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[mberan42]

I want to start reading some graphic novels, comic books, etc. I have a good idea of what I want to read, I just don't know where to start.

I'm interested in the post-apocalyptic / cyberpunk / barren future. I don't quite like the manga / anime-type art, (I realize I'm grossly stereotyping there - my apologies for my ignorance). I want to read dark, expansive, haunting (not scary haunting) stuff.

There's a great example that I have, but the link to the book doesn't exist anymore. If anyone bought Disposable Parts, compiled by Josh Mirman of Punks and Nerds, I'm talking about the comic Seven in there.

Anyways, if anyone has any recommendations, whether they're graphic novels, comic books or web comics, I'd appreciate them all.

Thanks.

[Alarra]

Well, Sandman is the best I've read...period. So I'd start there.

[Number_6]

Sandman sandman sandman sandman sandman sandman sandman sandman eggs and sandman

Sandman is certainly dark, expansive and haunting, though not post apocalyptic.

The spin-off comic 'Destiny: A chronicle of deaths fortold' is, though I didn't think it was that great. It's best if you read Sandman before that.

'Y: The last man' is sort of post-apocalyptic. All the males on the Earth have mysteriously died, leaving only escape artist Yorick Brown and his pet monkey Ampersand. They team up with a government black-ops agent and a cloning expert, travelling around the world trying to unravel the mystery of Yorick's survival. The dialog is extremely well written, but the whole story comes across as almost lighthearted in places. I wouldn't call it dark, expansive or haunting, though it is very entertaining (and not in the 'I'm the last man on Earth, I'm gonna bone every chick that comes my way' sense. There's actually very little of that).

'Fables' is good too. All the fairy-tale creatures have been hounded out of their realm by 'The Adversary', and try to make a living in New York city (none of us know that they're there). It's got the same fractured fairy-tale approach as Shrek did, only it's much more adult (Prince Charming is a chronic womanizer who's married and divorced Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and... shoot, I forget the last one).

'Ex Machina' is another one with excellent writing. Michael Hundred, a civil engineer gains super powers and becomes a hero named 'The Great Machine' in a world without super-heros. After a little while of that, he decides he could help more people by revealing his identity and becoming mayor of New York city. It mixes politics with science fiction very well.

[Blue Kitty]

I say you can't go wrong reading V for Vendetta, which is still my most favorite graphic novels ever, besides Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Kingdom Come

[dancarter]

Good choices all.  Here are some more:

The Brian Wood stuff:  Channel Zero & Channel Zero: Jennie One.  Near future look at Fascism in the U.S.
Transmetropolitan: Warren Ellis and Darrick Robertson.  Excellent.

and for the Post-apocalyptic in you:
Destiny: A Chronical of Deaths Foretold: Alisa Kwitney, Kent Williams, Michael Zulli, Scott Hampton and Rebecca Guay.  About Destiny's son through the ages, from Byzantine Empires through to the Future, and the destruction and plague that follow him.

[Patatat]

Coheed and Cambria Novels.

[Mogman]

Eh, dunno about ye olde fashioned print media gear, but i recommend checking out Pinch of glass http://www.greychurch.com/pinch/index.htm

Dun un nun na na BATMAN! >.>

[Ragman]

Brian K. Vaughn's Pride of Baghdad is among the most amazing graphic novels to come out recently. Its a haunting anthropomorphic tale of a group of lions the escaped the Baghdad zoo in the wake of the US invasion, it really will stick with you.

If you haven't already checked it out, Alan Moore's The Watchmen is one of the most important books in coomic history for its rich story telling, realistic characters, and mature themes. Its a superhero book, but it really deconstructs the whole "What is a Superhero?" question.

Lucifer, a Sandman spin off which recently ended, was great, in my opinion. Written by Mike Carey, it was interesting and was done in a way that would have humbled Milton as far as what kind of a character Lucifer was.

Deadman, which was recently launched in Vertigo with Bruce Jones helming it has been interesting. Its only got two issues out, but so far its been bloody brilliant. It plays with Super String Theory and death through out reality. Still, only two issues are out so far, so its hard to get a read on it.

Testament, by Douglas Ruckshoff is a brilliant biblical-ish story. It takes the Hebrew Scriptures and applies them to a post-modern story. It shows how parrells can be drawn between the two. Its coming up on Issue 11, and the first trade was recently released.

These aren't necesarily all cyber punk or Apocalyptic, but they're all amazing reads. I'd really just suggest checking out Vertigo in general, its got some of the most intelligent and intriguing stories in comics.

If you really want to diversify, though, in DC proper (Vertigo's an imprint of DC), I'd check out Identity Crisis. Its certainly a smart book, written by New York Times best selling author Brad Meltzer. It involves Superman, Batman and all of them, but it has them dealing with the death of Elongated Man's wife (Elongated Man being a Justice Leaguer who left and was married for a very long time), and things internalized in the Leage of their past indiscretions and secrets that rupture the League at its core.

[Catfish_Man]

Well, I was going to say Sandman, but since that's taken: City of Light and Darkness.

[Noellephant]

I know you said you dont like manga/anime, but you DEFINITELY should at least give Deathnote a try. It is my life! It is amazing beyond all standards, and it fits your need for a haunting graphic novel but not scary and it DEFINES post-apocalyptic, barren future. You'll love it because I say so. =]

here


I couldnt find any excerpts in english =[

[Gryff]

For a comic set in a dystopian future you can't go past Transmetropolitan. It is about a journalist... in a dystopian future... and it's really good!

[thepugs]

I really enjoy Neil Gaiman's work, particularly Sandman.  Additionally, while Todd MacFarlene is a piece of crap, the Spawn comics are really incredible.  Gaiman actually did work on them as well.  It's just about as dark as you can get for a fairly mainstream comic.
Also, it may not be dark, but a comic that I find consistently pleasing is Deadpool.  It's rather upbeat and humorous, though, so it may not be what you're looking for.

Also, neither thing I've talked about has anything to do with being post-apocolyptic.  They're just cool.

[sliptape]

What of DC's Identity Crisis, guys?

[screwjack]

I would like to suggest   PREACHER  my favoite comic ever.  9 graphic novels total.

[Shishio]

If you can get over your distaste for manga, Akira and Eden are exactly the type of stories you're looking for.  I also like the webcomic Ice.  Post-Nuke is another webcomic you may like, but I have read very little of it.

[Eternal_Newbie]

If you're looking for something set in a dystopian future but less grim than 'V for Vendetta', try 'The Ballad of Halo Jones' one of Alan Moore's earlier works with Ian Gibson. It was origionally publised in '2000AD Weekly starting' in 1984, and was considered groundbreaking at the time. It's also a great read.