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I went looking for the last comic book recommendation thread and couldn't find it -- mayeb it was too old and got deleted -- so...
Any comics recommendations?
"Bone" just finished... I like "Castle Waiting," but it's on hiatus, waah... "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" is also on hiatus..."1602" was OK, but it's already over...
So the only regular comics I'm getting right now = "Strangers in Paradise" and "Girl Genius," both of which I like muchly, but I'd like to try a new book or two...
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Sure, graphic novels too... graphic novels and comics usually overlap -- a graphic novel is usally a big comic book that's published in a more expensive format... but it can also be a collection of individual comic book issues...
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I'm probably going to get this wrong, as it has been a while, but 'Sandman' by Neil Gaiman... something of that sort. And The Crow, by James O'Barr...
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Well, let's see... you should probably check out Neil Gaiman's Sandman and Alan Moore's Watchmen. If you're a fan of J. Michael Straczynski (and, let's face it, if you aren't, you should be), then you'll definitely want Rising Stars and Midnight Nation. He's also doing the current runs of Marvel's Amazing Spider-Man and Supreme Power, and is working on a new Dr. Strange miniseries, as well as what appears to be an anthology series called Dream Police.
Sandman is a fairly long comic series featuring the Sandman, also known as Dream, one of several immortals who play out various roles in daily life. These immortals aren't exactly people, but rather the essence of what they're called; thus, the Sandman actually is "Dream," and his sister actually is "Death." This concept makes for some rather interesting (albeit very dark) stories.
Watchmen offers a somewhat more realistic view of the superhero archetype. Those who don costumes are (almost) all just ordinary people with extraordinary personalities and a penchant for taking matters into their own hands. In this alternate history, the "heroes" gain recognition by government authorities for their not-always-heroic works, and together form a group known as The Watchmen. Unfortunately, heroic types are all powerful personalities, and these personalities clash quite readily, and before long the group is fractured, and the government finally outlaws their vigilantism. That's all background; this story actually starts when someone starts killing the former heroes amid mounting tensions between the United States and the USSR....
Rising Stars is Straczynski's first effort with Top Cow, a 24-issue comic series centering around a group of people who became "enhanced" in utero when a fireball appeared in the sky over Pederson, Illinois in the late 1960's. These "Specials" are corralled together by the government as youths, brought up among each other and isolated from humanity at large while the government tries to figure out what to do with them. The comic series covers the entire length of time from the appearance of the fireball through to the death of the last of the Specials. The last three issues should be coming out starting around October.
Midnight Nation is another limited series about a Los Angeles cop who finds himself trapped in another realm, searching for his lost soul where all those whom the world has ceased to notice end up. Currently available in a single volume, this is simply an amazing piece of work, and I highly recommend it to just about everybody.
Amazing Spider-Man should be readily familiar now that the movies have done so well; Straczynski took over writing this comic at issue 30 of the current volume. Trade paperback editions should be easy to find, sarting with Vol 1: "Coming Home," where Peter Parker returns to New York after an extended absence. Issue #36 is particularly notable, a special issue written in response to the Sept. 11 attacks which had just occurred.
Supreme Power is a new take on Marvel's old Squadron Supreme series, which was something of a parody of DC universe characters.
Hope this is helpful!
Posts: 293 | Registered: Jun 2004
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I had a good time with the Earth X trilogy (Earth/Universe/Paradise X), which is now out in graphic novel format. It's not for everyone, though; longtime Marvel fans will like it best.
Posts: 1114 | Registered: Mar 2004
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There is a graphic novel out there that has some of Alan Moore's work on Swamp Thing--to my mind his best stuff. I know it's out there currently as I see it at my local book barn.
Check out Mage and Sandman Mystery Theater by Matt Wagner.
Astro City and Arrowsmith by Kurt Busiek are also good.
Posts: 13123 | Registered: Feb 2002
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It's not for everyone, but I've always enjoyed Exiles.
The general plot line is a bunch of mutants from alternate universes are pulled together due to disturbances in the fabric of space and time. Their missions are to travel from alternate world to world, changing things that need to be changed before moving on.
