Hey guys I’m gonna start and order some TPBs and HCs after the holidays. I just started reading comics with Uncanny X-Force during the summer, I went to a comic book shop on a whim and asked for a Deadpool comic and the owner correctly pointed me in UXF direction. The DC reboot pulled me in further. I guess my question is what is a short (or long I’m just trying to keep it easy to answer) list of some essential reading. Certainly doesn’t need to be super heroic. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Errr well I would recommend, if you haven’t already:
Daredevil by Bendis (Brubaker writers the seris after Daredevil). These runs are collected in Omnibus form
IDW’s Transformers series; check the TF thread to see a reading order for the series, or get the Omnibuses
Hellboy; wikipedia has a list of released TPBs this is a series that may not make sense at first but as you keep reading you’ll get to like it/appreciate it more
EDIT: BPRD: Read this AFTER Hellboy or when Hellboy goes on his quest. Wikipedia has a TPB list of this as well
Astro City; this is a series from the 90s but has fantastic art and stories
Nextwave: Agents of HATE by Warren Ellis
Thunderbolts by Warren Ellis and by the writers that took over after him
Dark Avengers by Bendis
Red Hulk by Jeff Parker (his run begins in the TPB “Scorched Earth” so start from there)
That’s kind of it off the top of my head ^_^;
Just finished The Boys vol. 9. AAAaaaaah so good! Couldn’t believe the final issue
It’s too bad DMZ couldn’t maintain its level of quality. At this point I would much rather have had Exterminators continue than it. Also still bummed Madame Xanadu was cancelled. Are there any worthwhile Vertigo books right now (and dont say Fables)?
I was in a used bookstore with a large graphic novel selection the other day and ended up buying a bunch. Picked up all the JLA volumes I was missing to have the whole run, the two Ellis Stormwatch trades I was missing (even though DC is set to re-release these in deluxe hardcovers), and some random stuff I’d been meaning to pick up like the new vol. 1 of Hellblazer.
I also stumbled upon a hardcover of Hepcats: Snowblind part 1. I had totally forgotten about this series, which Wizard Magazine of all places used to push pretty hard in its early days. I looked it up on wiki and apparently the creator never finished the series - that’s pretty lame.
Some Marvel collected editions news: Ultimate Spider-man and Rick Remender Punisher are getting omnibused, and X-Men Fatal Attractions and Operation: Zero Tolerance are getting the fat OHC treatment
You are a true fan if you’re going to buy hardcovers of Fatal Attractions and Operation: Zero Tolerance. I respect your unabashed love for the nineties.
And as for current Vertigo books, I’m pretty behind on them myself… I haven’t read Unwritten, but I’ve only heard good things from it, and pretty much every Mike Carey book I’ve read has been money so I can’t imagine it being bad. I’ve also heard good things about iZombie, even though it’s got zombies and vampires. On the other hand, it’s got Mike Allred. I also haven’t read American Vampire yet, but I heard that was good. I’ve seen all of these at the library, but I just haven’t checked them out (literally) because I already own a whole mess of books I haven’t read yet. To borrow a stack of comics when I already have a stack of stuff I paid for seems kinda gluttonous…
I also really like what I’ve read of Northlanders, although that series is ending soon as well. And Milligan’s been writing Hellblazer.
Oh, yeah; and FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABLES!!!1
speaking of the 90s, they really need to reprint Deathlok vol. 2
…and Secret Defenders
…and all the midnight sons books
…and 2099
Captain America Lives Omnibus (vol.3) - the Cap issues were the usual brubaker goodness, I especially like the bucky/black widow interplay. the cap reborn mini on the other hand was really dull, by-the-numbers and unoriginal. I feel like I’ve read the “character trapped in alternate time/reality slowly realizing something is wrong” a hundred times before. The mini especially pales in comparison to the similarly themed (but differently executed) Batman Return of Bruce Wayne, which was bursting with originality, adventure, fun, and meaning. It also felt like Cap came back way too soon.
