DC Universe by Alan Moore

Voodoo: Dancing in the Dark #1-4++

by Alan Moore, Various (Illustrator)

Considerado universalmente uno de los mejores guionistas de cómics de la historia, Alan Moore ha influido profundamente en el medio y en toda una generación de autores. Su creatividad y su visión se pueden admirar en su máxima expresión en obras maestras como Watchmen, V de vendetta, La broma asesina, La Cosa del Pantano, From Hell, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Tom Strong, Promethea y muchas más.
El Universo DC de Alan Moore se centra en las historias que ha escrito para la editorial a lo largo de los años. Desde sus primeros relatos de Green Lantern y Batman, este volumen muestra a un Moore en su mejor momento que, a pesar de la variedad, resulta inconfundible

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Fiction, Batman, Superman

464 pages, Paperback

First published March 20, 2012

About the author

Alan Moore is an English writer most famous for his influential work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. He has also written a novel, Voice of the Fire, and performs "workings" (one-off performance art/spoken word pieces) with The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels, some of which have been released on CD.

As a comics writer, Moore is notable for being one of the first writers to apply literary and formalist sensibilities to the mainstream of the medium. As well as including challenging subject matter and adult themes, he brings a wide range of influences to his work, from the literary–authors such as William S. Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, Robert Anton Wilson and Iain Sinclair; New Wave science fiction writers such as Michael Moorcock; horror writers such as Clive Barker; to the cinematic–filmmakers such as Nicolas Roeg. Influences within comics include Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby and Bryan Talbot.

Reviews

[Dirk Grobbelaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so you’ve read the likes of Watchmen and V for Vendetta but you’re looking for more Alan Moore. Here’s a novelty: a collection of Moore’s DC work over the years. It’s a motley assortment, but there are some real gems here.

Included are two seminal pre-Crisis Superman stories namely For the Man who has Everything and Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?. These alone are just about worth the price of admission (refer: Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? ), but there’s a lot more to enjoy.

Moore excels in being different, and in making even mundane comics interesting (or disturbing). Like other reviewers I was a bit out of sorts with the second half of the collection, and for the same reasons (not very familiar with the source material). This doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy it, though. The weakest link here, in my opinion, is the four-part Voodoo sequence (“weak” being relative, of course).

A particularly exciting find for me was the Vigilante arc. It shows just how gritty and edgy some of the DC stuff actually was back in the 80s (and I thought the Mike Grell Green Arrow run was the only example of this kind of thing…)

This will keep you busy for a while, it’s quite hefty as far as Graphic Novels / Collections go. Highly recommend for fans of Alan Moore and/or the DC Universe.

[Sud666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alan Moore has written some great comics. He has also written some unvarnished crap. Both these qualities are on display in this collection of Alan Moore's DC works.

The volume starts off strong. While the art and even the stories are rather dated, the stories were well told and unique. We have the classics like "For the Man who has everything" which was a classic Superman story, as was the famous "Whatever happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" Superman story.

But there are others such as the classic Green Lantern "Mogo doesn't socialize" and "Blackest Night" and a good Batman annual with a different Clayface.

These were all a great collection and the volume was going strong..until the final 25% of the book. Starting with the awful Vodoo story and then the even worse collection of nonsense from titles that have thankfully long disappeared. Sometimes even the best writers run out of material and just spew out crap. Sadly Moore's last quarter of work can best be ignored. But it does turn a 4 or 5 star collection into a merely "good" 3 star.

Great premise, some classic stories, but the final quarter was awful. It's good for people looking to see some classic Moore DC titles, but he has written far better comics than these.

[Murphy C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had previously read both of the Superman stories herein a couple of times, as a kid and an adult. They are rightly considered undisputed classics. Most of the other stuff was new to me. I may have read the Green Lantern Corps stories long ago, but if so I can't recall. The two-issue Vigilante story was interesting, as was that of the Phantom Stranger. And the Clayface story was neat, too. Regarding the back third of this book: it's all Wildstorm stuff and my advice would be to ignore it all. Pretend that the book ends with the Man of Tomorrow.