Essentially, its Sliders meets Quantum Leap meets X-Men. Several trade paperbacks are out, so I suggest you go out and give it a try.
Posts: 3852 | Registered: Feb 2002
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Okay, my recommendations (ongoing series ONLY), in no particular order:
Hellblazer Invincible Heroes Anonymous Fables Daredevil Powers Arrowsmith Knights of the Dinner Table Ultimate Spider-Man Secret War (miniseries) Promethea (ending) Brath Astro City Lucifer Way of the Rat PS238
If you're interested in recent trades, the first 12 issues of Ruse and most of the run of Hunter: Age of Magic (and its predecessor, the Books of Magic) are quite good.
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Eeek...no one has put up one of the best...
Y: The Last Man. There are two readily available Trades of the first 10 issues and I think the third 5 or 6 issue combination will be collected soon. Possibly one of the best books going. By the same author, Brian Vaughn, there is a new book that just started called Ex Machina which is about the world's only superhero in NYC who runs for Mayor, wins and in the first issue reflects upon how he got there. The last two pages alone are worth the price of admission.
Another great one that is about halfway through a 6 issue run (I think...don't have copy handy) is DC Frontiers. This is a re-telling of the DC universe from their original starting points. Meaning, it is the 1950's and we are seeing Wonder Woman and Superman fighting the Communists in Korea (and disagreeing how to do it), the Suicide Squad in its infancy, Flash and Green Latern as they were meant to be, The Bat Man being creepy and very very interesting Martian Manhunter in his first year on earth. Old school art with a great bit of flair and capturing the mood and slang of that period. Amazing stuff.
Lastly, as a Joss Whedon fan, I am enjoying the first 2 issues of his 12 issue run on the new comic The Astounding X-Men. He obviously read the same X-Men that I read and ended about the same time I ended (about issue 200) and has skipped the last 15 years or so...and that's a good thing. Great dialogue and in the second issue, great action, too.
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What's a good manga? I'm at the beginning of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, but the Borders over here doesn't have anything past number five (and it goes to thirty-something).
Posts: 550 | Registered: Jan 2004
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Manga... I've tried reading different manga, and the only series I can really get into has been the original "Dragon Ball" series (I think because its art style is very different, and because it has a very goofy and creative sense of humor). I like comic books, but for some reason I just can't get into manga, I think it's like jazz or new age music for me -- a whole style that I just don't "get" for whatever reason.
I like "Rising Stars," I've been following it in the trade paperbacks... I've read some "Fables," that's been OK, has potential, but I haven't really cared about the characters, and it hasn't had much to say about life in the same way that Gaiman did with "Sandman."
I read some of the J. Michael Straczynski "Spiderman" books that our local library got, and those were really good. The ones I liked best were the ones where Aunt May finds out that Peter is Spider-Man. When I saw "Spider-Man 2" I actually had a hard time dealing with Aunt May's character in the movie, because I liked Straczynski's take better. (In JMS's comics, Aunt May finds out, and tries very hard to be understanding, and takes Peter to task for hiding his secret from him. But she's not perfect, she writes "Try to forgive Peter" on her to do list...)
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I really want to read Rising Stars because I read the first part of it in our comic book store. The problem is, I've never read comics before because the format always drove me crazy. So, if I'd like to read this, but I don't want to spend the 20 bucks it would cost on something I'm not sure I'll like, what do I do?
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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Check your local library. Libraries are buying more and more comics (since they realize that folks -- especially kids -- actually check them out and read them more than most other books). Ask a librarian where they're shelved -- sometimes they're in the young adult section, sometimes in the adult section, sometimes in both...
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I haven't ventured much outside the Marvel/DC arena.
As mentioned above, the Marvel Knights Daredevil series is very good. I've also really enjoyed Exiles. Runaways has been an ok read as well, but I kind of get the feeling that it's winding down.
I tend to pick up all of the X-Men related stuff, and there's been a mix of good and bad lately. For the most part I've been pleased with the reload.
Emma Frost has been good, and the cover art on the first few issues was enough to make a guy drool.