Ghost Rider by Jason Aaron Omnibus - I really liked Aaron’s first GR arc when I read it in tpb, so it spurred me to pick up this book. Unfortunately, the quality goes south almost immediately after the opening arc. The artist changes and it’s all pretty bad until he comes back for the final issues. The stories are pretty terrible - the tone is all over the place and the characters are just dumb. I hate the Danny Ketch characterization throughout. Aaron started treating GR like a joke, and you can feel the contempt he has for the audience. I definitely regret buying this and should have stuck with the first trade.
Just started reading the Milligan/Allred x-force. Wow. Really great stuff.
went to the good used books store last night and picked up Shade the Changing Man vol. 1-3 and Astounding Wolf-Man vol. 1-4.
I really need to pick up the old Complete Concrete tpb one of the days. I loved that book when I was a kid…I would flip through it at the comic shop every time. I also have some Concrete stories from DHP etched in my brain from when I was young…there was a particular one where he went to this guy’s house who was a giant collector that was pretty cool
Yup. Those comics are my all-time favorite Marvels. I already own all the issues and I bought the omnibus when it came out. I’d probably buy the TPBs if I ever found 'em for cheap, too.
SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADE!!!1 Yeah, boy. Just some fantastic comics right there. Gonna be some great reading in store for you. And Concrete, man! I love Concrete. That’s definitely up there in terms of my favorite series. The newer TPBs are more complete, but the old Complete Concrete is printed in glorious dimensions.
willing to sell the omnibus?
Oh damn. I just saw this. This is my favorite currently running comic. Vikings get so little well made accurate representation in fiction, and it’s a damn shame. This was so good, though I don’t think any of the long arcs are better than the first one, but the short comics are really well done glimpses at life. Maybe in another 10 years there will be another viking series… maybe.
Sorry, Painy. I’m keeping my X-Statix Omnibus until the day I have to raise funds to buy a new spleen or something.
Wolverine by Jason Aaron Omnibus - I thought this was pretty terrible. I felt Wolverine was written like a teenager for most of it…the whole characterization just felt off. The stories were really lame for the most part, like something a college creative writing student would do…just really pretentious and grating. I really wanted to like this, but it was just bad. Really I don’t think Wolverine has been handled well since Morrison’s run.
Hellraiser vol. 1: Pursuit of the Flesh - this collects the new Boom! Studios series. It was great! Really impressed by the book and looking forward to reading more. The Hellraiser sequel we always wanted
Hack/Slash Omnibus vol. 1 - This was actually pretty good. Light and breezy for the most part…sometimes a little too light. I like the early stories the most because there was still a bit of scares and menace to it, whereas later it became too slapstick. The Evil Ernie mini was probably my favorite of the bunch…someone really needs to go back and collect all the Evil Ernie stuff in new trades.
Crossed vol. 1 - OOOOOOOMMMMMGGG this book was so good. Don’t know how it fell below my radar for so long. I think I avoided it because I thought it was a religious book or something. Goddamn this was good. Ennis on top of his game.
Crossed vol. 2 - Not as good as vol. 1 but still decent.
Jennifer Blood vol. 1 - Liked this one a lot. Had some really funny moments. Classic Hitman-esque Ennis.
Currently reading through Warren Ellis Stormwatch…good stuff so far.
Recently read Grendel: God and the Devil for the first time. People say it’s supposed to be one of the ultimate Grendel stories, but I just didn’t like it at all. I finished the whole thing but it felt like a chore. Loved the artwork, but the story just didn’t interest me at all. I’m pretty biased against stories in which a corrupt Catholic church rules society with an iron fist.That’s probably one of my least favorite story cliches. Still, I tried to give the comic a fair shake, but none of the characters engaged me. I wasn’t into the insanity and chaotic mind of Eppy Thatcher and I didn’t feel invested at all for Orion Assante’s mission. The Pope was a generic bad guy and I felt like if I were a Catholic, I’d be offended by the comic.
