The Ballad of Halo Jones was serialized in the British weekly comic 2000 AD across three “books” between 1984 and 1986. Written by Moore and drawn by Ian Gibson, it tells the story of Halo Jones — a young woman living in “The Hoop,” a massive floating housing development off the coast of Manhattan in the 4949th century. The Hoop is a ghetto: overcrowded, violent, hopeless. Halo’s defining characteristic is that she leaves.
Book One follows Halo in the Hoop — the simple act of going shopping becomes an epic journey through a landscape of bizarre subcultures and casual violence. Book Two places her on a luxury space liner, working as a steward, encountering alien passengers and her own expanding possibilities. Book Three sends her to war on a planet where time moves differently, aging her decades while her friends back home barely change.
Moore planned nine books in total, tracing Halo’s entire life from youth to legendary old age. Only three were completed before a dispute with the publisher over ownership rights caused Moore to abandon the project. What exists is extraordinary: a genuine feminist epic that presents a woman’s journey not through romance or motherhood but through adventure, war, and the simple human need to be somewhere other than where you started.
Collecting The Ballad of Halo Jones
Original serialization (2000 AD, 1984-1986): Issues #376-405, 451-466, 496-510.
Market values:
- 2000 AD #376 (first appearance), high grade: $30–$100
- Collected editions (various): $15–$40
- Complete original issues (all three books): $75–$200