[Ignacio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha gustado mucho volver a leer estas historias. Las dos clásicas de Superman, el cruce con La cosa del Pantano, el encuentro entre Batman y Clayface... Pero por encima de todas ellas sobresalen las publicadas en diferentes cabeceras de Green Lantern u Omega Men. Muy en la línea de lo que Moore ya había escrito para 2000AD, atrapan la tradición de los personajes entrelazada con un giro de cf o de terror que consiguen imprimir frescura y mordiente a algo que solía ser muy acartonado. En especial en las dos en las cuales toca el horror cósmico. Tristemente, el tomo ofrece las más conocidas recoloreadas a la manera de la casa, como si fueran tebeos concebidos en los primeros tiempos del color digital. Un drama.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good collection of standalone stories. Certainly the commonality is pretty much just pretty good writing and good enough art. I didn't like the ending Wild C.a.t.s story. And the Deathblow stories were a bit much, a bit too confusing - but ended well. The Green Lantern stories all worked as little snippets, making that universe look more interesting than usual. The draw in this book were the Superman stories, these were selected for discussion for a book group. None of these stories were absolutely exceptional, but as a whole this book worked. 3.5 of 5.

[Marko Bojkovský · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kapitalna kolekcija opuštenijih Murovih pisanija za DC.
Na bezmalo 500 strana je skupljeno sve i svašta sa potpisom ovog autora, nisam niti upoznat sa DC produkcijom, niti Murovim delovanjem na superherojštinu izvan njegovih popularnijih radova, tako da je ovo bil opravo otkrovenje za mene i silno uživanje... ili makar većina toga.

Neverovatno je sa koliko kreativnosti, mašte, olako razbacanih ideja se susrećemo ovde. Mur nije štedeo. Neke priče su kratke, na jedva desetak strana i često su tu zbog "punch line" šale - kao ona o Grin Lanternu koji je planeta ili ona koja se bavi problemom objašnjavanja koncepta Grin Lanterna biću koje živi u večitom mraku, slepo je i ne poznaje niti boje, niti svetlost.

Ključne priče ovde, rekao bih, su: "Whatever Happend to the Man of Tomorrow" koja je neobavezna"poslednja" priča o Supermenu, koja se možda desila, a možda nije, možda će, a možda i nikada neće. "Fathers Day" koja u glavnoj ulozi ima danas zapostavljenog Vigilante-ja i prostitutku u storiji o seksualnom nasilju unutar porodice i predstavlja nešto što bih voleo da čitam i nadalje i naširoko, ali zaista - duhovito, opičeno, nasilno, sa zabavnom dinamikom između nesrećnog, ne posebno sposobnog Superheroja (koji deluje kao preteča Kick Assa na momente) i daleko snalažljivije i brutalnije kurve. Nešto što bi i Tarantino mogao u film da pretoči. "The Big Chill" je lagana priča smeštena na kraj univerzuma, sa svega nekoliko poslednjih preživelih super-bića (između ostalih su tu jedan jevrejin, kao i samosvesni sifilis), kao i superheroj Mr. Majestic. Atmosfera je zaista lepa, meditativna i sve ukupno duhom podseća na Murkokove "Legende s kraja vremena"...

Unutar kolekcije je "Voodoo" sa četiri broja, što je čini najdužom, a istovremeno i najlošijom pričom. Nije loše ovo, svakako, priča je čak i okej, ali je crtež zaista jednostavan i neinspirativan. Pred kraj dolazi "Deatblows: Byblows" koja popravlja utisak značajno i predstavlja, donekle, atmosferični omaž evropskom SF stripu sedamdesetih.

Sve u svemu, baš fina kolekcija, ostaje nada da će se nekada pojaviti i na srpskom jeziku.

[Variaciones Enrojo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reseña de Raúl López para Zona Negativa:
http://www.zonanegativa.com/el-univer...

