo Jones has become an iconic figure, one who has stepped out of the pages of the comicbook to become a significant literary creation. The premise is straightforward. A young girl feels trapped in a boring and montonous life and longs for excitement and escape. Halo is continually on a quest to make more of herself and as the naive girl grows into the battlehardened soldier, she never loses her youthful desire for something more. The storyline is both inspirational and tender, we never see Halo winning. She loses her friends and is very much on her own. The illustrations are superbly detailed and dramatic.