I also just read Grendel Tales: Devils and Deaths. I enjoyed that a little more. It’s a well-done little science fiction war comic. Great artwork, too. Still, I think my favorite Grendel comics are Devil’s Legacy and War Child. I also enjoyed Grendel Tales: Four Devils, One Hell. I feel like I should reread all of those, though… My disappointing experience with God and the Devil has made me seriously question my enjoyment of Matt Wagner in general. (I also recently reread his Batman and the Monster Men and Mad Monk stories… Those were pretty average.)
I also read David Lapham’s Murder Me Dead for the first time. I got all nine issues for cheap a while ago because I could never find the TRADE, BABY. Murder Me Dead was excellent - the pacing, the craft, the mystery, the artwork, everything. It’s a great crime comic and definitely something I can revisit in the future. This is right up there with Stray Bullets and Silverfish in terms of my favorite Lapham comics I’ve read so far. I’ve got all six issues of Sparta, U.S.A. (comics which I compiled from digging through quarter bins across the Bay Area over the years, and recently found the last one I needed) on the docket.
what?!
Monster Men and Mad Monk are great (albeit much more nuanced and subtle than 99.9% of superhero comics out there) and God and the Devil is a classic! I dunno, are you reading this stuff out of order? Because at the end of the day it’s not like it’s a stand alone story - it’s issues 23-33 of a 50 issue series. I dunno, the storyline feels more relevant to me now than ever. An atheist hero taking on the evil and corrupt church…sign me up please. Great use of multiple narratives, great art, the return of the villain from all the way back in issues 1-12…a classic all around. And then you get Devil’s Reign next, which is awesome while using a completely different narrative. I mean seriously, has any comic switched things up and pushed the envelope storytelling-wise as much from arc to arc as the 50 issue Grendel series?
Monster Men and Mad Monk just don’t really stand out to me anymore. I’ve read those two or three times each and my most recent reread just left me feeling like I could live without owning them in my collection. They aren’t bad, and I would agree that they’re better than most (although 99.9% is an exaggeration) superhero comics. I thought they were rather simple, but as tributes to the Golden Age of Batman, they work very well. There have been a lot of modern day tributes to Silver Age-style superhero comics, but there haven’t been as many Golden Age tributes. (Terra Obscura and Project Superpowers come to mind; that’s about it.)
I did enjoy the scene where Batman was sneaking around in the castle, only the stairs he was walking on smoothed out and sent him spiraling into a trap room with spiked walls that closed in on him. I could see how most people would find that super corny, but I thought it was funny. At the end of the day, I thought they were just fun Batman tales that don’t really probe too deeply into what makes him who he is. They were plot-driven with fine character bits, but ultimately I guess I’m just not too excited by seeing Batman fight monster men and vampires.
As far as Grendel goes, yeah, I’ve been reading them out of order. The first thing I ever read was Devil’s Legacy. Then I think I read Red, White, and Black, and then War Child. I just read 'em as I’ve been able to find 'em (for cheap). I don’t think reading them in order would change my opinion about God and the Devil, though. I respect Wagner’s skills as a storyteller, but I just don’t like the story in God and the Devil.
It’s probably just me, but I’m not down with stories that rail against God or religion in general. Whether it’s a story blatantly vilifying organized religion or religious institutions or a story where the antagonists are a bunch of stereotypical right-wing Christians portrayed in an unflattering manner, I am not down with that. I get that most comic book creators are probably atheists, but it’s tough for me to enjoy a story when I feel like they’re just trying to show how foolish it is to believe in God or practice religion. I’m definitely not Catholic, but if I were, that Grendel story would have offended me.
I’m not hating on Wagner, I’m just saying I don’t like God and the Devil.
the wife bought me the x-statix omnibus. can’t wait to get it so i can finally find out what happened after the series was renamed
Zephy will be happy to know my latest book order includes this fine specimen of comic literature: http://www.amazon.com/Avengers-The-Crossing-Bob-Harras/dp/0785162038
Whaaaaaat… An omnibus? What? Why would they even make… Never mind… I give up.