History Creator / AlanMoore

After ''Watchmen'', Moore moved into independent comics, writing ''Brought To Light'', a history of the CIA; ''Lost Girls'', a piece of highbrow erotica; and ''A Small Killing'', the story of a graphic designer who finds himself stalked by a strange little boy. In the mid-90s, he also began doing more work-for-hire writing for companies such as WildstormComics and ImageComics. Through Wildstorm, he published his own imprint, America's Best Comics (ABC), which included ''ComicBook/{{Promethea}}'', a 32-issue treatise on magic (Moore has been a practicing magus since his 40th birthday); ''TopTen'', a pastiche of PoliceProcedural TV series set in a superhero-populated city; and ''ComicBook/TomStrong'', a call back to a more innocent era of comic writing. Perhaps the best-known ABC comic, ''ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'', is a Victorian-era set superhero story set in a universe in which all stories exist alongside one another. Thus, the titular team comprises Mina Murray (Mina Harker of ''{{Literature/Dracula}}'', reverting back to her maiden name), Allen Quatermain (''Literature/KingSolomonsMines''), Captain Nemo (''[[TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea]]''), Hawley Griffin (''Literature/TheInvisibleMan'') and Dr. Jekyll/Mister Hyde ([[Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde duh]]).

Did we mention he's also [[{{Polyamory}} polyamorous]], vegetarian, [[UsefulNotes/PoliticalIdeologies anarchist]] and an accomplished ceremonial magician?

''Swamp Thing'' proved to be a massive success, and in the last years of Moore's run on the title, he was also handed another gaggle of existing characters to play with. DC had recently acquired the properties of CharltonComics and Moore was asked to come up with a proposal for them. He came back with a dark tale that drew heavily on the mid-80s ColdWar angst, in which the Charlton heroes discover that one of their number has been killed and that his death is connected to something that could lead to nuclear armageddon. DC was impressed by the pitch but was worried that Moore's pitch would render a number of the characters unusable by the end of the story. Instead, they advised him to create an entirely new series, and so ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}'' was born. Mature beyond anything that mainstream comics had published up to that point and with a level of complexity that rivaled the most highbrow books of the time (and continues to rival the best that many writers can come up with), ''Watchmen'' proved to be a massive sensation, and with Frank Miller's ''TheDarkKnightReturns'', effectively launched TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks. (Moore's Comicbook/{{Batman}} one-shot ''TheKillingJoke'' in 1988 was another big success in this regard -- its approach to the Joker became the TropeNamer for MultipleChoicePast.) It also contributed heavily to the growing realisation in the mainstream media that comics are an art form, along with other comics such as Art Spiegelman's ''ComicBook/{{Maus}}'' and Gilbert and Jamie Hernandez's ''LoveAndRockets''.

After ''Watchmen'', Moore moved into independent comics, writing ''Brought To Light'', a history of the CIA; ''Comicbook/LostGirls'', a piece of highbrow erotica; and ''A Small Killing'', the story of a graphic designer who finds himself stalked by a strange little boy. In the mid-90s, he also began doing more work-for-hire writing for companies such as WildstormComics and ImageComics. Through Wildstorm, he published his own imprint, America's Best Comics (ABC), which included ''{{Promethea}}'', a 32-issue treatise on magic (Moore has been a practicing magus since his 40th birthday); ''TopTen'', a pastiche of PoliceProcedural TV series set in a superhero-populated city; and ''ComicBook/TomStrong'', a call back to a more innocent era of comic writing. Perhaps the best-known ABC comic, ''TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'', is a Victorian-era set superhero story set in a universe in which all stories exist alongside one another. Thus, the titular team comprises Mina Murray (Mina Harker of ''{{Literature/Dracula}}'', reverting back to her maiden name), Allen Quatermain (''Literature/KingSolomonsMines''), Captain Nemo (''[[TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea]]''), Hawley Griffin (''Literature/TheInvisibleMan'') and Dr. Jekyll/Mister Hyde ([[Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde duh]]).

However, Wildstorm was bought out by [[Main/{{DCComics}} DC Comics]] and Moore subsequently parted from America's Best Comics. As of 2008, the only title he plans to write with any regularity is ''TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'', which after ''The Black Dossier'', will be published through Top Shelf Productions. He is also currently working on his second prose novel, tentatively titled ''Jerusalem''.

* The effect of the presence of superheroes or the supernatural on "real world" culture and society. This involves averting ReedRichardsIsUseless and CutLexLuthorACheck - the latter of which Moore's ''SwampThing'' run is the TropeNamer for.

