Comic Books

[MRNewman]

Comics / Graphic Novels I Love:
The Dark Knight Returns
Kingdom Come
Batman: Hush
Angel: After the Fall (Haven't read much after that, but adore After the Fall)

I used to read Fantastic Four (Waid's run), Batman, and the Thundercats mini-series Wildstorm did. Haven't read anything new in a long time.

 

[xfivebyfive]

I collect the Buffy season 8 comics despite disliking them lol. I love the cover art though.

I loved Angel: After the Fall and am trying to get all the issues for that and the continuing story. I like the Angel comics a lot more then the Buffy comics.

And I read the Charmed Comics lol I only read the comics based on my favorite shows 😛

 

[VisionGirl]

I've heard great things about the Kill Shakespeare comics- has anybody read them?

 

[Username]

I have all of Buffy season 8 comics, I don't read comic books so much otherwise, but I have a few hundred Donald Duck comics in my attic that I used to read when I was younger 😀

 

[Crazy Flakes]

COMICS, YOU SAY?! WOOOO! Here's a list of some of my favorites:

Graphic novels:

• Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli - Probably my all-time favorite piece of work in the whole comics medium. The writing and the art are absolutely brilliant. Also, I'm a fan of experimental comics and thinky, Pynchon-esque writing, so I guess it just suits my taste.
• Fun Home by Alison Bechdel - An autobiography that discusses Bechdel's experiences growing up, coming out, and coping with her father's death. It's sad, it's funny, it's beautiful...it basically has all of the ingredients that a good comic should have. Oh, and fun fact: Bechdel posed and took a photograph of herself for every single panel and based her drawings on them. That takes dedication.
• Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi - There's a reason why it's so famous - it's great. You're really missing out if you haven't read it. The movie is great, too.
• Blankets by Craig Thompson - Another highly acclaimed autobiography, but it's very different from Fun Home. Even though it does focus on issues like discovering sexuality, it puts more emphasis on faith and the discovery/loss of it. Beautifully written and drawn.
• Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware - A fascinating look at generations and familial relationships. It's haunting, it's lonely, and it's an absolute classic.
• Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man by John Porcellino - Hardly the most aesthetically pleasing comic, but it does exactly what it needs to do. It's a deeply personal and often witty comic that everyone should give a chance.
• Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine - A fun comic that provides one of the best character studies I've seen in the whole medium.
• Low Moon by Jason - It's really not as much a graphic novel as it is a collection of short strips, but I didn't know where else it would fit (I considered making a separate section for my favorite strips, but then I realized that Kevin Huizenga and Jason are really the only strip/zine artists I'm really into). Jason is a master of deadpan humor.
• Black Hole by Charles Burns - Pretty much the ultimate horror comic. It's pretty obviously aimed at young men and their fears regarding women and commitment, but regardless, it still creeps me out. Charles Burns has a way with the medium that no one (with the possible exceptions of David Mazzucchelli and Chris Ware) can match.

Non-superhero/mainstream comics:

• Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra - If you haven't read Y: The Last Man, you haven't lived. The story leaves you at the edge of your seat and you get to know the characters so well that by the end of the series you feel like you actually know them.
• The Sandman by Neil Gaiman - Explaining this would be like explaining why Star Wars is your science fiction movie. It's just obvious.
• Promethea by Alan Moore and JH Williams III - Everyone knows Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but I will always say that Promethea is Alan Moore's best work. It pretty much embodies his weirdness and his mysticism and it's an all-around great comic that uses the medium in ways rarely seen outside of the experimental scene. It also doesn't hurt that I'm a total JH Williams fangirl...his art is GORGEOUS.
• Ex Machina by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris - It's a political drama with superheroes. What's not to love?
• Chew by John Layman - It's a fun and often creepy take on the detective genre. Also, it's set in my city (Philadelphia)!
• Queen and Country by Greg Rucka - Spies! Mystery! Intrigue! Strong female characters!

Superhero comics:

• Batwoman: Elegy by Greg Rucka and JH Williams III - One of the best superhero comics I've ever read. The writing and characterization are great (as expected...after all, this is Greg Rucka, he can't really do anything wrong in my eyes), but what really makes it stand out is the art. Seriously, just try reading it without having to stop once in a while to gape and think, "HOLY CRAP IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL."
• Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka - Yes, I really like Greg Rucka. His take on Wonder Woman (in his run on the regular title and his graphic novel, "The Hiketeia." I prefer to pretend "Blackest Night: Wonder Woman" never happened because that comic could have been so awesome if it hadn't been toyed with by Geoff Johns or part of a big, stupid event, since Greg Rucka and Geoff Johns are two of the best talents in comics right now. But I digress) was great and, as I mentioned when I brought up Ex Machina, I love comics that combine superheroics with politics.
• Birds of Prey by Gail Simone - It's fun, it's witty, it's awesome, and it's a breath of fresh air from the other superhero comics today that tend to be piles of crap that take themselves way too seriously.
• Secret Six by Gail Simone - Yes, in case you haven't noticed, I tend to stick with writers I like. Secret Six manages to be fun, dark, and flat-out creepy all at the same time. Speaking of which, I should probably catch up on it, since I've missed the past 5 or 6 issues.

Wow, that wound up being a lot longer than I meant for it to be. And I was trying to make it short!