Comic Book Herald

A Comic Book Reading Order Guide For Beginners & Fans

Alan Moore

Swamp Thing in Gotham & Space: Alan Moore’s Final Odyssey

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Through hell, war, and madness, the love between Abigail Arcane and Swamp Thing has only grown deeper. But can it withstand a world that hates them? And even worse, can it stand being separated by light years apart?

After taking over Saga of the Swamp Thing with issue 20 in 1984, Alan Moore and collaborators redefined and expanded the character of Alec Holland in ways that not only permanently changed the meaning of Swamp Thing, but influenced generations of stories at DC Comics. But while his long-running “American Gothic” storyline would reach a massive climax in issue 50, there were still more stories to tell, even as original artistic collaborators Stephen Bisette and John Tottleben would leave the title and be replaced by penciller Rick Veitch and inker Alfredo Alcala. But by 1987, Alan Moore would come to the end of his time in the swamps and soon after leave DC Comics forever. [Read more…] about Swamp Thing in Gotham & Space: Alan Moore’s Final Odyssey

Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? | Unreliable Narrator

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It would take Crisis on Infinite Earths to stop Superman. Wolfman and Perez’s cosmic classic was meant to be the first story in a new era for DC’s heroes. Which meant the end of Superman and Action Comics, and the creation of one last story.

Alan Moore’s Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? marks the “end” not for the hero, but more for Superman’s two on-going series and what they represented. It’s a bold book that provides a kind of final statement on the hero’s whole ethos, and it’s still a magnificent example of how to say goodbye to not just heroes, but particular definitions of heroism.

Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? is, unabashedly, an attempt to recreate that prior miracle. Like its predecessor, it comes before an important reboot (in this case, the major developments and cosmic expansion between Final Crisis, Blackest Night, and New Krypton), the death of an iconic hero (Batman: RIP.), and ushers in the ending of two of DC’s longest-running titles (Batman & Detective Comics). [Read more…] about Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? | Unreliable Narrator

Krakin’ Krakoa #95: Alan Moore’s Surprising X-Men Comics Connections

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Alan Moore is a titan among comics writers, and when we reflect back on his licensed superhero work, the creator’s contributions to DC Comics – Swamp Thing, Batman: The Killing Joke, “For the Man Who Has Everything’ and of course, Watchmen (among others!) – stand out above everything. Before all of that, though, Moore contributed stories to Marvel UK from 1980 to 1984, and it’s here that we find lasting impact on Captain Britain, the X-Men, and the Marvel Universe – truly multi or omniverse – as a whole. [Read more…] about Krakin’ Krakoa #95: Alan Moore’s Surprising X-Men Comics Connections

Previously On #92: Why I Love Superhero Comics

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A scathing Alan Moore quote from a few years back blew up recently (thanks @Kylepinion!), and its incisive fury is clearly getting under a lot of people’s skin, from comic creators to critics to fans. Moore – a creator I still have ranked as my favorite comic book writer of all time – manages to call adults into superheroes (and I’m paraphrasing with my tongue lodged somewhere in the middle of my cheek) racist babies.

Here’s the full quote: [Read more…] about Previously On #92: Why I Love Superhero Comics

How Do Superhero Comics Get Made?

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At night, when I close my eyes, I can hear my comic collection growing. There is a shuffling of paper as if tiny flocks of birds were posting up, sliding next to one another on the shelves. The wall studs groan like bad actors in a Dickens play. Books vanish and reappear as if loaning themselves out.

This can’t just be my imagination; there is physical evidence of their accumulation. Indeed, it seems impossible that any human imagination could conceive of such wonders that fill these pages that now fill my home.

No. This must be the world of the supernatural. And like any good character in a Lovecraftian horror, I’m going to painstakingly describe my journey into this publishing madness. Especially all of the indescribable bits. [Read more…] about How Do Superhero Comics Get Made?