Watchmen is a story by writer Alan Moore that has enthralled and captured fans for years. It has been retold through multiple mediums, from the recent HBO hit show to the 2009 movie, and the source material of the 1980s comic books. Moore's storytelling has held up through generations of avid science fiction fans and has found its way time and time again into the forefront of popular culture.
It might not come to a surprise by any that fans who fell in love with Watchmen can't get enough of this author's sci-fi, action, mind-bending stories. Here are ten other works by Alan Moore to check out to quench your Watchmen thirst.
10 A SMALL KILLING
A Small Killing is a story that dives deep into the complicated and mysterious mind of Alan Moore. Artwork by Oscar Zarate and published by Avatar Press, it is a body of work that will touch upon the common mental plague of anxiety.
The main character of the story, Timothy Hole, makes an exodus out of the city life into the boonies of his childhood stepping grounds. As Hole goes back to his origin of birth, his mind goes back to his younger self. There's lots of existential scenarios and memories of his youth that he has to understand and come face to face with. This is a great story for readers who appreciate Moore's more head-scratching writing.
9 THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a series based on heroes that borrows heavily from other literature. It is said that Alan Moore viewed this peculiar series as the Victorian, high-brow version of the Justice League. Famous characters from other books like Mr. Hyde from Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Mina Harkness from Dracula are examples of heroes found in the series.
As the series goes on, more and more quirky and interesting, famous literary characters are added to the plot. Readers with a love for literature will love this piece of work.
8 BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE
Batman:The Killing Joke is a story that is perfect for Alan Moore and DC lovers. This story already takes the dark characters of Batman and the Joker and takes them into an even deeper and more disturbing journey. The work was published in 1988, but it remains till this day one of the most recognizable and notorious works that Moore has ever done.
Super fans of the Joker's character will especially become enthralled in this story as this not only goes into Joker's backstory but it also goes into a very twisted side of Joker that many are not use to seeing. One of the unexpected Joker darkness that Moore puts into the story is the paralyzing, humiliation, and degradation of character Barbara Gordon. The Joker stripping Barbara naked and pretty much destroying her dignity is a hard, yet morbidly exciting scenes in Moore's work is one of the many parts of this story that will make fans remember this for a long time.
7 V FOR VENDETTA
V for Vendetta is a story by Alan Moore that has gotten much of the same treatment and popularization as Watchmen. V for Vendetta is not only a story that Moore started writing in the 80s, but it has also been adapted into a major picture film in 2006 staring actors Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving.
The plot is surrounding by heavy topics, like fascism, war, racism, anarchy, corruption, and other dark subject matter, that it has easily become one of Moore's most famous pieces of work. Plus, not to mention, the main character of the story, V, has become the face of real-life resistances around the world. This story has lots of influence that cannot be easily forgotten.
6 SWAMP THING
Swamp Thing is a series of horror stories that put Moore's writing more on the map. Swamp Thing was rewritten by Moore and his writing and unabashed dive into the human pysche turned these failing stories into a huge success.
The stories are very detailed and touches on subjects that most comic books don't dare go. Swamp Thing was also adapted into a TV show in 2019, but was cancelled the same year. Fans can however still stream the TV show on DC Universe and Amazon Prime.
5 WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MAN OF TOMORROW?
Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? is another story that DC fans will love. This story is based on the famous DC hero, Superman. Moore's story comes on the tail-end of the DC Superman comics. It takes a much darker turn into the superhero's life, with not only Superman becoming darker himself, but his enemies becoming darker as well.
Reading Moore's take on the usual, self-righteous hero will set a tone and perspective that will drastically change how fans interact and think about Superman in other stories. This story can be currently purchased online on Google Play for a little over $1o.
4 TOP 10
Top 10 is one of the many works he produced for the America's Best Comics line. Published by DC Comics and illustrated by Gene Ha & Zander Cannon as a limited series, it's set in a world where everyone has superpowers. Seriously, practically everyone has superpowers. From the police to the criminals, children, and even animals have some type of superpower up their sleeves.
The plot itself however revolves mostly around the super-powered cops and their day-to-day adventures and challenges surrounding them. The story touches on many real-world issues like brutality, prejudice, and corruption, but of course with Alan Moore's twists.
3 THE BALLAD OF HALO JONES
The Ballad of Halo Jones is a famous comic that introduced the first female protagonist of the comic magazine company's, 2000 A.D., history. Halo Jones is an average human with an average life that changes her fate through her adventures throughout the galaxy.
The series follows much of the protagonist's crazy escapades, but the series was ended before Moore could finish Halo's full story. However, there is still lots of content fans can read through, and luckily The Ballad of Halo Jones can still hold its own in comparison to other more recent works.
2 PROMETHEA
Promethea is another work featuring a strong, female protagonist by Alan Moore. The series revolves around the character Sophie Bangs, a young, curious college student. Bangs life changes when she discovers Promethea, a strong, female fighter that lives within a dimension that was created by imagination.
Promethea can appear or turn into others when someone talks about her. Bangs does exactly this, changing into Promethea and fighting danger. There are also lots of religious and mythological themes within the series that may interest fan as well.
1 SMAX
For a more different type of Alan Moore story, fans should try out the series, Smax. Smax is one of Moore's more comical stories, and it features excellent illustrations by Zander Cannon that fits well with the humor of the story.
The story is a mini spin-off series off his other work, Top 10. Smax is originally a character from Top 10. This spin-off titled after the character however has more of a fantasy feel that many fans fell in love with.