While Moore was evolving the superhero story with his work on Swamp Thing
and Watchmen
in the '80s he was also taking smaller freelance assignments for DC Comics. The works in DC's newly assembled collection of these stories (all previously available in various collections and put together for the first time here) don't possess the same momentousness as those titles but still provide an interesting side of Moore's oeuvre. Many of the stories are superheroes tales told with such wit and imagination that they reach all the promise the genre offers. The best is "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?," a heartfelt sendoff to the Silver Age–era of Superman comics rendered by the greatest Superman artist, Curt Swan. Many of the shorter pieces feature Moore's knack for coming up with science fiction twist endings that always amuse. The Green Lantern back-up "Mogo Doesn't Socialize" is as inventive as it is brief. Other stories feel like a dated part of the grim 1980s."The Killing Joke," featuring Batman and stunning art by Brian Bolland, and a Vigilante story are both dark and serious tales but they lack both Moore's virtuoso storytelling tricks and the complexity and humanity of his best work. (Jan.)
