In a number of recent interviews, Alan Moore has stated and repeated his impression that the American comics industry relies so heavily on its old work because it is populated by people unwilling or unable to conceive and develop new ideas of their own.Many of his fans and defenders online are quick to point out that Moore is clearly using hyperbole for effect, but the frequency with which the veteran writer continues to use the same words in the same combination has many fans concerned that maybe one of comics’ greatest minds really has checked out of the industry so completely that he’s not aware of some of the great work going on all around him.Well, with DC looking to shine a bright spotlight on Before Watchmen this weekend, it seemed a perfect time to step back and take stock of some of the best material to roll out of DC since Watchmen originally saw print–but more than that, these are works which are at least as original as was Watchmen. A derivative work that transcended its source material to create something new and different, Watchmen is an amazing work–but it’s hardly singular, and we’ll spend some time today looking at the best ideas the American comics industry has had since then.Many ideas were left off the list only because, even though they were great, they were using existing DC properties from before Alan Moore’s time. Some others, such as Booster Gold, were totally original ideas created after Watchmen but were deemed too closely related to the existing DC Universe to really count (although, let’s be honest, the corporate pitchman superhero deserves an honorable mention on this list).These are in no particular order. Most of them are Vertigo, meaning that DC themselves may not have come up with the ideas–but even if they were brought in by the creators, they’re great new ideas generated in the comics industry and printed by DC, after Watchmen. Feel free to chime in at the bottom of the page or on Facebook to let us know which ones we missed.
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