Uno de los mejores guionistas de la industria del cómic – sino el mejor – es Alan Moore (Northampton, 1953). Suyas son algunas de las mayores obras maestras de la industria del cómic, y es que con aportaciones como La cosa del pantano, Watchmen, V de Vendetta, Supreme o la línea ABC ha conseguido que de forma unánime aclamemos cada nuevo trabajo suyo que se anuncie.

Aunque al pensar en su obra rápidamente acudimos a esas grandes etapas que han marcado la industria, también es cierto que hay una serie de historias cortas en cuanto a extensión que atesoran una calidad a la altura de las anteriormente mencionadas. Historias como La broma asesina, ¿Qué le sucedió al hombre del mañana? o Para el hombre que lo tiene todo rápidamente vienen a nuestra memoria y para muchos incluso algunas de ellas superan a sus obras mayores.

Con el objetivo de en primer lugar poner en el pedestal que se merece a estas historias menores – repito que en cuanto a extensión – y por otro lado, darlas a conocer a los lectores DC Comics decidió reeditarlas en una edición de lujo recopilando buena parte de ellas en un volumen que a su vez ha sido editado por ECC Ediciones en España en tapa dura con sobrecubiertas con un precio de 25€ siendo uno de esos casos en los que la calidad que atesora en su interior bien vale lo que cuesta.

(Reseña completa en http://www.zonanegativa.com/el-univer... )

[Estefanía Soto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro es una magnífica recopilación de los mejores cómics del gran Alan Moore. Algunos ya los había leído, otros los conocía de nombre y otros eran totalmente nuevos. Como siempre, unos son mejores que otros, pero eso no impidió que disfrutara con cada historia.

¿Lo mejor? El cómic final: "The Killing Joke", un clásico que quería leer desde hace mucho y que me ha parecido magnífico, pues conocer una posible historia de origen del Guasón es sencillamente incomparable.

[Variaciones Enrojo]

Reedición que incluye varios relatos cortos escritos en su momento para el hoy desaparecido sello WildStorm.

[Абрахам Хосебр · Rating 4 out of 5]

Вирішив трохи почитати коміксів. І вже прочитав величеньку антологію ранніх робіт молодого Мура для DC.

DC Universe by Alan Moore (2013) - колекція коротких різножанрових коміксів, котрі Мур робив для DC, та інших видавництв, котрі були викуплені DC пізніше. Часові рамки в яких вони публікувалися - 1985-2000
Є два комікси про Супермена, котрі свого часу стали культовими. Нижче, розкажу про три комікси, котрі мені сподобалися найбільше.

Deathblow: Byblows - найближчий до сучасних коміксів і стилем і рисунком і подачею. Психоделічний римейк матриці із людьми в капсулах, котрі заново народжуються на химерній планеті. З цікавих фактів - Мур вводить тут синтетично створене містечко Провіденс (за дизайном такий собі Діснейленд, якби його колись спроектував Жан Жиро Мебіус). Цю ж назву, він у майбутньому використає для серії своїх авторських Лавкрафтських коміксів.

Voodoo - історія в чотирьох випусках про стриптизерку, котра стає аватаром богині Самеді і перемагає злого демона вуду. За жанром це бойовик, еротика і легка езотерика. Цю роботу Мура, можна назвати такою собі альфа версією його шедевральної "Прометеї". Також головна героїня читає книгу Майї Дерен - революційної режисерки українського походження, власне цю книгу, котра описує міфологію та культи вуду я запланував до прочитання.

