The ONE and ONLY comics recommendations thread

[Guest raptor]

Here’s what I get regularly:

Marvel:

Avengers

Captain America

Daredevil

eXiles

New X-Men

Punisher

Ultimate Spider-Man

Ultimate X-Men

Ultimates

Uncanny X-Men

X-Treme X-Men

 

DC Comics/Wildstorm/Vertigo:

Batman

Fables

Green Arrow

Smallville

The Filth

 

Image/Dark Horse:

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Powers

Rising Stars

 

Limited Series:

Avengers Icons: The Vision

Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do

Ultimate Daredevil & Elektra

X-Men Icons: Chamber

 

Upcoming:

Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target

Incredible Hulk/Wolverine: 6 Hours

Punisher: Born

The Truth: Red, White, and Black

[Guest Sassquatch]

Fair enough.

 

Punisher is too inconsistent as a title for me to recommend to people. The stories can be really good or just plain fucking bad.

 

I wish Marvel would just get over their dislike of letting fans know that the Punisher existed before 1999 and just let Frank fight some guys that have some name value.

 

Frank still has a score to steele with Bullseye and Jigsaw is still breathing so those two would be a good start. The Thorn Family also still have a beef with Frank after he smoked two of the brothers.

 

Just tossing this thought out here.

[Guest raptor]

For the record. I'd love to see Ennis write Punisher vs. Bullseye. That is, if it's better than his Wolverine/Punisher issues.

 

I am surprised at the lack of Jugsaw, as well.

[Guest Sassquatch]

Don't be too surprised.

 

After Frank's second series (1996) ended, Marvel decided that using old Punisher villains would make Frank look weak if they survived the encounter with him and continued to face Frank.

 

Quesada adopted the same policy that his predecessor’s did and has told Ennis to not use any old (and surviving) Punisher foes in his new series. But he also does not want any of the new fans to go back looking for these guys and to find out some of the shit that Frank went through (being turned black, going crazy, and becoming a demon hunter).

[Guest Sassquatch]

Batman: Best of the '70's TPB is another recommendation to get as it has lots of Neal Adams work along with the first appearance of Ra's Al Ghul in Batman.

 

Good stuff if you are a fan of Neal's.

[Guest poontank]

I have been collecting Green Lantern for about 15 years, and the current Writer, Judd Wineck, is bar far my favorite. Although he is leaving the book, I would recomend it to anyone who wants to see character driven stories with icon characters.

[Guest Sassquatch]

Avengers #281 - #285

 

The Avengers vs. the Gods

 

The mother of all fights and one of the most underrated storylines of the '80's.

 

The Avengers just go balls out in trying to beat the crazy Gods who want the Avengers heads.

[Guest pochorenella]

Avengers #281 - #285

 

The Avengers vs. the Gods

 

Is that the one with the Avengers versus the Olympian gods? Where they battle Zeus, Hades and some others over Hercules being screwed up on the Masters of Evil saga? If so, then your 100% right, it's totally awesome. In fact, I believe I have this issues lying somewhere in a box. I'll check them out soon.

[Guest Sassquatch]

Those are the same issues that I am talking about.

[Guest Dopey]

The Punisher was the coolest comic book series I've ever read.

[Guest Dopey]

The Punisher was the coolest comic book series I've ever read.

[Guest Dopey]

The Punisher was the coolest comic book series I've ever read.

[Guest raptor]

I recommend Firebreather #1 to everybody who like superhero comics. Phil Hester is a very underrated writer, and although Andy Kuhn's art is abrasive at the beginning, you'll get used to it.

[Guest pochorenella]

If this has been mentioned before then I'm sorry, I'm too lazy to check previous pages. I would like to recommend something from my favorite super hero, Iron Man.

 

The Power of Iron Man TPB, by Michelaine, Layton, and Romita. Perhaps one of the very best Iron Man storyarcs ever, some very good art (shiny metal armor? What a concept!), Iron Man framed for murder, his life in the gutter and how he manages to come back (even though he would fall again harder). Next to the Gene Colan issues these are my favorite from those days. Pick it up, it's still available.

[Guest Sassquatch]

That would be issues #120 to #128 in which the Power of Iron Man TPB takes place.

 

Justin Hammer makes his debut and comes in with a bang that no one, not even Iron Man, saw coming.

 

This storyarc also shows why I thought Bethany Cabe was one of the best females to have been in the MU. She was anything but the stereotypical super hero girlfriend which at the time had become down right worthless.

[Guest Austin3164life]

My recommendations?

 

Batman

Detective Comics

Daredevil

Gotham Central

Global Frequency

Sleeper

Amazing Spider-Man

Ruse

Crux

JLA

 

These are all very good ongoings that I have enjoyed lately. I think you guys (if you don't already read them) should pick up any of these.

