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Author Topic: Graphic Novels/Comic Books  (Read 58837 times)

Scandanavian War Machine

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Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« on: 08 Dec 2008, 16:17 »

okay, guys i need your mighty wisdom to recommend unto me something good to read. i have been slowly reading a long book about physics for the last couple of weeks, and i'm almost done with it so i've decided that i need a change of pace for my next reading adventure.

so i thought to myself "hey, i haven't read a comic book for almost ten years. that could be fun."

now i need you to recommend some good comics/graphic novels/whatever to me. something that i'd be able to pick up at the local bookstore (hopefully. though if their selection sucks i guess i could resort to Amazon). i was thinking maybe Watchmen or The Killing Joke (i haven't read either) but those are just the first two that came to mind.

so, friends, what are some of your favorites and why should i read them? thanks in advance for the help.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #1 on: 08 Dec 2008, 16:24 »

Invincible:  Good old fashioned teen super hero comic, right now you can find like 8 volumes of it.

Walking Dead:  Best damn zombie comic out there

Fables:  Fantastic story about fairy tale people having to live in the real world

Hellboy:  It's Hellboy, the name pretty much says everything you need to know.  Don't know why, but I love Mignola's art style.

The Goon:  20's gangster comedy
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Scandanavian War Machine

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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #2 on: 08 Dec 2008, 16:31 »

damn Walking Dead looks sweet.

unfortunately, i'm looking for something that's more of a one-off that i don't have to buy multiple books to get the whole story. maybe i should have been more specific.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #3 on: 08 Dec 2008, 16:32 »

Yeah, that pretty much kills all of mine.

Though, Hellboy and the Goon are a little non-sequential, but to get the full thing you'll need to buy multiple books.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #4 on: 08 Dec 2008, 16:38 »

Watchmen is pretty fantastic, but it is quite deep. It's not your usual comic book fare.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #5 on: 08 Dec 2008, 16:51 »

Watchmen
V for Vendetta
Sandman(volumes, unfortunately)
The Lorax(hey, don't knock it, alright?)

for graphic novels, I'm gonna recommend you a few really good manga.
One Piece(really really freakin' long tho, very good if you've got the time)
Ode to Kirihito
Bitter Virgin(very short, just 4 volumes)

One Piece and Bitter Virgin can be found at http://www.onemanga.com/
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Scandanavian War Machine

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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #6 on: 08 Dec 2008, 17:05 »

sweet. thanks for suggestions, everybody! i'm gonna go to the bookstore when i get off work and see what their selection is like. i'll let you know what i end up deciding on.
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De_El

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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #7 on: 08 Dec 2008, 17:15 »

Batman one-offs limited series reprint collections that can be appreciated on their own: The Dark Knight Returns (do not waste your time on the shitty sequel), Batman Year One, Batman: The Long Halloween, Batman: Dark Victory, Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (this is a true one-shot and only kind of a Batman comic), Batman: Broken City

The quality of Watchmen is unquestionable. Do it. V for Vendetta is really good as well.

Kingdom Come is basically the only major event DC comics collection that worked. Fuck Final Infinite Crisis on Infinite Earths and all that shit.  

Pride of Baghdad is a good one-shot by the writer from Ex Machina and Y: The Last Man

Black Hole, Blankets, and Persepolis are good non-major comics publisher-type comics.  Blankets and Perepolis are both memoirs, and Black Hole is an almost sci-fi about sti's.

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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #8 on: 08 Dec 2008, 17:18 »

My favourite comics which can be read with just one purchase:

From Hell by Alan Moore - Alan Moore's harrowing and intelligent take upon Jack The Ripper.  Beautifully and evocatively told, it is a tome of a book which takes a long time to get through, but never stops being exciting and engaging.  It is remarkably well researched, but that doesn't stop it from going down bizzare and conspiracy laden paths.  Even the appendix is a great read.

David Boring by Daniel Clowes - Don't read this if you can't handle somewhat depressing stories.  A really well told tale about a young man looking for some sort of meaning in the city he lives in.  It takes a strange twist in the second half, becoming even more captivating, though certainly no less sad.

The Arrival by Shaun Tan - No words in this one.  Just incredible hand-drawn pictures laid out to tell the story of a man arriving in a strange county, full of unfamiliar sites and peoples.  Find a copy and flip through it.  Breathtakingly beautiful.