The Big Chill - найбільш Мурівський комікс з усіх, представлених у антології. Тут Алан розігнався на повну. От тільки уявіть собі сюжет: вісім наймогутніших та найвитриваліших істот у всьому Всесвіті зібрались в одному місці, щоб зустріти кінець світу. Серед них: Маджестрос - такий собі супермен з сивою бородою і довгим волоссям; Сімберлін - суперрозумний вірус сифілісу (sic!), котрий вважає себе богом кохання і живе в тілі надвитривалого інопланетянина Аптімаксера; Ґемет - буквальний бог із машини, створений штучним інтелектом; Джіджімоту - гігантський червоний драконоподібний бог примітивних культур; Лордмат - абстрактний дух арифметики, що виглядає як гігантська шахова фігура коня з червоними очима; Данталіон - останній князь демонів;Манні Вейс - безсмертний чоловік-скиталець, відомий також як Мандрівний Єврей;Евкрастія - остання королева вампірів. Вкінці на читачів чекає пряме посилання на Бога, яким його зобразили Ходоровскі і Мебіус в Інкалі.

Враження від цієї здоровенної (462 сторінки) збірки загалом позитивні. Хоча найстаріші комікси читати найважче через знамените для старих видань перенавантаження текстом, котрий загалом зайвий.

[?0?0?0 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a 3.5 rounded down.

Let me preface this review/summary with: superheroes put me to sleep when the bombastic soundtracks are not producing migraines. So, fans of the superheroes in Alan Moore's "DC Universe" will likely get more of a kick from this collection than I did. However, issues of a Voodoo character's (I think it's Dambola Voodoo, does anyone know?) passage through a twisted landscape in New Orleans is as enjoyable as anything you're likely to read here and it is a terrific blend of "Promethea" and "Neonomicon" that is worth owning as a single issue if they are out there? (anyone?) As for the rest, as I told my beautiful soon-to-be-wife, I never thought I'd see the day when I truly cared about what happened to the character of Robin, but I did here. Moore's take on Superman is especially fascinating and the "Mad Max" like apocalyptic tale that arrives before the last issue in this volume is also spectacular and I am ignorant as to the title of it (again, anyone?). What bogs this volume down, though, are all the Green Lantern stories--does anyone even enjoy that line of comic books? Alan Moore's versions are superior than any other I have come across but they are still terrible--the concept, the characters, the setting, the threats and so forth could put a speed-freak into a coma. Nevertheless, the themes and questions and imagery we associate with Moore, and the intelligent character development and dialogue that soars above all other comic writers, can be found in "DC Universe" but one would be better off reading the mountain of classic books Alan Moore has written unless DC and Superheroes are your thing.

[Asen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imaginación al poder.

[Norman Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collected in this volume: Superman Annual #11, Detective Comics #549-550, Green Lantern #188, Vigilante #17-18, Omega Men #26-27, DC Comics Presents #85, Green Lantern Corps Annual #2, Secret Origins #10, Green Lantern Annual #3, Batman Annual #11, Superman #423, Action Comics #583, Wildstorm Spotlight #11, Voodoo #1-4, Deathblow #1-3, WILDC.A.T.S #50.
This is an incredibly mixed bag. The Superman stories "For the Man Who Has Everything" and "What Ever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow" are classics. The Green Lantern tale "Mogo Doesn't Socialize" is a creative look at looking at situations from very different perspectives. The other superhero stories from the 1985-87 period are generally quite good. When the volume jumps to the Wildstorm stories from 1997-2000 (which I mostly skimmed over), the quality, both in writing and in artwork, goes to almost zero, with lots of explicit sex and violence. Moore can write moving stories that look at the dark side of life, but he is also prone to overwritten philosophical junk.

[Pedro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Empiezo por decir que fue una decepción. Alan Moore es un genio de los cómics y antes de esto todo lo que había leído de él me ha gustado mucho. Lo mejor de este volumen recopilatorio ya lo había leído antes y lo que no había leído va de regular a malo. Es como si hubiese escrito esos cómics por contrato pero sin ningunas ganas de hacerlo. Los diáogos son terribles, las historias son locas pero sin ir a ningún lado. Y en algunos casos, las ilustraciones son igual de mediocres. Lo mejor y lo que realmente sube el promedio, son las historias de Superman y Action Cómics. En una segunda categoría pondría la historia de Batman, Vigilante y la de los Green Lantern Corps. De ahí en adelante todo lo demás es insufrible, siendo lo peor Voodoo, seguido muy de cerca por la última historia de WILDC.A.T.S. En realidad lo terminé por ser completista y porque no me podía creer que el escritor de Watchmen, Swamp Thing y Miracle Man hubiese escrito estos sinsentidos...

[Nicolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The inclusion of the essential Superman stories, 'Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?' and 'For the Man Who Has Everything...' make this collection worth the price of admission. It's a bonus to have all the miscellaneous Moore included. There won't be more, given Moore's much documented rift with DC.

For a Moore fan, this is a handy volume. You don't need to hunt all those individual back issues in eBay or your local comic shop.

Not all Moore wrote was gold, but these stories were certainly different from the comic stories of this vintage. It certainly influenced his peers and the next generation of comic creators.

[Murf Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alan Moore is one of those amazing writers that is able to introduce new perspectives into existing narratives. Moore puts heroes in unique situations that force them to use other abilities within themselves to solve their problems. Moore also has a way of tying in the stories to larger topics that affect me and everyone and gives me much to reflect on when the story is over. I am almost compelled to reflect on myself.
Thanks Alan!

[Howell Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection is a mixed bag, with some Superman and Batman stories and some about lesser known characters and one-shots, like the very strange but good "Voodoo" miniseries. The worst are decent and the best are very good. And the art here is good to spectacular. Clearly, before he did "Swamp Thing" and his creator-owned works, Moore was a very good writer in the mainstream comics world.

[Mariano · Rating 5 out of 5]

A ver: son 5 estrellas por los trabajos para DC y sobre todo lo de Superman. No me parece justo tener que bajarle el puntaje a eso porque a un editor en estado de ebriedad se le ocurrio también meter las basuras ilegibles de Wildstorm que el barba hizo para pagar el alquiler.

En serio vas a poner Whatever happened to the man of tomorrow con Voodoo? Pero andá a comerte un churro...

[Kiwi · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some absolute classic all timer superhero stories that are still being referenced and copied here in "For The Man Who Has Everything" and "Whatever Happened To The Man of Tomorrow?", some wonderful sci-fi short stories like "In Blackest Night" and "Mogo Doesn't Socialize" and then there's just a bunch of Wildstorm bullshit that I didn't care about but was still alright.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a couple genuinely great Moore stories here, but mostly it's little bits cobbled together, most of which isn't his best stuff.

[José Trujillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una recopilación de historias imprescindibles para los amantes de DC Cómics y el maestro de la narrativa Alan Moore.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and not so good

I think I like alan moore when he is writing his own characters. His style doesn't always translate well to established characters.

[Sydney Bennett]

The three chosen comics that I read about Superman in DC Universe by Alan Moore were exceptional. The three comics were so unlike the other comics I have read by Moore, and they were my favorite ones. Since the individual comics were short in length, Moore was forced to progress the story at a much faster rate which I enjoyed. This fast pace did not however eliminate the immense details present in each of Moore's works. From the very beginning of all three comics: For the Man who has Everything, The Jungle Line, and Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow, I was completely lost in the storyline, and was physically unable to put the book down. There were different qualities about each comic which I particularly enjoyed, and I do not think I have one negative remark to any of the three short comics.
For the Man who has Everything was arranged in a way which was confusing at first, but once the story was able to be fully understood, I loved how the panels were presented. When Superman is off in his other world, the panels are outlined in a thick red color. This detail allows the reader to separate the fantasy from the reality in a subtle way. Also, I enjoyed how Moore depicted Superman's vulnerability even though it is thought that superheroes are invincible. This gives Superman a more realistic and human-like feeling for the reader's to sympathize with and relate to.
The Jungle Line is unlike any of the other three chosen comics, it combines two characters whom would never be expected to be put together, Superman and the Swamp Thing. In this comic, the Swamp Thing is presented as being the weak and more human-like creature despite his appearance. He is able to save Superman's life even after it seems that Superman does not want his help. The Swamp Thing goes unnoticed by Superman in a way because Superman cannot remember anything after his experience with the fever. Superman is also humanized in this comic. A reader can easily sympathize with Superman when he is losing all of his superhuman skills and is going insane. The storyline of this comic is much slower than the other two, but the outcome creates a great comic.
Lastly, Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow is a great ending for the Superman comic series because it leaves the reader with a burning question which could be looked into and spun off into new comics in the future.The last few panels in the novel illustrates Lois, her husband, and their son Jonathan. From the text, they are having a normal conversation, but if the reader pays attention to baby Jonathan, he or she can see that the baby has changed coal into a diamond suggesting that he has some form of superhuman powers. This realization could lead to the idea that Lois' new husband is really just Superman disguised with a new secret identity. Whether this theory is correct may never be known by any reader because it is not directly stated to be true. The comic ends with the thought-provoking question of, "...What do you think?". The ending to that comic was absolutely perfect for the suspense seeking reader, and the use of color throughout the story was key in determining the mood of the comic.