* Lots of sex. ''Comicbook/LostGirls'' and ''TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen: The Black Dossier'' stand out.

* {{Deconstruction}}, especially in the form of DeconstructionCrossover. Actually, Moore probably [[TropeCodifier codified]] the latter trope with his graphic novel series ''TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen''.

* Experimentation with form: symmetrical and chiastic story structures (e.g. the pirate comics in ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}''), playing with the chronological order of events (the fourth chapter of ''Watchmen'', which jumps back and forth between the past, present, and future), as well as layouts enabling dialogue to be read in different orders (e.g. the Mobius strip segment in ''{{Promethea}}'').

* ''TheKillingJoke'' (1988)

* ''Comicbook/LostGirls'' (1991-2006)

* ''{{Promethea}}'' (1999-2005)
* ''TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' (1999-present)

* ''VForVendetta'' (1982-1988)

Probably the most widely recognised (and arguably ''[[CrazyAwesome insane]]'', although in that nifty-creative Howard Hughes and OrsonWelles way) ComicBook writer of all time, Alan Moore was born in Northampton, England, and got his start writing and drawing cartoon strips for magazines such as ''DoctorWhoMagazine'' and ''The NME''. He moved on to get regular work at Marvel UK, where he wrote the ''Captain Britain'' comic, and ''ComicBook/TwoThousandAD'', where he wrote a series of acclaimed stories, including ''ComicBook/DRAndQuinch'' and ''TheBalladOfHaloJones''. This period included ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'', about an anarchist planning to take down a fascist UK Government, and ''Comicbook/{{Miracleman}}'', a reinvention of a 1950s British superhero.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Along with FrankMiller's ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns'', Moore's earlier works have been credited with [[FollowTheLeader leading]] [[TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks the trend.]] Note that his works, while often dark, are almost always idealistic, and his later works were often lighter (while always retaining an edge). He also very much regrets his role in driving the industry to such a dark place.

---> '''Moore''': Well I don't know who's got my DVD player in ''[[SarcasmMode London]]''- [[hottip:*: Moore famously lives in '''Northhampton''']]

Probably the most widely recognised (and arguably ''[[CrazyAwesome insane]]'', although in that nifty-creative Howard Hughes and OrsonWelles way) ComicBook writer of all time, Alan Moore was born in Northampton, England, and got his start writing and drawing cartoon strips for music magazines such as ''The NME''. He moved on to get regular work at Marvel UK, where he wrote the ''Captain Britain'' comic, and ''ComicBook/TwoThousandAD'', where he wrote a series of acclaimed stories, including ''ComicBook/DRAndQuinch'' and ''TheBalladOfHaloJones''. This period included ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'', about an anarchist planning to take down a fascist UK Government, and ''Comicbook/{{Miracleman}}'', a reinvention of a 1950s British superhero.

* SurrealHorror: Several of his lates works contain heavy dosis of this.

* The effect of the presence of superheroes or the supernatural on "real world" culture and society. This involves averting ReedRichardsIsUseless and CutLexLuthorACheck.

Did we mention he's also [[{{Polyamory}} polyamorous]], vegetarian, [[UsefulNotes/PoliticalIdeologies anarchist]] and an accomplished chaos mage?

->''Alan Moore knows the score.''\\
-- '''Pop Will Eat Itself'''

Probably the most widely recognised (and arguably ''[[CrazyAwesome insane]]'', although in that nifty-creative HowardHughes and OrsonWelles way) ComicBook writer of all time, Alan Moore was born in Northampton, England, and got his start writing and drawing cartoon strips for music magazines such as ''The NME''. He moved on to get regular work at Marvel UK, where he wrote the ''Captain Britain'' comic, and ''ComicBook/TwoThousandAD'', where he wrote a series of acclaimed stories, including ''ComicBook/DRAndQuinch'' and ''TheBalladOfHaloJones''. This period included ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'', about an anarchist planning to take down a fascist UK Government, and ''Comicbook/{{Miracleman}}'', a reinvention of a 1950s British superhero.

Probably the most widely recognised (and arguably ''[[CrazyAwesome insane]]'', although in that nifty-creative HowardHughes and OrsonWelles way) ComicBook writer of all time, Alan Moore was born in Northampton, England, and got his start writing and drawing cartoon strips for music magazines such as ''The NME''. He moved on to get regular work at Marvel UK, where he wrote the ''CaptainBritain'' comic, and ''ComicBook/TwoThousandAD'', where he wrote a series of acclaimed stories, including ''ComicBook/DRAndQuinch'' and ''TheBalladOfHaloJones''. This period included ''VForVendetta'', about an anarchist planning to take down a fascist UK Government, and ''Comicbook/{{Miracleman}}'', a reinvention of a 1950s British superhero.

