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The Best Alan Moore Comics to Read

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Alan Moore Best Comics

Alan Moore is the most influential comics writer of the 1980s-1990s. It’s a fact. His work helped to define a new creative era of the medium at a time when it needed a way to grow, to mature. Nobody can deny how important some of his books were and still are for the comic book industry and for a lot of readers. His way to push the boundaries of what superhero comics can be never stopped to amaze and his success is undeniably justified.

Although he became a controversial figure and sometimes a tragic one too, you can not look at his career with anything but respect. In fact, reading Alan Moore’s work is required to fully understand the History of comic books – it helps that he collaborated with some of the greatest artists of his time like Dave Gibbons, Eddie Campbell, Ian Gibson, Stephen R. Bissette, Rick Veitch, John Totleben, Kevin O’Neill and more.

Of course, everybody has something to say about Alan Moore and his work. Us too! That’s why we are here today, to talk about his best comics, in my opinion. Some books are hard to find, a lot of his independent comics are in fact out-of-print, so it’s not easy to read everything he wrote. That said, there’s still enough available out there to enjoy and this is my selection of 10 of the best Alan Moore comics to read. You can write your own suggestions in the comments section.

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Jessica Jones Reading Order (Marvel)

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Jessica Jones Reading Order

Popularized by her Netflix Show, Jessica Jones started in the pages of her own Marvel comic book. She’s a PI with an avenger past (and future). Created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos, Jessica Jones first appeared in Alias #1 (November 2001), a Max imprint—which means adult content and language.

Once upon a time, Jessica Jones was a costumed superhero—but not a very good one. Now a chain-smoking, self-destructive alcoholic, Jessica is the owner and sole employee of Alias Investigations, specializing in superhuman cases. But when she uncovers a hero’s true identity, Jessica becomes the target of a far-reaching conspiracy.

At first, Bendis introduced her as a former superhero who becomes a private investigator, but she was retconned in the regular Marvel universe, becoming a student who was in school with Peter Parker and an ex-avenger.

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Devil’s Reign Reading Order, a Daredevil Event by Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto

 

Daredevil fans rejoice! The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen hasn’t had an event around him since 2010, with Shadowland. The actual Daredevil team, Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto rectify that with Devil’s Reign, a Marvel event confronting our superheroes to the mayor of the biggest city in America, Wilson Fisk!

Per Marvel’s official Synopsis, Wilson Fisk has risen from Kingpin of Crime to mayor of the biggest city in America. Now he’s going to bring his full criminal and political power to bear on the superheroes who call NYC home!

The man who once destroyed Daredevil has targeted the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and more. Fisk has an army of supervillains at his command — including Crossbones, Taskmaster, Typhoid Mary, Shocker, Whiplash, Rhino, and Kraven — and that’s just his opening salvo. Wait until you meet his Thunderbolts!

But Mayor Fisk isn’t the only one with ambitions…and you know what they say about honor among thieves. From the blockbuster creative team of DAREDEVIL comes the final act in Wilson Fisk’s master plan!

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May “Mayday” Parker Reading Order (Spider-Girl/Spider-Woman from Earth-982)

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May Mayday Parker, alias Spider-Girl / Spider-Woman

Across the multiverse, several characters call themselves or have called themselves ‘Spider-Girl’. For example, Anya Corazon has used the codename since 2010. But one of the most famous ‘Spider-Girl’ is May “Mayday” Parker, from the MC2 (Marvel Comics 2) continuity — or Earth-982.

Created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz, May Parker is the teenage daughter of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. She has made her first appearance in a What if? #105 story published in February 1998 before becoming the star of her own ongoing title. 

Marvel Comics 2 was then an imprint depicting the events taking place in the alternative timeline presented in the What If? issue. The events are the same as the main 616 continuity until the end of Clone Saga with the issue Spider-Man #75, in which Peter and Mary Jane’s baby daughter dies.