[D.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's largely undisputed at this point that Alan Moore is or was at least one of the greatest writers comics has ever known. Added to this, but often forgotten, is that he has also been one of its most prolific creators. This collection of earlier stories he wrote comes from all around the DC 'universe,' including a few Wildstorm properties. It's a surprisingly patchy bunch, but further testimony to the chameleonic range of Moore's talents, which he's able to adapt to whatever style suits the character.
Far and away the front runner here is 'Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?,' a Superman tale to end all Superman tales. Couched as it is in the 1960s mythology, it seems natural to have brought in Curt Swan to illustrate, although his style is largely overshadowed by the meticulous George Perez inks in the first part but better served by Kurt Schaffenberger's in the second. Even for someone who (like me) is only passingly familiar with Superman's history, this is a fun, engaging and perfectly fitting tale of what may or may not be the Man of Steel's final adventure, as told in retrospect from the distant future.
These superhero stories then run the gamut from the acceptable fare he produced with Green Arrow, Vigilante and Batman, to the reprehensible, incomprehensible but beautifully illustrated closer with WildCATS. The Wildstorm Studio work is overall the weakest stuff, not at all aided by the (aside from the aforementioned) typically ridiculous artwork. Even in these stories, though, there is always the glimmer of brilliance that is perhaps unavoidable in Moore's work. The Voodoo miniseries has the makings of a great story, and might have been better served if Adam Hughes had done the interiors rather than just the covers. I can't believe I'm even saying it, but even the Deathblow 'By-Blow' story could have been a classic Heavy Metal style bit of craziness, but is largely let down again by poor art (even more significant in this story than usual in comics, as a great deal of the storytelling is done in the images).
Though I've been a fan of Moore for as long as I've been a comics geek, I had always steered clear of the sort of stuff gathered here. It was with reticence that I finally got around to reading these, and now only because I found it at our local library. As it is, I'm glad I don't own any of this stuff, but for the most part it was fun to read. Not mandatory for casual Moore fans, but probably a much more engaging collection to DC universe acolytes.