Maus by Art Speigelman - One of the most famous alternative graphic novels, it's a haunting and inventive look at the holocaust.  Full of humour and fun, despite the often bleak subject matter.  It won the Pulitzer Prize, once upon a time.

Zot! by Scott McCloud - This collects all the stories from this 80's comic book.  It's a really fun mix of manga and superhero storytelling, which often stops to look at the more down-to-earth aspects of the characters, placing a large focus on their everyday lives, and not just the adventures.

Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud - A fun and intelligent take on what makes comics exciting, and why they're worth reading.  Told as a comic, it's incredibly engaging.  By the same author as Zot! above

Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid On Earth by Chris Ware - Chris Ware is undoubtedly a genius, and this large and intricate book makes that really clear.  Not light reading, this one will mess with your head.  Really depressing at times, but hard to put down.  As close to something like Ulysses as comics has yet produced.

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel - A remarkable coming of age tale, full of literary references and moving passages.  My absolute favourite example of comics as a memoir.  It's an enchanting story of a girl growing up, discovering her sexuality, and learning her family's secrets.  My mother even liked this, and she can't stand most comics, unless they're Calvin and Hobbes.

Louis Riel by Chester Brown - A historical comic about a famous Canadian rebel and his attempts to fight the Canadian government.  Well researched and told, it's exciting, and even somewhat educational.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi - Another memoir/coming of age story, this one about a girl growing up in Iran.  Passionate and moving, it was turned into an excellent movie last year.

If you feel like something with multiple collections, Neil Gaiman's The Sandman is great, and easy to jump into.  The Hernandez brothers' Love and Rockets is also available in collected format and is a great read.

If you want comic strip collections, any book of George Herriman's Krazy Kat will make for excellent reading.

Alan Moore's Watchmen and V for Vendetta are seen as classics these days, and are both good reads.  I haven't read The Killing Joke, but if you were to get it, try to find it in DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore, where it will also include lots of other stories, for the same price.

I've also really enjoyed Frank Miller's take on Batman, in The Dark Knight Returns and even in The Dark Knight Strikes Again, butI haven't found myself to enjoy any of his other work, though I haven't read Batman: Year One.

If you ever do feel like buying some comics from the newstands, I highly recommend Captain America and Thor, both of which are easy to jump in to with just one or two trade paperbacks of recent issues, and are being excellently written.  Kevin Smith has also started writting a three issue Batman story, Batman: Cacophony, which looks to be fairly good, based off the first issue.

Oh!  And you should check out just about anything by Will Eisner!
« Last Edit: 08 Dec 2008, 17:24 by Dark Flame »
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Scandanavian War Machine

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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #9 on: 08 Dec 2008, 17:27 »

wow that was very informative, thanks a bunch!
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #10 on: 08 Dec 2008, 17:35 »

I was about to start this thread. How coincidental.

Recently I bought V For Vendetta and The Killing Joke. I loved the Killing Joke although it wasn't as long I had expected. V For Vendetta,  I have already read it once. I pirated it and read it and then bought it.
I looked at your recommendations and also added them to my wishlist. I'll keep checking this thread.
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Uber Ritter

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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #11 on: 08 Dec 2008, 18:47 »

I'd recommend the trades of Top Ten, which is Allan Moore but is a good deal lighter than Watchman, and in some ways more enjoyable (ie here his brilliant characterization and writing shine without being burdened by so much bleakness).

Queen and Country is a great series about British secret agent Tara Chace.  Sure, the adventures of a rather attractive female super-spy don't sound like the makings of great literature or even anything approaching good, but Queen and Country pulls it off beautifully.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #12 on: 08 Dec 2008, 19:13 »

Watchmen, without a doubt.

If you do decide to go on a volume buying binge, get Sandman. In fact, fuck it, just buy it anyway, it's utterly amazing.

I've just started Fables, through vol 2 so far, enjoying it a great deal. Walking Dead was good up through vol 3, havent gotten any further.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #13 on: 08 Dec 2008, 19:15 »

Top 10 is great, two volumes, plus a mini series and an OGN. The OGN is fucking amazing.