In the MC2 universe, Peter and Mary Jane were reunited with their baby daughter thanks to Kaine, who discovered the child living with Alison Mongraine—a con artist who had kidnapped the baby under the Green Goblin’s orders.

The Spider-Girl comic series takes place in the future, following Mayday Parker as a teenager. At age 15, she begins developing versions of her father’s spider powers and decides to become the new “new web-slinging wonder!”

To discover more about Spidey’s daughter from Earth-982, here is the May “Mayday” Parker Comics Reading Order!

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Annihilation: Conquest Reading Order, a Marvel Cosmic Event

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Annihilation: Conquest Reading Order

Almost directly after the first Annihilation event (see reading order), Marvel published its sequel as part of the modern Marvel Cosmic saga. Annihilation: Conquest is a 2007-08 crossover storyline that focuses on Marvel’s cosmic heroes defending the universe against the Phalanx, now led by Ultron. 

Here is the official synopsis: In the aftermath of the Annihilation War, a devastated galaxy struggles to rebuild. The Nova Corps are destroyed, leaving only Richard Rider. Who will rise to guard the galaxy against the threat of Ultron? When the Kree homeworld is invaded by the techno-organic Phalanx, Star-Lord must lead a ragtag team into battle behind enemy lines with a lineup that includes Mantis, Bug, Groot, and Rocket Raccoon! Meanwhile, the new Quasar seeks a mysterious savior — and Nova and Gamora are taken over by the Phalanx! Who is the haunted loner called Wraith? Can the New Mutants’ Warlock free Nova? And what are Ultron and the Phalanx really after?

What to read before Annihilation: Conquest?

Being a direct sequel to Annihilation, it is necessary to read that first cosmic event (see reading order). Once this one ended, only three Nova issues were published before Annihilation: Conquest began – they are collected with the rest of the event or here.

  • Annihilation Omnibus
    Collects Drax The Destroyer #1-4, Annihilation: Prologue, Annihilation: Nova #1-4, Annihilation: Silver Surfer #1-4, Annihilation: Super-Skrull #1-4, Annihilation: Ronan #1-4, Annihilation #1-6, Annihilation: Heralds Of Galactus #1-2 And Annihilation: Nova Corps Files.

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Batman The Court of Owls Reading Order

Created by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo (see their Batman Reading Order), The Court of Owls made its first appearance in Batman (vol. 2) #2 in 2011, at the beginning of the New 52 era. Before that, the Owls were not part of the DC Universe, but Snyder put some hints about it in his previous Batman work, Batman: Gates of Gotham.

The shadowy Court of Owls is an organized crime group and secret society made up of wealthy Gothamites who has secretly existed since colonial times in Gotham City. For a very long time, the Court was just an urban legend until Batman discovers one of their secret bases of operations. There he found a series of old photographs representing the members of the court with one of their assassins, the Talon (William Cobb)—The Court kidnaps child performers from the circus to train and transform them into their assassins, known as Talons.

Composed of some of Gotham City’s oldest and wealthiest families, The Court of Owls has controlled Gotham City for centuries, using murder and money to wield political influence throughout history. When they decide to send their killer after Bruce Wayne after he announced plans to rebuild and reshape Gotham City for the future, they revealed themselves to Batman.

“Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time,
Ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime.
They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed.
Speak not a whispered word about them, or they’ll send the Talon for your head.”

After a major storyline, The Court of Owls became a recurring villain in the DC Universe, not just Batman’s antagonists. Sometimes, the Court is just present in the background, sometimes it’s the target.

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Chew Comics in Order: An appetising reading guide to John Layman/Rob Guillory’s series

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Written by John Layman with art by Rob Guillory, Chew is a comedy-mystery series with a twist that won two Eisner Awards and two Harvey Awards. It was published by Image Comics from June 2009 to November 2016.

Now the series came back with a spin-off called Chu, and there are multiple editions of the original one. Here is a guide to help you navigate all this.

