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A review by dr_matthew_lloyd
DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore by Alan Moore
4.0
I read this collection because I wanted to re-read The Killing Joke as part of my exploration of the history of Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, and this was the format in which it was available in the local library. Some of these stories I have read elsewhere and my reviews can be read here:
Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?
The Killing Joke
The basis of this collection is the works of Alan Moore while he was at DC, which seems to be a somewhat weak connecting theme. But it actually works fairly well. Moore doesn't seem to have done very much work for DC, once you exclude works with Vertigo like [b:V for Vendetta|5805|V for Vendetta|Alan Moore|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343668985s/5805.jpg|392838] and [b:Watchmen|472331|Watchmen|Alan Moore|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327866860s/472331.jpg|4358649]. The Superman stories had already been collected, [b:Batman: The Killing Joke|96358|Batman The Killing Joke|Alan Moore|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346331835s/96358.jpg|551787] remains in print, and "The Night Olympics" was part of the pre-wedding collection [b:Green Arrow/Black Canary: For Better or for Worse|1001161|Green Arrow/Black Canary For Better or for Worse|Dennis O'Neil|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388198659s/1001161.jpg|4564407], but the others are short, generally humorous stories which don't really belong in any other collection - unless there's a similar "Tales of the Green Lantern Corps" collection. Indeed, what's most interesting about this collection is the humour which comes across in Moore's Green Lantern and Vega stories. It contrasts strongly with the dark tone of his other works, and thus The Killing Joke becomes an apt conclusion to the volume, combining both.
The general feel of many of the stories is that 1980s space opera vibe recently channelled by Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy; it made me think of Warhammer 40,000 and 2000 AD, but having read [b:The Ballad of Halo Jones|59710|The Ballad of Halo Jones|Alan Moore|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388293260s/59710.jpg|1884159] might also have influenced that feeling. The Green Lantern stories are by far the most fun; the first of the Vega stories was a delight while the second was uncomfortable, the punchline effectively beingthe same kind of sexualized violence against women which plagued comics in the late 1980s . Many of the stories are very dark, particularly the Vigilante stories. There is definitely a seedy tone which was fairly common in the comics I've read from this era.
The art is varied: obviously, those works with [a:Dave Gibbons|13285|Dave Gibbons|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1308663000p2/13285.jpg] are great; [a:Brian Bolland|55409|Brian Bolland|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-3fbaf32fc1fc48e6ffaf3f63a026f0ff.png] does sterling work on The Killing Joke (and if it really took him two years, then it should be good, shouldn't it?); [a:Curt Swan|93458|Curt Swan|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-3fbaf32fc1fc48e6ffaf3f63a026f0ff.png] and [a:Rick Veitch|63220|Rick Veitch|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-3fbaf32fc1fc48e6ffaf3f63a026f0ff.png] do great work on Superman. The remaining artists are generally variable, although they are generally undermined by the shadowy inking and limited, dull colour pallets of 1980s comics. The best stories have some of the best art; whether these judgements are related is debatable.
It's a worthwhile collection if you are interested in reading a selection of comics from the late 1980s. Very few of them are game changing, with the exception of those which have been collected elsewhere. But to look at the work of one person in this way does shed a certain light on him and his contribution to the comics of the era.
Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?
The Killing Joke
The basis of this collection is the works of Alan Moore while he was at DC, which seems to be a somewhat weak connecting theme. But it actually works fairly well. Moore doesn't seem to have done very much work for DC, once you exclude works with Vertigo like [b:V for Vendetta|5805|V for Vendetta|Alan Moore|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343668985s/5805.jpg|392838] and [b:Watchmen|472331|Watchmen|Alan Moore|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327866860s/472331.jpg|4358649]. The Superman stories had already been collected, [b:Batman: The Killing Joke|96358|Batman The Killing Joke|Alan Moore|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346331835s/96358.jpg|551787] remains in print, and "The Night Olympics" was part of the pre-wedding collection [b:Green Arrow/Black Canary: For Better or for Worse|1001161|Green Arrow/Black Canary For Better or for Worse|Dennis O'Neil|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388198659s/1001161.jpg|4564407], but the others are short, generally humorous stories which don't really belong in any other collection - unless there's a similar "Tales of the Green Lantern Corps" collection. Indeed, what's most interesting about this collection is the humour which comes across in Moore's Green Lantern and Vega stories. It contrasts strongly with the dark tone of his other works, and thus The Killing Joke becomes an apt conclusion to the volume, combining both.
The general feel of many of the stories is that 1980s space opera vibe recently channelled by Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy; it made me think of Warhammer 40,000 and 2000 AD, but having read [b:The Ballad of Halo Jones|59710|The Ballad of Halo Jones|Alan Moore|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388293260s/59710.jpg|1884159] might also have influenced that feeling. The Green Lantern stories are by far the most fun; the first of the Vega stories was a delight while the second was uncomfortable, the punchline effectively being
The art is varied: obviously, those works with [a:Dave Gibbons|13285|Dave Gibbons|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1308663000p2/13285.jpg] are great; [a:Brian Bolland|55409|Brian Bolland|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-3fbaf32fc1fc48e6ffaf3f63a026f0ff.png] does sterling work on The Killing Joke (and if it really took him two years, then it should be good, shouldn't it?); [a:Curt Swan|93458|Curt Swan|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-3fbaf32fc1fc48e6ffaf3f63a026f0ff.png] and [a:Rick Veitch|63220|Rick Veitch|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-3fbaf32fc1fc48e6ffaf3f63a026f0ff.png] do great work on Superman. The remaining artists are generally variable, although they are generally undermined by the shadowy inking and limited, dull colour pallets of 1980s comics. The best stories have some of the best art; whether these judgements are related is debatable.
It's a worthwhile collection if you are interested in reading a selection of comics from the late 1980s. Very few of them are game changing, with the exception of those which have been collected elsewhere. But to look at the work of one person in this way does shed a certain light on him and his contribution to the comics of the era.