The only X-series that I don't read is X-Statix. Maybe just because it really irked me when all of a sudden the entire cast of X-Force changed to these Heroes-for-Hire (not that I really cared for that series either) wannabes. The latest incarnation of Alpha Flight pretty much sucks. I may pick up another couple of issues to see if it goes anywhere, but I'm just about through with it.
In the DC arena, I really enjoy JLA -- especially earlier issues in the series. The Superman/Batman series is also excellent. I also like Nightwing. Outsiders so far is tolerable, but nothing spectacular. Teen Titans has been pretty good -- but I think The Titans was much better.
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Sorry, I should have mentioned- that was the first thing I did. I'm addicted to my library, I never buy anything without checking it out first.
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My new favorite anime comic is Naruto--it is sort of much more nuisanced version of Dragonballs. In terms of American comics, you can't go wrong with the Maxx, Amazing Spiderman (McFarlane era), and X-Men (Jim Lee era).
Posts: 4116 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Strain and Sanctuary if you like Manga that is well drawn and about gangsters and has nudity and some violence. Nausicaa if you want the best story and art ever. Video Girl Ai if you're in the mood for something romantic and funny. Ranma 1/2 if you want to laugh various parts of your anatomy off. Banana Fish which is about gangsters in NY and a mysterious drug. It has an awesome character name Lynx in it. There's all sorts of lovely manga out there.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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OK, I'll use this as another chance to plug Sluggy Freelance.
It's actually in strip format, but it's continuity, character development, and storylines are as good as anything I've ever seen in comics. It does have the conventions of a strip, which usually means some kind of punchline, but it has real stories that move quickly when you're not waiting for a new strip each day.
It's played for laughs as well as story, and it's parodies are some of the funniest I've ever seen. But his original stuff is the best, and highly original.
You can see them all online at www.sluggy.com, but it's well worth buying the books. There are 8 of them so far, with about 2 years of unpublished stories that I'm assuming will reach book form sometime soon.
Major hint: Start at the beginning. He ties in stuff from the very beginning of the strip, and does it well.
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Anyone interested in doing a comics loan? I'd be interested in reading Sluggy Freelance, so if anybody would mind loaning theirs out for a few weeks, I could loan you something in exchange (say, Concrete or Elfquest or Bone or somesuch)
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Tsk, Bekenn. If you were a true fanboy, you'd know that the characters in Watchmen formed a group called "The Minutemen". The title of the comic, Watchmen, is in reference to the theme of accountablility.
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Blast, you're right! It's been too long since I last read it, and sadly, I've really only just dipped my toes into Alan Moore's stuff, so I'm just not there yet. But now that you mention it, I can't believe I forgot that. I almost want to edit that out of my post, but nah.
Now that Dag's opened the door to web comics, let me also throw in my support for Sluggy, although it has lately been not nearly as good (the current Saturdays by Ian McDonald are particularly not-as-good, to the point where I now make a habit of skipping them).
My favorite web comic, though, is definitely Schlock Mercenary. This comic has more consistency than Sluggy Freelance, continuous storylines, and intelligent writing with a hard-sf feel. On top of that, the cartoonist Howard Tayler has never missed a single day since the comic began four years ago -- he gets nervous when his buffer of upcoming comics drops below two weeks. As with Sluggy, all previous comics are archived at the site, so go forth and read.
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is anyone else reading Identity Crisis right now? i think it's awesome. i absolutely love the writing.
i work at an awesome comic shop in santa monica and luckily get to borrow almost any book i want. i am slowly catching up Posts: 3936 | Registered: Jul 2000
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Sandman and Watchmen are both my favs. I also recommend (from the Batman series) The Killing Joke (possibly the best Batman ever- written by the guy who did Watchmen), the Long Halloween, and the Dark Knight Returns.
Posts: 2258 | Registered: Aug 2003
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I just picked up the compilation of the first 6 issues of The Walking Dead . It is outstanding comic book writing and art. It starts off very close to "28 Days Later" for those that have seen that movie. A guy wakes from a coma in an abandoned hospital. His little rural town is empty...or nearly so, what with all those zombies and everything. It is great fiction with some great characters and the zombies are oddly enough not the central thing...just the background upon which a story about survival and humanity unfolds. Sounding like book jacket. Ugh. I think they are up to issue #11.
