[pjalne]

Swamp Thing (the Moore period) contributed greatly in the "growing up" process mainstream comics went through in the mid-eighties, but it can seem a little slow now. It's a lot like Citizen Kane, you have to know about the history of the medium and the time it was released at to really appreciate it. To common readers it can seem a bit slow and it seldom reaches the depths Sandman and Watchmen do.

Speaking of Sandman: read it if you haven't already. It's fucking fantastic. I can recommend League of Extraordinary Gentlemen as well, though I think I kind of remember you talking about having read it already in some other post.

Others:

Alan Moore: From Hell (great if you can handle the artwork) and V

Jeff Smith: Bone

Neil Gaiman: Books of Magic tpb 1 (read after you've read Swamp Thing and Sandman)

Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean (ill.): Signal to Noise (amazingly beautiful), Violent Cases (sweet and brutal) and The Comical Tragedy or Tragical Comedy of Mr. Punch (haunting and bizarre) - these are all a little arty, if you're into that.

If you get through the Sandmans and like them, there's an illustrated story where Gaiman has inserted his Sandman characters into a Japanese fairy tale called Dream Hunters.

Hope this helps.