One of first things I noticed about this collection were the number of short four to eight page back-up tales. Don’t let this fool you into thinking these are mere throwaway stories used to pad a title. These are actually mini-masterpieces featuring some great Green Lantern tales featuring Mogo the Green Lantern planet, the Green Lantern before Hal Jordan and the prophecy that he would die in a plane crash due to not using his ring enough, and a very entertaining tale of trying to grant a being the title of Green Lantern when they know nothing of color or light and Green and Lantern are not in their vocabulary. There is also a Green Arrow/Black Canary two-parter featuring Green Arrow tackling a common thug. Phantom Stranger witnesses the fall of an “angel” that reminds him of Lucifer and his own history which is really rivetting. There are also two oddball tales from Omega Men each where nothing is as it seems. Those looking for some full-length yarns are treated to a very interesting Vigilante two-parter featuring an abusive father taking his daughter and Vigilante and a prostitute chasing him.

            Of course, the best stories deal with the two icons of DC: Superman and Batman. Superman is well-represented here with two “What If” type tales and another of Superman driving to Florida to die only to be saved by Swamp Thing. The two “what if” type tales feature some great writing. One is where Superman is taken over by Mogul and lives a life as if Krypton never exploded while Batman, Robin and Wonder Woman try to save him. Seeing Superman just as plain Kal-El is quite different from what we’re used to seeing. The other two are basically written as if they were the last issues of Superman and Action Comics. I can’t even begin to describe how cool a concept that is, as Superman’s life and reign are neatly tied up and we see his identity revealed to the world, his friends trapped in the Fortress of Solitude, Lana Lang and Jimmy Olsen sacrificing themselves to try to help Superman against Brainiac/Luthor and finally his apparent death. Of course, a wink at the end reveals he is alive and well and married to Lois.

            Finally, there’s Batman. There’s a creepy tale featuring Clayface falling madly in love with a mannequin and finally Moore’s swan song with DC, and his most popular DC tale called “The Killing Joke.” This is a character study of the Joker, his past, his present, his madness, and shows how creepy he can really be. He does unthinkable things to Detective Gordon to try to make him snap, including shooting his daughter in the stomach and crippling her (repurcussions still felt to this day), stripping him naked and torturing him but he still does not snap. Batman is not really in the issue but shows up at the end to show Joker not everyone is like him and in a very surreal moment share a laugh at the end. There’s a reason this is considered one of Batman’s best tales, ranking up along there with Dark Knight Returns. This is the seminal Joker story and the mood and tone of the book echo that of Watchmen.

            In the end, you’re left wanting more, though I am sure this will be all we get, as Moore shuns any sort of spotlight and will probably never write for DC ever again, or Marvel ever. We have this volume of work to remind us of what he is capable of doing. Well-thought out stories are what’s offered here, and Moore’s take on some of DC’s most beloved and most obscure characters. I give this the highest recommendation to any comic fan so that they may see what all the fuss is about and to get well-acquainted with Moore’s style before graduating to classics like Watchmen.