[Guest areacode212]

I was thinking of picking up Sleeper myself, especially since Ed Brubaker is writing 2 of my favorite books right now (Catwoman & Gotham Central). Also, he's offering a money-back guarantee, though I probably won't take him up on it. I'll have to remember to pick it up next time I go to the comic shop.

[Guest T®ITEC]

Any recommendations for someone that's never freakin' read comics before? I just bought "Arkham Asylum" and "The Killing Joke" on eBay, and I'm thinking that I'd like to pick up more Batman-related items along those lines. (If that makes any sense.)

 

 

Obvious Note: I don't know anything about comics...

[Guest raptor]

If you want to get into Batman, Batman: The Long Halloween is a great story to pick up.

 

For other titles, the eXiles TPBs are great superhero books, and Powers: Who Killed Retro Girl is great crime fiction.

[Guest Annoyed Grunt]

After Frank's second series (1996) ended, Marvel decided that using old Punisher villains would make Frank look weak if they survived the encounter with him and continued to face Frank.

I agree with this to a point. I mean, how many times can Jigasw fight Frank and escape death? The writers eventually seemed to run out of convincing ways for his enemies to survive. For example, in the 1st issue of the 3rd Punisher series (the one where they made Frank a mob boss) he beats Bullseye in combat. What does he do once he wins? He puts a bullet in to each of his hands to cripple him. Uh, Daredevil dropped him on his head from 10 stories up. It's going to take more than a couple bullets to cripple him. Now, one to the head might do the job, but they have to keep the good, marketable villians around.

 

And while I'm on Punisher, I'd recommend the "Suicide Run" crossover from the mid 90's. It's got good action, it ties up all sorts of loose ends and it would have been a good way to introduce a 'no frills, no gimicks' Punisher. They didn't go that way until years later with Ennis' series, but damnit, they should have. It's a shame that Suicide Run will probably never be reprinted since Frank blows up the World Trade Center early in the series.

[Guest raptor]

Since this thread is kind of dead, I'll reccommend something:

 

H-E-R-O by Will Pfiefer and Kano. Goofy plot device, but the first issue was great. Geoff Johns will by it from you if you don't like it, too.

[Guest Sassquatch]

The Pro.

 

Buy this book and you will laugh your ass's off.

 

I promise.

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

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.

Who are the creative teams on those runs? They look a bit new for O'Neil/Adams, is it Starlin?

[Guest Cerebus]

100 Bullets by DC/Vertigo is top notch. A cool combo of X-Files & Pulp Fiction.

 

The premise is that every arc features a person, always someone from the bad side of the tracks, who had something awful done to them in the past that drove them to thier current state. Inexplicably, a person, by the name of Agent Graves, meets them. The person has never seen Agent Graves before, yet Graves knows their name & exactly what happened to them, down to the gory details. He then gives them a atache case containing irrefutable evidence about who ruined them, along with a gun & 100 bullets. Graves promises that these 100 bullets and the gun are untraceable and any law enforcement agency will simply cease thier investigation when they are found. Graves then departs, allowing the person to decide whether or not to get revenge without consequence or do something totally different.

 

It's a great premise and its an amazing series which has won several Eisner & Harvey awards.

[Guest areacode212]

Once I'm done with school and I have nothing to do, I'll have to read 100 Bullets from the beginning again. I enjoy the title, but it doesn't read too well as a monthly, IMO. There are a lot of different characters, and they all have their own little arcs. I keep finding myself asking "who's this guy again?" "Why does Graves hate so-and-so again?".

 

I've been reading Stray Bullets from the beginning lately, and it's pretty awesome. There are a ton of little details that I'm seeing now that I didn't before.

[Guest Cerebus]

If you would like i can send u any issues of 100 bullets you want through AIM (my screename is Ateammasta)

[thuganomics 0]

Since barely anyone has mentioned them: STRANGERS IN PARADISE, ASTRO CITY, & KABUKI.

 

Strangers is a great read, just for the fact that its set a real world with real life situations and then they just add in a little extra crazy sh!t.

 

Astro City stands as the most fascinating look at the world of superhumans ever. Its like WATCHMEN but without the depressing anti-80's undertones.

 

Kabuki is one of the most beautiful comics you'll ever read or see. A little hard to follow at first, but once you get it down, you'll love it.

 

Ahl

[Guest Steviekick]

I've been reading the late 80s Marvel "The Transformers" series story arc where Optimus Prime "died" and Grimlock took over, and it's up to Blaster to retake the Autobot leadership...good stuff.

[thuganomics 0]

That was when Transformers the comic really got cool. Ratbat as leader of the Decepticons was spiffy too. That entire era was really, really spiffy stuff.

[Guest Steviekick]

I agree with you. Those issues were much better than the crap that Dream wave is putting out now.