Rating: 
Summary: A wide variety of quality, but good overall
Review: This trade paperback should go over well with fans of Alan Moore's more prominent and masterful works (Watchmen, Killing Joke, Swamp Thing, LOEG, etc). I will admit that it is nice to have his more obscure DC work from the '80s under one cover, as there are several stories here that I was not familiar with. Even still, the presence of Alan Moore's name on the cover does not mean that this collection is perfect. In fact, if someone who had not read any Alan Moore began with this this collection, I feel that they wouldn't understand what the fuss was about. Some stories are quite good, and some are quite average. As he was just getting the feel of some of these characters at the time, I can allow for some slack. Plus, Alan Moore's "average" is another writer's "exceptional", so just keep that in mind!Of course, opinions on the quality of the stories will differ between reviewers, but here are my thoughts: The Good - A Superman/Mongul story that creeps along in the beginning but finishes with a nice dark touch. Three very tight and creative "Tales of the Green Lantern Corps", especially one involving a GL who comes from a world with no concept of light or color. A Superman/Swamp Thing team-up that would have been right at home in Moore's regular Swamp Thing gig. The secret origin of the Phantom Stranger, unnecessarily paralleled with a modern-day reenactment, but still interesting. A Batman story focusing on Clayface III and his obsession with a department store mannequin. The So-So: A Green Arrow/Black Canary story that succeeds at being "officially grim and gritty" but didn't make an impression one way or the other. Two Omega Men back-ups that could have ended with rim-shots. A Vigilante 2-parter that is far too long - this one was my least favorite, and leaving it out would have been fine by me. I guess it was meant to be unsettling, and the basic story is okay, but the bright cheery art ruins the effect, and the involvement of two prostitutes gets old very quickly and contributes nothing but eye-rolling melodrama. In closing, I will definitely hang on to this book, as the good stories more than make up for any faults of the others.
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