The ONE and ONLY comics recommendations thread

[Guest jtronx]

If you like the Maxx(I own almost every issue)you'll love "Zero Girl." It's also by Sam Keith and the art is very similar.

 

Damn straight! ZERO GIRL rocked, I can't wait for the sequel.

[Guest Cerebus The Aardvark]

I heard that Cerebus book is pretty good...

[Guest jtronx]

Well, just out of the stuff I got this week, I gotta say Green Arrow, Catwoman, Tangled Web, and especially League of Extraordinary Gentlemen were very good. I also got the Oni Color Special and the new Animal Man trade paperback but haven't read 'em.

[Guest cynicalprofit]

Simply stated, if you write a vertigo book, you must be atleast able to write a story with some sense of depth and vision. (I have yet to read a vertigo book that i havent enjoyed, and ive read alot of vertigo books, and I did read invisibles, just not sure if grant wrote them, found a stack downs stairs) Which is why i alot of writers dont, and since morris did write for a vertigo book, i know he can atleast write better then the guys who havent. And im more then willing to be that I have read something of his, I just dont remember it being his, after reading comic books for like 2 decades, things get kinda blurry about who wrote what.

 

And for the record, writing for a large DC pay check, instead of doing it for the enjoyment of writing soemthing good, means youve sold out.

 

And if something smells like shit, I know better then to put it in my mouth and swallow it. And seeing how there hasnt been a Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantren, book that Ive EVER liked(cept for the death of superman, which they completely screwed up, so now i hate it), I think its safe to say I wouldnt enjoy the JLA stuff. Even if Morris is the best writer on the the planet...which hes not.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

I stopped in a Borders on my way home from work today, and I saw that they had a lot of graphic novels. There were quite a few that I wanted to read, but I can't get them all riught away. I just wanted to know which ones you guys think I should pick up first. There was the Origins book, the Watchmen, Earth X, Universe X, the Inifinte Earth Crisis book, Batman: The Long Halloween, Robin Year One, Knightfall and some others. Any suggestions?

[Guest raptor]

Origin and Earth X are good reads. Haven't read the others.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

Actually I sat down and read Origins while I was there. I know that's some cheap bastard shit to do, but I had no choice.

[Guest areacode212]

Of the ones you've listed, you should go with Watchmen or Batman: The Long Halloween. If that Borders has the first Preacher TPB ("Gone to Texas") or the first Sandman TPB ("Preludes & Nocturnes"), I would get those.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

I believe it does have those books. To be honest, I have never really bought comic books, but two of my roommates have some. I think I will make a trip there with them and see if we can all get books that we can borrow. I've bought maybe two or three comic books in my life and now I want to buy $35 graphic novels. I think I will still try to read some of them in the store, because I can't get all of the ones that I want to get immediately.

[Guest jtronx]

I agree with Areacode... those are some fine choices.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

Preacher and Sandman, or Batman and Watchmen?

[Guest raptor]

I'd go with the Batman/Watchman combo.

[Guest Cerebus The Aardvark]

The Long Halloween is awesome, awesome, awesome. Easily one of the best Batman stories of all time, and one of my favourite comic stories ever.

 

And, as I said, that Cerebus book is pretty swank, if I do say so myself.

[Guest MaskedWombat]

Alright here it is title, and stories that should be bought, if you have bought it already

Eath x- universe x- why, because they are GREAT, paradise x out monthly now, and it's still a great story

Batman: Devils advocate- joker is being charged with murders he didn't commit and batman must deside wheather or not he should help

fables- it's a good look at the stories we grew up with, and it has a twist to it

Threads- it's a good book, as far as i know, each comic is self contained, so you can read issue two with out worring what happened in issue one. this title is under comitted comics, a small company just starting out.

well thats all i can think of for now. on a side note about vertigo, and some of their titles, like knockout, one reason some of us may read that comic is for two things, breast, i know thats why i read it

[Guest cynicalprofit]

The 3 Greeks is the funniest book about being a geek that will ever be written. The How to pick up girls one is nothing short of a masterpiece.

[Guest BA_Baracus]

If you haven't yet, go back to the beginning and collect all the "Lone Wolf and Cub" trade paperbacks.

 

They're getting to the end of them now (24 of 27), but do not just skip ahead and read the final few chapters.

 

Lone Wolf and Cub is an epic story (7000+ pages) that deserves to be read right from the beginning. I've had to stop buying a couple other comics to make up for the 10 dollar monthly LWAC cost, but it's worth it.

[Guest Marshall]

 

Well Monkey Man Unleased will be in stores next week you should pick that up.

 

Heres a review

[Guest HellSpawn]

All Sin City stories and 100 Bullets.

[Guest Sassquatch]

A HUGE recommendation and something I will never stop pimping:

 

Batman #300 - #403

Detective Comics #467 - #572

 

Buy as many of those issues as you can. I can NOT stress how awesome these issues are. Paul Dini has stated before in the past that his inspiration for 2/3's of the TV shows he did came from reading those books.

 

That's one hell of a run.

 

Buy them.

 

Now.

[Guest BA_Baracus]

What exactly do those Batman books encompass?

 

I probably have some of those issues of Detective comics.

 

Oh and uhhhh...recommendations uhm...I'll keep the magna theme from my last recommendation and say buy anything Gunsmith Cats.

[Guest Sassquatch]

If you liked the BTAS episodes then you will like the issues that helped inspire Dini in creating the episodes for the show.