''Swamp Thing'' proved to be a massive success, and in the last years of Moore's run on the title, he was also handed another gaggle of existing characters to play with. DC had recently acquired the properties of CharltonComics and Moore was asked to come up with a proposal for them. He came back with a dark tale that drew heavily on the mid-80s ColdWar angst, in which the Charlton heroes discover that one of their number has been killed and that his death is connected to something that could lead to nuclear armageddon. DC was impressed by the pitch but was worried that Moore's pitch would render a number of the characters unusable by the end of the story. Instead, they advised him to create an entirely new series, and so ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}'' was born. Mature beyond anything that mainstream comics had published up to that point and with a level of complexity that rivaled the most highbrow books of the time (and continues to rival the best that many writers can come up with), ''Watchmen'' proved to be a massive sensation, and with Frank Miller's ''TheDarkKnightReturns'', effectively launched the DarkAge of comics. (Moore's Comicbook/{{Batman}} one-shot ''TheKillingJoke'' in 1988 was another big success in this regard -- its approach to the Joker became the TropeNamer for MultipleChoicePast.) It also contributed heavily to the growing realisation in the mainstream media that comics are an art form, along with other comics such as Art Spiegelman's ''ComicBook/{{Maus}}'' and Gilbert and Jamie Hernandez's ''LoveAndRockets''.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Along with FrankMiller's ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns'', Moore's earlier works have been credited with [[FollowTheLeader leading]] [[DarkAge the trend.]] Note that his works, while often dark, are almost always idealistic, and his later works were often lighter (while always retaining an edge). He also very much regrets his role in driving the industry to such a dark place.

Did we mention he's also polyamorous, vegetarian, anarchist and an accomplished chaos mage?

*** Though he certainly fed this reputation with his statement on Zack Snyder's ''Film/{{Watchmen}}'' movie: "I'm ''never'' watching the fucking thing." This was in response to Snyder saying that the most he could hope for from Moore was him accidentally catching a couple seconds of it while changing channels.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Along with [[FrankMiller Miller]]'s ''The Dark Knight Returns'', Moore's earlier works have been credited with [[FollowTheLeader leading]] [[DarkAge the trend.]] Note that his works, while often dark, are almost always idealistic, and his later works were often lighter (while always retaining an edge). He also very much regrets his role in driving the industry to such a dark place.

* ''ForTheManWhoHasEverything'' (1985)

** However, he ''did'' like the ''[[JusticeLeagueUnlimited JLU]]'' adaptation of his {{Superman}} story "ForTheManWhoHasEverything". This was possibly because they weren't his characters, and the producers bothered to ask him first. Notably, his name actually appears in the credits for the episode.

*** Though he certainly fed this reputation with his statement on Zack Snyder's ''{{Watchmen}}'' movie: "I'm ''never'' watching the fucking thing." This was in response to Snyder saying that the most he could hope for from Moore was him accidentally catching a couple seconds of it while changing channels.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Along with [[FrankMiller Miller]]'s ''The Dark Knight Returns'', Moore's earlier works have been credited with [[FollowTheLeader leading]] [[DarkAge the trend.]] Note that his works, while often dark, are almost always idealistic, and his later works were often lighter (while always retaining an edge).

* HumansAreFlawed / CrapsackWorld: Every major character in his stories will always be guaranteed to have some kind of obvious flaw or otherwise unlikable trait, a variant of HumansAreBastards and HumansAreMorons perhaps being the two most common (but certainly not the only ones), while the city/world/universe his stories take place in are very grim and despairing places; no one ever really has much hope for anything in Moore's stories, let alone hope for their own personal ambitions or goals in the story (even if the story concludes with a genuinely happy ending).

