Ten Ton Hero of the Month:
Posted By Jason Baroody on Sep 8, 2006 - 9:39 am

“The Anatomy Lesson”. Issue #21 of Swamp Thing…This was my introduction to Alan Moore.
Swamp thing is a DC character named Alec Holland; A scientist bathed in chemicals and set a blaze, only to extinguish himself in the waters of a swamp. Holland was turned into a plant-like creature who fought the good fight. A man that was transformed into a superhero.

Alan Moore took over the writing on this book and asked, "What if?"
What if Alec Holland had actually died in that swamp? What if the chemicals made plants grow; plants that fed off the remains of Holland, gained consciousness and thought they were Holland transformed?
Swamp thing was no longer a man who gained super powers.
It was a horror book about a plant pretending to be a man and what that creature would do with this realization.

Pure genius. That is Alan Moore.
Now some people know Alan and his writing best from books like Watchmen, V for Vendetta, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and From Hell.
Books turned into movies.
But Alan had many stories, many books and many ideas throughout his long and illustrious career in comics. Alan is quite the character as well; magician, musician, poet and weirdo.
Alan paved the way for a more mature type of comic book.
The kind that made you think.
These weren't just guys in tights or might-makes-right kinds of stories, but the kinds of comics you tell people who aren’t into comics to read.

He paved the way for other writers to take the genre of comics from a child-like hobby to a true respected art form for writers and creators.
Alan is sometimes praised and sometimes hyped, but for me he’s never over-rated. He simply is the best comic book writer to ever work in the industry.
He’s retired for now. He no longer writes comics.

But he will always be my hero.

I await his return to the medium and I pray he will. But when I feel the urge for a good story to read, I pull one of those Alan Moore books of the shelf…and think.
What if?
Thank you, Alan Moore.
Cheers
~Jason Baroody

Some Alan Moore books to read:
Miracleman
Swamp Thing
Killing Joke
Captain Britain
Big Numbers
Promethea

For more about Alan Moore:
Alan Moore: portrait of an extraordinary gentleman

Ask your local comic book retailer or search for Alan Moore on the Internet.
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