 

I am a huge fan of the BTAS cartoon. When I realized that Dini was using storylines from the run of Batman comics I listed above, I was determined on getting every issue from that run just so I could compare notes and see what Dini changed in those stories that he used in the cartoon.

 

Batman was also one of DC's best selling items in the early/mid '80's and unlike his "stuck in the 50 daze" counterpart Superman, Batman evolved with the decades and did not look out of place in 1982 like Superman did while he was still fighting useless kiddy aliens.

 

The books give you an idea of what DC was capable of back then when just about every fan wrote them off in favor of Marvel (which is somewhat justified). Batman and the New Teen Titans blows everyone out of the water in the early/mid '80's if you compare them to the other DC shit that was being put out at that time.

 

But the main point to own those runs would to be able to compare notes with the comic book version to the cartoon version. Plus the books also have some damn fine stories in them.

[Guest Goodear]

The Origins book -

I love the artwork and I dig the idea of Wolverine being alive in Victorian times, but the story is actually kind of depressing and not what I would call fun.

 

The Watchmen -

The must own comic book if there ever was one. Totally free of any continuity, so you get thee whole story in your grubby little hands at once. A real deconstruction of the golden age comic book heros in the Nixon era.

 

Earth X -

I don't like the artwork, but the story really works for me. Although they seem to juggle a few too many story threads around that aren't nessesary.

 

Universe X -

I only have the first volume... It's a little long winded, but they have even MORE threads running through the volume. I wouldn't recomend this one.

 

The Inifinte Earth Crisis book -

Hard to follow if you aren't down with DC history, since this thing literally has just about every character EVER in the thing including Sgt. Rock and Jonah Hex (two of my favorite characters... one a WWII soldier and the other a western bounty hunter). Not recommended.

 

Batman: The Long Halloween -

Great story with an unbelievable ending (in a bad way). Mildly recommended

 

Robin Year One and Knightfall -

Haven't read.

 

Preacher is realy one big story arc with a few side steps to deal with Jesse's family and Salvation, TX... I don't know if you want to go into into it with a limited budget.

 

100 Bullets is the sort of the same way as Preacher, but a lot of the stories are pretty self contaned and explanitory.

 

I would also recommend...

Marvels

Kingdom Come (... not so much Kingdom)

Animal Man

 

But not so much...

Marvel Mangaverse (although I get a kick out of The Ghost Rider/Hellstrom issue)

[Guest gthureson]

Don't think anyone has mentioned it:

 

Lucifer.

 

 

I had heard mixed reviews of it (some loved it, some were 'eh'), but I decided to give it a whirl anyway with issue 18 or so. I've since picked up back to 13 or so, and have been buying it every month, and highly enjoy it.

 

No, they haven't made the Lightbringer a good guy. But he is not necessarily a bad guy either. As the Archangel Michael himself states, "You continue to confound conventional morality."

 

Its everything I look for in a comic book. Well written stories, three-dimensional characters with merits and flaws and a sly and clever wit.

 

Definately a book I look forward to every month.

 

But then again, I am a bit of an egghead who enjoys looking at topics like religion from abstract angles.

[Guest raptor]

If I may reccomend a single issue, I suggest everybody pick up Spider-Girl #51. A fantastic story for anyone who's been in love. Plus, it'll be a cheap backissue.

[Guest Special K]

One that I don't believe had been mentioned (though Preacher TPB's are my number one reccomendation.)

 

Blade of the Immortal is a stunning Manga series with really pretty B&W art, a great story, awesome action scenes, and some high drama. The 1st 3 TPBs are must buys. (Blood of a Thousand, Cry of the Worm, and, shit, whatever the 3rd one's called.)

 

Also I would reccomend Appleseed for Sci-Fi fans. The fact that it'll never be finished is a definite detriment though. I mean volume 4 has been out in AMERICA for like 6 years. Great artwork and a visionary story though.

[Guest Special K]

Oh, and if you like Hayou Miyazaki, Nauusica of the Valley of the Wind is pretty Swell.

[Guest Sassquatch]

Captain America: Medusa Effect

 

A classic World War II Cap tale with Baron Zemo and Mrs.Zemo who develops the hots for Cap. There is also a bitchin fight between Nazi goon Master Man and Captain America which had some brutal shots by both men.

 

We also get a look at a young Helmut Zemo who would go on to take the mask of his father. Oh and Bucky gets the shit knocked out of him by Helmut as well.

[Guest areacode212]

Since the "What should I collect?" question has come up lately, here is my updated pull list, FYI:

 

DC

Catwoman

Detective Comics

The Legion

Batman

Green Arrow

Supergirl (I'm giving this a chance right now b/c I like the idea of Kara returning)

 

DC/Vertigo/Wildstorm

Y: The Last Man

Fables

Lucifer

100 Bullets

Promethea

 

Marvel

X-Force

Daredevil

Captain America

Exiles

Spider Man's Tangled Web

New X-Men

The Ultimates

Alias

Elektra

Punisher (while Ennis is on board)

Spider-Man/Black Cat

 

Other

Stray Bullets

Queen & Country

Blue Monday

Hopeless Savages

[Guest Sassquatch]

I forgot to mention Catwoman in one of my previous posts.

 

My mistake.

 

And 212, how in the blue f00king Hell can you have Kevin Smith's abortion of a Spidey stories on your list but not Amazing Spider-Man?

 

Inquiring minds would like to know.

 

Otherwise your list looks fine.

[Guest areacode212]

Because I can deal with a fairly amusing mini series, but don't care enough about Spidey to follow his regular title right now. I do read it in the store whenever I notice it.