Ellen Forney -- www.ellenforney.com -- does neat autobiographical/commentary comics, I just got a great collection of her stuff, Monkey Food (collection about growing up in NJ in the '70s -- funny, non-angsty comics).
Richard Sala -- www.richardsala.com -- funny Gothic humor, sorta like Edward Gorey (not quite as dry), I've read one of his books, Peculia.
I've also been reading Fallen Angel, by Peter David. That's been so-so, I just haven't been able to get into it as much as some other folks. (Fallen Angel = set in mysterious Louisiana city.) It's been hard to care for the characters -- they're either too corrupt or too archetypal to be able to identify with.
Posts: 2911 | Registered: Aug 2001
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*Reminds himself for the millionth time, "Needs to pick up Watchmen"*
Hey Syn, do you know if Sanctuary is in a collected format yet? Or is it only available in volume trades? I've been wanting to get that series for a while, but I can't justify paying that much per volume.
Oh, and I second the Sandman, Marvels, and Kabuki suggestions. The writing and artwork for these are most excellent!
Posts: 298 | Registered: Sep 2004
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"is anyone else reading Identity Crisis right now? i think it's awesome. i absolutely love the writing."
I dunno. I found Identity Crisis a bit trite, and the ending downright laborous. My personal faves at the moment include Invincible,Powers,Ultimate Spider-Man, the new Kabuki, and Fables. I normally enjoy the Tim Hunter books and Hellblazer, but the latter's been too focused recently in completely destroying Constantine's life, and the current Hunter book -- Life During Wartime -- manages the trick of turning one of the most sympathetic characters in the whole Vertigo line into somebody completely unlikeable. (You know it's bad when the most likeable character is, of all people, Zatanna.)
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That's exactly why I've bought everything with Tim Hunter in it but stopped with the Wartime series after the second book. Feh.
Just noticed that there's a big Strangers in Paradise treasury, sort of a DVD extras book with lots of obscure drawings and info on where the various plotlines came from. Nice, and not a bad intro to the series.
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
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When Ruse changed writers (and later, artists) and started stinking of the desperation of Crossgen's bankruptcy, the plotting suffered most of all. While they managed to keep the tone of the dialogue relatively consistent, the characterization and plot devices seesawed all over the map. To be honest, I kind of liked the later issues' tendency to go lighter on the whole "sigil" thing, if only because I always felt that was silly, anyway -- but the stench of death (or, at the very least, premature cancellation) hovers over the last ten or twelve issues. You can almost see 'em pumping out rapid resolutions to various plotlines to wind 'em up -- or try out new ones to keep readers. (This was even more obvious in Way of the Rat,Brath, and The Path, three other Crossgen comics I enjoyed.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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Uhh, question. I just started reading comic books and I have no knowledge of the backstories of the superheroes. Are any of those series you guys mentioned easy to understand without knowing the backstories?
Posts: 853 | Registered: Feb 2004
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"I just started reading comic books and I have no knowledge of the backstories of the superheroes."
Most of the comics we mentioned aren't really "superhero" comics in the traditional sense. They're more like noir novels, parodies, or horror stories that may or may not happen to mention superheroes. Ruse is basically a Sherlock Holmes story set in a fantasy world, for example, while Fables is all about the trials and tribulations of fairy tale characters forced to live in exile in downtown New York. Powers and Invincible are superhero stories, but are -- like Watchmen -- more deconstructions of the genre than actual members of it.
That said, most of these series are not quite as old and established as the long-running Marvel and DC superhero lines, and consequently I'd recommend skimming a few to see if you like the style and then picking up trade paperbacks of the early issues to catch up. (The only ones it's a bit difficult to do that with, of the ones listed, are Cerebus, Hellblazer, and Ultimate Spider-Man, all of which are well into multiple-trade-paperback territory.) All the Crossgen comics are, sadly, now only available in trade format.
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One advantage of the Ultimate Spider-man trades/collections and others like them, though, is that sometimes the larger libraries will carry them and you can read 'em for free. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my local rinky-dink library had almost all of the Sandman trades, as well as various Buffy collections and the cleaner mangas.
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
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