Alan Moore was born on 18 November 1953 in Northampton, England, and is widely regarded among critics and peers as one of the finest comic book writers in the English language. He began his career contributing to British underground and alternative fanzines in the late 1970s, gradually building a reputation through work in magazines such as 2000 AD and Warrior — the latter being among his most-credited titles alongside Promethea, Swamp Thing, Tom Strong, and Miracleman.
2000 AD #217 (1981)
His move to DC Comics made him the first British-based writer to achieve prominent work in American mainstream comics. There he transformed Swamp Thing into a critically serious title, wrote the Superman farewell story "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?", and collaborated on Batman: The Killing Joke. His magnum opus from that period, Watchmen, helped shift public perception of comics as a legitimate literary form on both sides of the Atlantic. He prefers the word "comic" to "graphic novel."
2000 AD #282 (1982)
After growing disenchanted with mainstream publishers in the late 1980s, Moore pursued independent work, producing the sprawling historical graphic novel From Hell and the prose novel Voice of the Fire. He later founded the America's Best Comics imprint, home to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and the occult-inflected Promethea. An avowed anarchist, occultist, and ceremonial magician, Moore wove those interests throughout his work. His 2016 novel Jerusalem ran to 1,266 pages. Several of his works became Hollywood films, all over his objections.