Also, and I can't recommend these two enough, Demo, by brian wood and Scott Pilgrim, by Brian Lee O'malley. Demo is a collection of single issue stories dealing with issues of power and young people, that starts out about super powers and then just becomes like the best comic ever. Scott Pilgrim, in 4 volumes so far, with 3 more to come, is the story of a young dude trying to make good while dating an american delivery girl ninja. He has to fight her 7 evil exes, get a job, get an apartment, get the girl, and get shows for his band. Brilliant, funny, touching, and it pisses all over the fourth wall.


Other than those, this thread has good recs.
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Blue Kitty

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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #14 on: 08 Dec 2008, 19:49 »

With De El recommending Kingdom Come, you should also get Marvels.  it has the same amazing artist and chronicles most of Marvel's history from the perspective of an every day reporter.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #15 on: 08 Dec 2008, 19:55 »

Anything by Daniel Clowes (but especially Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron, that thing gave me nightmares)

Love and Rockets by Los Bros Hernandez (magically realistic Latin American punk rock stories, awesome black and white work)

Anything by James Kochalka (you can read his daily comic journal for free at americanelf.com, and yes that's where my icon comes from)

I'm not so much a fan of superhero stuff. The Goon is funny, though.
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JD

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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #16 on: 08 Dec 2008, 20:00 »

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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #17 on: 08 Dec 2008, 21:21 »

Shit guys, I got back home half an hour ago from a big spend up at Borders where I spent $600 on books and graphic novels. I got a bunch of Will Eisner, some Sandman spin-offs and a couple of anthologies. So I'm actually looking at my pile now and thinking that most of what I have is what you're asking for.

Flight - A series of anthologies, each with about 20 short stories written and illustrated by various people. With 5 books in total you can pick up any volume, read away and you're guaranteed to read something you'll enjoy.

The Contract With God Trilogy - Will Eisner. This series consists of A Contract With God, A Life Force, Dropsie Avenue. Will Eisner pretty much made grapgic novels into an acceptable form of reading material, and these are the books that did it.

New York: Life in the Big City - Will Eisner. These collections (New York, The Building, City People Notebook, Invisible People) each deal with different inhabitants of New York. I wish I could tell you more but I basically bought them on the recommendation on a friend who's opinion I take highly.

Since you guys are recommending all things Alan Moore don't forget The Ballad of Halo Jones. Also anything from his Americas Best Comics line. Goddamn.

Right. Back to small collected semi easy to find graphic novels!

Planetary - Warren Ellis. Is 4 volumes too much? If so, you're really missing out man. A team of archaeologists of things weird, and not always from Earth, try to uncover why a group of people have been hoarding these discoveries for themselves and not propelling the world into a fantastic future. I love this series so much.

Blankets - Craig Thompson. The most sweet and brutually sincere graphic novel, sometimes a little overly so. This is a definite must.

Fell - Warren Ellis. Another Warren Ellis graphic novel, also illustrated by Ben Templesmith. Richard Fell, a detective, is relocated across the bridge to Snowtown where he tries hard to uphold what little justice that's left.

The Umbrella Academy - Written by Gerad Way and illustrated by Gabriel Ba. So yeah, the lead singer from My Chemical Romance wrote a comic. And it is really really really good. I was all set to hate the shit out of this, because I am shallow like that. Seven orphans all born at the exact same time taken in by an alien posing as a humanDr for what other reason than to save the world? Yes, yes indeed.

Locke & Key - Written by Joe Hill and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez. Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King, let's get that out in the open, first of all. So like his father he writes horror. I was impressed by his debut novel released last year, Heart Shaped Box, and with Locke & Key getting so much high praises I thought I had better check this 6 comic mini series out, right quick. I'm glad I did because it is great and one of the few comics where it has actually creeped me out.

That's all I can think of, other than what everyone else has recommended (Bone, Scott Pilgrim, Demo, Alan Moore-ness, The Arrival, Maus, Dan Clowes, Scott McCl-fuck basically everything Dark Flame said) I'll throw some longish series at you that if you ever change your mind about multi volume works, you should definitely look at.

