Alan Moore is a magician. This claim is at once a metaphor and literally true. The English author and comic book writer trained years ago to become a practicing ceremonial magician. But it’s through his words and ideas that he creates his true magic. Since Moore has just announced his retirement from writing comics, in this post I’ll examine some of the best Alan Moore comics written over the course of his forty year career.
Moore’s stated reason for retiring are, apparently, that he has finally completed his run on the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and now wants to stop writing comics (see here).
Although he has announced plans to retire in the past, this time it looks like he’s serious for which reason this is actually sad news; mainly because writers of Moore’s caliber are increasingly becoming a rarity in the comics industry.
Moore originally began his career in England, writing for the British comic series 2000 A.D. (the series that gave us Judge Dredd) and Dr. Who comics for the Marvel UK brand (where his work on Captain Britain is still a decent read). Moore then went to work for DC, and that’s where some of his most innovative scripts appeared. However, in recent years, Moore has preferred to avoid the big publishers (DC/Marvel) and has published almost exclusively with smaller companies.
Miracleman #1 (August 1985)- British Marvelman series; Alan Moore script; First issue of series
Starting out as Marvelman, the comic that became Miracleman for Eclipse comics is a high point of Moore’s creative endeavors. It was Moore’s first (but far from last) foray into the genre of revisionist superhero story-telling. It is therefore his first attempt to deconstruct the super-hero mythos; as such it is an underrated book and may eventually be recognized as a much more historically influential work. All that only means that, for now, this is still a relatively affordable book. You can pick up a 9.8 certified copy for around $230.00, but raw high grade copies can be found for much less and the last eBay sale of a 9.8 sold for a mere $125.00 on 04/18/2019.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen #1 (March 1999) – First series of ongoing stories
Under a lesser writer, the idea of throwing together characters from the public domain and creating a team book that evokes adventures in Victorian times would probably have failed miserably. But we’re taking about Alan Moore here (this time with help from Kevin O’Neill), and so this comic is a brilliant success. A brilliant success as a comic; the Sean Connery led movie was much less successful. That said there may be a remake in the works. In any case, as a comic in 9.8 this book sells for between $75.00 to $150.00 dollars. The highest recorded sale was for a 9.8 was for $199.99 (eBay 07/12/2017).
The Saga of the Swamp Thing #37 (May 1985) - First appearance of John Constantine
Moore’s taking over the Swamp Thing title was a historic event. It led to the crystallization of the so-called 'British Invasion' (which meant that soon writers like Neil Gaiman and Grant Morrison would arrive to contribute to US comics), and it also led to some of the best comics of the 1980s. Moore’s run on the Swamp Thing is now a must read and a classic. In issue #38 we get the first appearance of John Constantine, which alone makes it collectible and a great investment (there’s talk that Constantine will appear on the new Sandman Netflix series). ST #37 currently has a FMV of $600.00 in 9.8 certified condition. Its returns long term have been very strong over the last ten years, 9.8 grades are nonetheless currently down by negative -10.5%. This didn't stop an eBay best offer of $750.00 from going through on 06/05/2019. Right now, an 8.0 will run you around $100.00.
HBO is set to launch a 'Watchmen' show, this comic has been a full length motion picture, and it’s inspired two limited series (Before Watchmen and Doomsday Clock) and is still, in my opinion, an undervalued book. Ten years ago, you could purchase a 9.8 copy of Watchmen #1 for around $200.00. Those days seem to be gone and are not looking to come back any time soon. Long term returns over the last ten years are up +55.1% after 160 sales. Currently a 9.8 of this comic sells for an average of $525.00. Like Sandman #1, this is an investment worthy book.
Moore authored many more standout stories and series than any brief blog-post can ever do justice to. Let me end by citing other notable mentions that include, Batman: The Killing Joke, Superman Annual #11 ‘“For the Man Who Has Everything” and the graphic novels From Hell and V for Vendetta.
Happy retirement Mr. Moore, I, for one, will miss you.