But first, what’s the story? Here is the official Chew synopsis: Tony Chu is a detective with a secret. A weird secret. Tony Chu is cibopathic, which means he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. It also means he’s a hell of a detective ― as long as he doesn’t mind nibbling on the corpse of a murder victim to figure out whodunit and why.

He’s been brought on by the Special Crimes Division of the FDA, the most powerful law enforcement agency on the planet, to investigate their strangest, sickest, and most bizarre cases.

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Daredevil: Shadowland Reading Order

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Daredevil Shadowland Reading Order

One of Daredevil’s greatest qualities, in my opinion, is the fact that you can read his stories without having to deal with too many Marvel events. Yes, he’s often present but most of the time, it doesn’t affect his story.

Once in a while, though, an event will have an impact on his life, or more rarely, it will be a Daredevil event! It was the case in 2010 with Shadowland, written by Andy Diggle and penciled by Billy Tan. It gives us one controversial event, maybe not as bad as some said, but not good either, if we have to be honest. Still, it is now part of Daredevil history.

But what is Shadowland about? Per Marvel: Matt Murdock dared evil … and lost! The battle for the soul of a hero begins! Pushed beyond his limits, Daredevil faces off for a final time against his deadliest foe–Bullseye–in their most brutal battle ever with more than just Hell’s Kitchen is at stake. Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Punisher, and more join forces to stop a war that is breaking out throughout New York, with Daredevil at the center. This event will change the streets of New York City–and the heroes that protect it–forever.

What to read before Daredevil: Shadowland?

The first Daredevil issues written by Andy Diggle serve as a preamble for the event. Nothing important happens but, like it’s often the case, helps to put things in perspective and have a better understanding of the character’s situation. (It’s also collected in the Shadowland omnibus).

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X-Men by Jonathan Hickman Reading Order, Part. 6: Dawn of X & Reign of X (2019-2022)

This is Part #6 of our tentative to compile a comprehensive X-Men Reading Order using the collected editions – You can find the first part here (The Silver Age & Chris Claremont, 1963-91), the second part here (Age of Apocalypse & Onslaught, 1991-2001), the third part here (From the Grant Morrison era to Civil War), the fourth part that leads us to Avengers Vs. X-Men, the fifth part (from Marvel NOW Reading Order to ResurrXion Era).

After the Age of X-Man event, Marvel decided to bring back the X-Men to the front and recruited Jonathan Hickman to take charge of the launch. He started with the House of X/Power of X miniseries that introduced an ambitious new conjecture. Here is the official synopsis: “While you slept, the world changed.” With those words, Professor X announces to the people of Earth the new mutant nation of Krakoa. It is a safe haven for all Homo superior, with its own rules and its own language. In return for international recognition, Xavier will offer humanity great scientific advancements, borne of Krakoa’s unique flora. But the time for integration has ended. Xavier’s old dream is dead -and now a new one begins. But is mutantkind’s greatest enemy the prejudice of humans or the cold artificial intelligences that await a hundred -even a thousand years -from now?

After that, Marvel started to relaunch more and more x-series, introducing new teams and new challenges.

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The Incal Reading Order, The French Comic Book by Jodorowsky and Moebius

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The Incal is a French graphic novel series (“L’Incal” in French) written by Alejandro Jodorowsky and illustrated by Moebius (aka Jean Giraud) that started in 1980 in the pages of “Métal hurlant.”

As the official synopsis explains it, The Incal is about the tribulations of the shabby detective John Difool as he searches for the precious and coveted Incal. John Difool, a low-class detective in a degenerate dystopian world, finds his life turned upside down when he discovers an ancient, mystical artifact called The Incal. Difool’s adventures will bring him into conflict with the galaxy’s greatest warrior, the Metabaron, and will pit him against the awesome powers of the Technopope. These encounters and many more make up a tale of comic and cosmic proportions that has Difool fighting for not only his very survival, but also the survival of the entire universe.

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