Best Comics By Alan Moore, Ranked

Highlights

• Alan Moore’s works have had a massive influence on the comic book industry and pop culture as a whole.
• His lesser-known run on Captain Britain shaped the Marvel Comics Multiverse and set the stage for the MCU’s Multiverse Saga.
• From Hell, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Promethea, Swamp Thing, V for Vendetta, Batman: The Killing Joke, and Watchmen are all must-reads that showcase Moore’s exceptional storytelling abilities.

One of the most legendary comic book writers of all time, Alan Moore may now have retired, but he has left his unmistakable mark on every inch of the comic book industry. From his original creations which have changed the world of comics by themselves, to his darker tales and even his takes on some of the biggest characters in the industry, Moore did it all.

With several feature-length adaptions of his works, pop culture in general also recognizes the huge significance of many of his stories and writings. Moore may have finished his legendary career, but these works and many others will live on and influence other stories for decades to come, despite his current disagreements with DC.

8 Captain Britain

GoodReads Score: 3.83/5 (1,293 Ratings)

• Published 1981-1984
• Published By Marvel Comics

Perhaps one of the lesser-known runs that Alan Moore worked on, his most major foray into Marvel Comics was a fascinating one. Though Captain Britain hasn’t become one of the most mainstream Marvel heroes, his best and most popular run of all time was certainly under Moore’s writing tenure.

When Moore came in, he started creating stories about the Multiverse, which Marvel Comics hadn’t touched on a great deal. He created a multiversal force of Captain Britain characters and designated the main Marvel Comics Earth as 616. This created much of the general lore that is being used right now in the MCU with the Multiverse Saga, and rumors of Captain Britain following have circulated for years. Though this isn’t Moore’s best-known work, the ramifications of it have been enormous, and it is truly great reading.

GoodReads Score: 3.95/5 (54,277 Ratings)

• Published 1999-2000
• Published By America’s Best Comics

All writers have inspiration, and some even steal outright from their favorite stories to help tell their own. Alan Moore is no different, and he used the wild idea of creating an alternate Earth where many famous books really happened or were about to happen, to bring together a sort of Justice League made of literary characters called The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

This group and this comic became famous, getting a film adaption and running through various stories for two decades. This initial run, featuring characters like Allan Quatermain, Mina Harker, and the Invisible Man fighting Professor Moriarty, was Moore’s introduction to the world and helped re-popularize some of the classic novels he took these characters from, in a story that will likely be rebooted many more times through history.

6 From Hell

GoodReads Score: 4.19/5 (40,922 Ratings)

• Published 1989-1998
• Published By Top Shelf Productions

One of the most incredible works in comic history, From Hell was Moore’s magnum opus which he started developing after seeing a documentary on Jack the Ripper. Using a blend of the mystery around the real-life identity of the murderer, conspiracy theories, and some real truths about the murders, Moore created this epic tale that ran for almost a decade before concluding.

The collected work of From Hell is considered a must-read for comic book fans, conspiracy theorists, or true crime fans. One of the best non-superhero comic stories ever told, Moore could be considered a master comic writer for this piece alone, and it is another of his works to get a feature film adaptation.

5 Promethea

GoodReads Score: 4.23/5 (1,659 Ratings)

• Published 1999-2005
• Published By America’s Best Comics

Alan Moore loves to experiment with his comic style, both visually and in writing terms. He’s created some truly bizarre works along the way, Promethea being one of the craziest of all. Focusing on a young girl from a futuristic version of New York City who embodies an entity named Promethea, this series contains plenty of superhero-style action and serious themes of spirituality.

The Tree of Life is featured heavily as the main characters climb up it, dealing with the severe losses in their life on the way. Promethea is a bizarre trip, which lasted 32 issues and has been collated in large, much-loved volumes since, well worth checking out for lovers of Moore’s style.

4 Saga Of The Swamp Thing

GoodReads Score: 4.23/5 (27,032 Ratings)

• Published 1984-1987
• Published By DC Comics

Captain Britain was a major early work for Alan Moore, but as he was working at the Marvel UK Imprint during that run, his first major foray into the American mainstream scene was when he was brought on by DC Comics to try and save a failing Swamp Thing title, which he did with flying colors.

Swamp Thing was never a popular character, but Moore stayed on the comic for years and his run remains definitive. He erased the Swamp Thing’s past as a human, making it so he had always been a monster, brought in many broader themes and fascinating twists, and even turned other minor characters like John Constantine and The Sandman into beloved characters that span off into their own series. Much of the mystical side of the DC Comics Universe today, and The Sandman’s Netflix show, owe their existence to Alan Moore and this incredible run, which is still very much worth checking out.

3 V For Vendetta

GoodReads Score: 4.26/5 (307,269 Ratings)

• Published 1982-1989
• Published By Vertigo Comics

Another of the greatest works in comic history, Moore created V For Vendetta as part of an ongoing British anthology series early in his career. The final chapters were released, as well as the collected editions, by DC’s Vertigo imprint in the US. The story is about an anarchist in a Guy Fawkes mask, attempting to bring down a fascist government that rules the UK with an iron fist in a dystopian world.

This series, also developed into a live-action film, is a symbol of the more mature themes that Moore loved to bring to comics. This work, the characters created, and the relationship between V and Evey, were some of the most profound writings of the decade, not just in comic books but in all literature.

2 Batman: The Killing Joke

GoodReads Score: 4.37/5 (219,933 Ratings)

• Published 1988
• Published By DC Comics

Moore even had his definitive Batman story, as many different great writers have done. While Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns helped define Batman for a new era, Moore’s The Killing Joke defined his arch-rival, The Joker, for every era. This story told a new origin for The Joker, having him be a failed comedian whose life was ruined in a single day, leading to him becoming the maniac he is known as.

This story, involving Joker trying to drive Commissioner Gordon mad by torturing his daughter, Barbara, has become iconic. Tim Burton, Christopher Nolan, and Todd Phillips have all cited this story as inspiration for the versions of the Joker created in live-action films they directed. Additionally, it had far-reaching consequences in mainstream Batman Comics, such as leading to Barbara Gordon becoming paralyzed and taking on the Oracle mantle. This story was terrifying and twisted but was just right for the new style of comic becoming popular in the late 80s.

1 Watchmen

GoodReads Score: 4.38/5 (554,447 Ratings)

• Published 1986-1987
• Published By DC Comics

Often cited as the very best comic book series ever created, Watchmen is the most notable of Moore’s work. Turned into a film after multiple attempts were canceled and, later, a TV miniseries, boundaries and genres have been crossed and blended by this incredible piece of literature.

Considered one of the first truly great deconstructions of the superhero genre, Moore created a world where superheroes emerged in the 1940s originally and helped America win the Vietnam War. This changed history significantly, but by the mid-80s the world was on the brink of a third World War. The dark style and themes of this series, alongside Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, have been credited with the more adult nature of comics in the late 80s and 90s. The permanent mark left on the comic industry by this series cannot be overstated; it is truly the definitive comic book.