[Christopher Rush · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, the first half of the collection (the '80s DC material) was superior to the second half ('90s Wildstorm/Image stuff) - not just because I'm not an Image fan, per se (if it was good, I would have said so, regardless of the publisher), but because they were better stories. One thing we can say for sure about the inscrutable Alan Moore: he delights in grey heroes. Moore has an amazing ability to make even Superman (the quintessential monolithic All-American Boy Scout Hero) shaded and shadowed and heterogeneous. He's not the only one who can do that well, of course (e.g., Frank Miller), but he seems to be wholly committed to creating worlds of ambiguous lines and moral ambivalences. Another thing Alan Moore does well is take the ideas of the characters/creations of others to their potential extremes (or, at least, he takes them to their logical potential ends, not necessarily "extremes"). With the famous "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" Moore shows us that villains usually do really heinous things - that usually includes murder, even of people we know and love. Having a, shall we say, unusual sense of humor, though, Moore does it with a wink and a nod - sometimes overtly, sometimes covertly. Moore seems to be a fan of deconstructing heroism - but not a careless, "forget the original meanings" postmodern sort of way; rather, he breaks down the nature of these heroes, the ideas of their heroism, the ideas behind costumed heroes and vigilante heroes and regular everyday people - and shows how they aren't always as different or complex as we might sometimes wish them to be. This is especially remarkable, considering Moore somehow usually balances "breaking things down to their component parts for close, uncluttered inspection/revelation" and "nothing is every clear cut, black-and-white, one-or-the-other." This is a great sampling of Moore's miscellaneous work over the years, good for fans of Moore who only know him from the titans of his oeuvre (LXG, V, Watchmen, Swamp Thing) as well as fans of good, provocative, not-always-"safe" stories. Feel free to read the first half with the kids in the room, but save the second half for when the kids aren't around.

[Nate]

Alan Moore’s minor DC and Wildstorm work* is collected here, and it’s an interesting read for sure. He covers a lot of ground in these stories, from high concept sci-fi to straightforward superheroics to grim ‘n’ gritty vigilantism. Some are better than others, of course, but the good ones are really good. I’m talking mainly about “For the Man Who Has Everything,” one of the best Superman stories ever written. There’s nothing I can say about this story that hasn’t already been said, it’s outstanding. Moore’s DC stuff is mostly solid, actually. The Vigilante two-parter is a nuanced look at child abuse, while “Mogo Doesn’t Socialize” deserves its classic status. His other Green Lantern stories have been gratuitously mined by Geoff Johns and his ilk, but reading them here, they’re nothing more or less than pure little 8-pagers based on clever ideas. The Omega Men backups, on the other hand, are largely forgettable. And I think “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow” is overrated. As the last Silver Age Superman story, it’s an overstuffed two issues with little emotional resonance.

I didn’t like the Wildstorm stories as much as the DC ones. That’s probably because I have limited experience with Wildstorm. Regardless, the Voodoo and Deathblow stories are prime examples of bad 90’s comics, all overblown action and oversexed art. I did enjoy the Majestic issue, as it reminded me of Moore's Swamp Thing run, which I adore.

All told, this is an intriguing collection of Moore’s small work-for-hire projects. Even within the constraints of shared universes, he squeezed out some great ideas. Not every story’s a winner. But there are some gems here worth reading.

*Everything but Swamp Thing, Watchmen, The Killing Joke, WildC.A.T.s, and America’s Best Comics

[David Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

(THIS IS A REVIEW OF DC UNIVERSE BY ALAN MOORE(Hardback)not the paperback with a very similar title!For some reason G'Rs have these books as 1 & the same,there NOT)The info Goodreads gives about this book is wrong!!(they are talking about the paperback called "DC Universe STORYS by Alan Moore")A small title change but the contents are very diffrent.This hardback does not contain the Killing Joke but in its place you get the Voodoo mini series by Moore,The Deathblow miniseries 'Byblows' which is a good bit of sci-fi,a truly great 1 shot featuring Majestro at the end the Universe & the start of a new one,WildC.A.T.S "Reincarnation" which is beyond me why they just stuck this in here at the end when it was the climax of 'The Complete Alan Moore WildC.A.T.S' book.Apart from they pretty major changes this collects all of the other storys that it states in the Goodreads info' passage.Alot of reviews of this book are misleading because of the mistake.So if you already own The Killing Joke this is a FAR better buy than the paperback with the near same name.This is worth getting for two of the best silverage Superman comics ever penned,plus a great Superman/Swamp Thing crossover which in lesser hands could have been a shambles!Add in all the Green Lantern storys(3 in total)/a good Vigilante two parter/1 good & 1 not so good Omega men story/a good Batman & Clayface story/A decent Green Arrow 2 parter & a Phantom Stranger tale & you have a must have book for all comic fans(especially but not only for Alan Moore fans)who should,lets face it already have A Killing Joke in 1 form or other!

