A review by gregbrown
DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore by Alan Moore
3.0
Re-read July 31, 2016:
This time I enjoyed the shorter stories more than the longer ones, which is a weird inversion from the earlier review further down! For the greatness of "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?", it leans a lot on being able to do Big Serious Things and has a really dark, almost cruel attitude towards the characters. These days I really prefer the warmth of something like All-Star Superman (or the animated series), at least when working with Superman and his enemies. And a lot of the short stories are just fun, like Superman's run-in with Swamp Thing or what it's like to have a Green Lantern who's never even seen light. There are still some ones that are just ~there~, but at least they're over quickly enough.
Also it is super-uncanny that I happened to re-read this exactly two years after the first time.
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Original read July 31, 2014:
Moore's work is always formally brilliant, often juggling parallel stories and juxtaposing words in one scene against images from another. Yet as far as emotional content goes, most of these standalone stories fall flat.
Granted, there are a few gems here—"Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" is outstanding, and possibly the best Superman story outside of All-Star Superman. "The Killing Joke" was a tremendously influential take on the Joker, though for my money The Dark Knight did it one better. Too many of the other stories feel perfunctory, though, especially the Vigilante story. (The execution and structure are superb, but the subject matter kinda boring and drawn out as a result. You'll see what I mean.)
If you enjoyed another of Moore's works like Watchmen or V for Vendetta, this collection is at least interesting to see him use the more conventional DC characters. But if you're really looking to branch out with him, is really recommend From Hell or his run on Swamp Thing instead; he's at his best when he has room to work.
This time I enjoyed the shorter stories more than the longer ones, which is a weird inversion from the earlier review further down! For the greatness of "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?", it leans a lot on being able to do Big Serious Things and has a really dark, almost cruel attitude towards the characters. These days I really prefer the warmth of something like All-Star Superman (or the animated series), at least when working with Superman and his enemies. And a lot of the short stories are just fun, like Superman's run-in with Swamp Thing or what it's like to have a Green Lantern who's never even seen light. There are still some ones that are just ~there~, but at least they're over quickly enough.
Also it is super-uncanny that I happened to re-read this exactly two years after the first time.
--------------
Original read July 31, 2014:
Moore's work is always formally brilliant, often juggling parallel stories and juxtaposing words in one scene against images from another. Yet as far as emotional content goes, most of these standalone stories fall flat.
Granted, there are a few gems here—"Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" is outstanding, and possibly the best Superman story outside of All-Star Superman. "The Killing Joke" was a tremendously influential take on the Joker, though for my money The Dark Knight did it one better. Too many of the other stories feel perfunctory, though, especially the Vigilante story. (The execution and structure are superb, but the subject matter kinda boring and drawn out as a result. You'll see what I mean.)
If you enjoyed another of Moore's works like Watchmen or V for Vendetta, this collection is at least interesting to see him use the more conventional DC characters. But if you're really looking to branch out with him, is really recommend From Hell or his run on Swamp Thing instead; he's at his best when he has room to work.