Alan Moore is known as one of the most famous and inventive comics writers of all time. His major works are often cited not just as the best comics, but as some of the best moments of storytelling in literature. In fact, Watchmen was one of the few comics listed on Time's 100 Best Novels in 2005.

Over the many years that he's been writing comics, Moore has produced multiple works that are rightly regarded as classics. In this list of ten essentials, I've tried to cover works that fit into the three periods of Moore's work as I see them.

Initially, Moore's work was quite lyrical in its approach, with a lot of prose seeping into the pages. He moved into a more formal, rigorous style after he entered American comics, which led into a research-heavy, dense style to some of his later work. With America's Best Comics, Moore starting bringing in cleaner, more straightforward storytelling. You can see the transition through his work, and moments where he combines some of those styles, and moments where he keeps them separate.

For this list of Alan Moore's ten essential works, we're looking at some of the best examples of each of those styles, and how they all fit into the larger Alan Moore puzzle. I've placed them into an order that also represents my favorite eras of his storytelling. Some of these comics are going to be your favorite, and some aren't going to resonate with you at all, but I think that has always been the real beauty of Moore's writing; the ability to cross genre and audience on an almost case-by-case basis.

Take a look, explore, and enjoy.

 

 

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