After ''Watchmen'', Moore moved into independent comics, writing ''Brought To Light'', a history of the CIA; ''Comicbook/LostGirls'', a piece of highbrow erotica; and ''A Small Killing'', the story of a graphic designer who finds himself stalked by a strange little boy. In the mid-90s, he also began doing more work-for-hire writing for companies such as WildstormComics and ImageComics. Through Wildstorm, he published his own imprint, America's Best Comics (ABC), which included ''{{Promethea}}'', a 32-issue treatise on magic (Moore has been a practicing magus since his 40th birthday); ''TopTen'', a pastiche of PoliceProcedural TV series set in a superhero-populated city; and ''ComicBook/TomStrong'', a call back to a more innocent era of comic writing. Perhaps the best-known ABC comic, ''TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'', is a Victorian-era set superhero story set in a universe in which all stories exist alongside one another. Thus, the titular team comprises Mina Murray (Mina Harker of ''{{Literature/Dracula}}'', reverting back to her maiden name), Allen Quatermain (''Literature/KingSolomonsMines''), Captain Nemo (''[[TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea]]''), Hawley Griffin (''Literature/TheInvisibleMan'') and Dr. Jekyll/Mister Hyde ([[TheStrangeCaseOfDoctorJekyllAndMrHyde duh]]).

''Swamp Thing'' proved to be a massive success, and in the last years of Moore's run on the title, he was also handed another gaggle of existing characters to play with. DC had recently acquired the properties of CharltonComics and Moore was asked to come up with a proposal for them. He came back with a dark tale that drew heavily on the mid-80s ColdWar angst, in which the Charlton heroes discover that one of their number has been killed and that his death is connected to something that could lead to nuclear armageddon. DC was impressed by the pitch but was worried that Moore's pitch would render a number of the characters unusable by the end of the story. Instead, they advised him to create an entirely new series, and so ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}'' was born. Mature beyond anything that mainstream comics had published up to that point and with a level of complexity that rivaled the most highbrow books of the time (and continues to rival the best that many writers can come up with), ''Watchmen'' proved to be a massive sensation, and with Frank Miller's ''TheDarkKnightReturns'', effectively launched the DarkAge of comics. (Moore's Comicbook/{{Batman}} one-shot ''TheKillingJoke'' in 1988 was another big success in this regard -- its approach to the Joker became the TropeNamer for MultipleChoicePast.) It also contributed heavily to the growing realisation in the mainstream media that comics are an art form, along with other comics such as Art Spiegelman's ''{{Maus}}'' and Gilbert and Jamie Hernandez's ''LoveAndRockets''.

[[SomethingPositive Apparently]], his amazing talent comes from Satan. [[MemeticBadass Not by selling his soul for it]], mind you, but because he used to beat Satan up for his lunch money until the Devil bribed Moore with genius to leave him alone. Additionally, [[http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp02132008.shtml Death is afraid of him]].

Did we mention he's also polyamorous, vegetarian, anarchist and an accomplished chaos mage?

* AppealToAudacity: Whether done deliberate by Moore is open to debate, this is one of the cornerstones of his works by his fans.
* MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext: Vary from work to work but more than one fan can describe him like this.

* SurrealHorror: Several of his lates works contain heavy dosis of this.

Moore was then encouraged by DCComics editor Len Wein to start work on ''SwampThing'', Wein's classic horror comic. Originally about a scientist, Alec Holland, who had been transformed into a living plant monster after an explosion in his lab, Moore proposed a radical revision that revealed that Alec had in fact died in the explosion, and that the swamp creature had been created by plant elementals using Holland's memories as a basis for its character. Swamp Thing was not a man turned into a monster; he was never a man at all! Moore then took the Swamp Thing through a number of unusual adventures, including an entire issue [[Main/{{Squick}} dedicated to psychic, psychedelic sex between Swampy and his human girlfriend, Abby.]] Moore also created the character of JohnConstantine for the comic. Along the way, he wrote a tiny handful of {{Superman}} stories which are now considered some of the very greatest ever written for the character (one was even adapted into an episode of ''JusticeLeagueUnlimited'') and set the groundwork for a more extensive examination of Superman later in his career, through the [[Main/{{CaptainErsatz}} pastiche character]] {{Supreme}}. Not to mention a tiny handful of Comicbook/GreenLantern stories that have become integral to ''its'' history ("Mogo Doesn't Socialize" and "Tygers").

* ''SwampThing'' (1984-1987)

** However, he ''did'' like the ''[[JusticeLeagueUnlimited JLU]]'' adaptation of his {{Superman}} story "ForTheManWhoHasEverything". This was possibly because they weren't his characters, and the producers bothered to ask him first.

* BlackComedy and KafkaKomedy: A lot of his work from his early days at ''TwoThousandAD'' is overflowing with this (especially ''DR & Quinch'' and his collection of ''Tharg's Future Shocks''). These themes remain in his later works, but they are not nearly as prevalent as they are in some of his oldest stories.