[John]

I really enjoyed most of this (with the exception of one turd of a story, see below), even though I don't have any particular interest in traditional DC characters. He did interesting things with Superman, which I'd thought would be impossible, in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_the_... (in which a villain makes Superman believe Krypton was never destroyed, and explores the consequences of Jor-El's prediction failing) and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whatever... (an "imaginary story" [non-canonical] about the death of Silver Age Superman, which somehow makes the stupid flying dog seem noble). There was a story paralleling a schism in the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardian... (the red-bereted non-fictional volunteer citizen patroller people) with the War in Heaven. And a bunch of hard science fiction idea stories in the guise of Green Lantern Corps adventures. And there was a pretty decent story about a handful of alien superheroes who are still around at the end of the universe when it runs out of energy (the "Big Freeze" hypothesis, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate...).

There was one story, "A Man's World," whose ending was somewhat ambiguous, but I interpreted it as an attempted joke about violence against women, which was dumb and offensive. Googling for other reviews, I mostly find people who missed the ambiguity I saw, but seemed confused by the pointlessness... which I suspect means I read it correctly.

[Artur Coelho · Rating 3 out of 5]

O maior contributo de Alan Moore para o universo DC foi a sua reconstrução basilar de Swamp Thing, recriado a personagem num misto de mito, sobrenatural e ecologia. Um trabalho que ainda hoje forma uma das espinhas dorsais da DC Comics, entre Constantine e o próprio Monstro do Pântano. Este volume colige argumentos para outras personagens, e lido à distância, longe das continuidades de séries e arcos narrativos dos anos 90, sente-se o quanto Moore não ligava muito ao género. As suas histórias seguem sempre uma métrica precisa e desapaixonada, e nalgumas, especialmente as que desenvolveu para Green Archer, Green Lantern ou para os heróis da Wildstorm, percebe-se que Moore estava apenas a escrever a metro. O grande destaque aqui vai para as duas histórias seminais que Moore escreveu para Superman, reimaginando o futuro da personagem se o seu planeta de origem não tivesse sido destruído em For The Man Who Has Everything, ou pensando o inimaginável, a morte de Superhomem em Whatever Happened To The Man Of Steel. Aqui é Moore no seu melhor, expandindo a mitologia do personagem em direções inesperadas. Também surpreende a mini-série que escreveu para Voodoo, tentando recriar a personagem indo às raízes da religião vodu, escapando à história original da Wildstorm. Voodoo viria a ser recuperada pela DC como híbrido humano-alienígena. Uma série que falha, pela excessiva sexualização da ilustração.

[Blind_guardian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alan Moore is one of the greatest comic book writers of the modern age, if not of all time. The author of Watchmen, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and V For Vendetta (all major motion pictures) has a large and fantastic body of work, including a number of DC Comics tales which are reprinted in this volume.

Alan Moore is fond of dark tales, and these are no exception. Even Superman finds himself tested to his limits, through stories that attack him where he is most vulnerable. This collection includes the famous "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?", the 'final' Superman story. There are a number of iconic Green Lantern tales, including the famous "Mogo Doesn't Socialize" and "Tygers", which introduce the planet of Ysmault and the Five Inversions, both of which Geoff Johns would later make use of in creating the Red Lanterns.

Perhaps my two favorite stories are "The Big Chill", in which the immortal Majestic observes the slow, inexorable heat-death of the universe, and makes a surprising discovery at the end of all things; and the Voodoo mini-series, where the former WildCATs member finds herself in New Orleans, and comes face to face with multiple gods, some benevolent and some bloodthirsty.

Highly recommended to fans of Alan Moore's other work, and anyone who likes to walk on the darker side of the superhero genre.