The Authority
Transmetropolitan
Y: The Last Man
Ex Machina
DMZ
The Invisibles
The Boys
Preacher
Books of Magic
Lucifer
Powers
100 Bullets
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Joseph

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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #18 on: 08 Dec 2008, 22:02 »

Completely forgot about Warren Ellis.  Transmetropolitan is a favourite of mine, and he's written some other great things as well.  He's also currently doing Astonishing X-Men, which a lot of people seem to hate, but I love.

100 Bullets I've had a lot of trouble getting in to.  Granted, I've only read the first trade, but I found the quality was really mixed throughout, and none of the stories really got me excited.  Maybe it gets better?
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #19 on: 08 Dec 2008, 22:58 »

Blankets - Craig Thompson. The most sweet and brutually sincere graphic novel, sometimes a little overly so. This is a definite must.

This is what I was going to suggest! I love his drawing so much.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #20 on: 09 Dec 2008, 04:40 »

Completely forgot about Warren Ellis.  Transmetropolitan is a favourite of mine, and he's written some other great things as well.  He's also currently doing Astonishing X-Men, which a lot of people seem to hate, but I love.

100 Bullets I've had a lot of trouble getting in to.  Granted, I've only read the first trade, but I found the quality was really mixed throughout, and none of the stories really got me excited.  Maybe it gets better?

100 bullets has the same story line for every issue for the first two trades or so, the only really important one being when someone starts questioning the "untraceable" bullets, from there the series starts developing a more over arcing plot which is really addicitve

my current personal list is
astonishing x men - for joss whedon's run the first two arcs are excellent the second two not so much, warren ellis has managed in each issue so far (3) to do an absolutly gold line which are a reason enough to keep reading (see listed)

armor (on wolverine teasing her about her name)
"he says if my name's "armor" then his name is "claws" and ms. frosts name is "brain" and ms. rogue's name is "suck"

(armor throwing wolverine to a ship above them)
"storm was right you are heavy"
"adamantium skeleton"
"not the beer?"

(scott swears at agent brand(beasts girlfriend))
agent brand: did you just say "****" to me?
beast: scott you jsut said "****ing" to my...um
beast: actually what are you? "girlfriend" doesn't sound quite right
agent brand: "xenophiliac experementation partner"?
beast: scott, you jsut said "****ing" to my girlfriend

batman (at least while grant morrison is writing)...it has batman running around the city beating up bad guys while on lsd in an attempt to beat someone mind controlling him

fables (although the war arc was a real let down compared to the rest of the series...(somethign about it being narated instead of followed if that description works) but definatly read up to issue 50

jack of fables: a spin off of the above series but no where near as serious

powers: if you can handle the sporadic release schedule it's an excellent series the first few issues are avaliable for free here it focuses on a detective in the "powers" division of the police force

runaways: once again a sporadic release schedule but excellent series
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #21 on: 09 Dec 2008, 05:13 »

Pretty much anything by Alan Moore.  People have already correctly cited Watchmen, From Hell and V for Vendetta, but if you're in the mood for lighter fare his America's Best comics are great too.  Plus, they're limited-run comics so the entire series are usually just a few trade paperbacks long.

You probably know The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen from the terrible movie adaptation.  Rest assured that the comic is much smarter and much better.  And Mina Murray isn't a damn vampire.  [3 trade paperbacks: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 are self-contained stories, the third book, The Black Dossier, is a collection of shorter tales.]

Top Ten is a Moore's homage to police procedurals, imagined in a city where every cop, criminal and average citizen has superpowers.  The whole thing is chock-full of background gags playing off all kinds of superhero comics.  Its spin-off Smax pulls the same trick for the fantasy/sword-and-sorcery genre.  [3 trade paperbacks: Top Ten Vols. 1 & 2 are a single long story line, Smax is a one self-contained TPB. There's a prequel book, Top Ten: Forty-Niners but I haven't read that to give suggestions.]


... or if you like the idea of Alice (Alice in Wonderland), Wendy (Peter Pan) and Dorothy (The Wizard of Oz) having explicit hard-core sex with each other and everyone else, there's always Lost Girls, written by Moore and illustrated by Moore's wife.
« Last Edit: 09 Dec 2008, 07:43 by rynne »
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #22 on: 09 Dec 2008, 06:40 »

batman (at least while grant morrison is writing)...it has batman running around the city beating up bad guys while on lsd in an attempt to beat someone mind controlling him

I cannot disagree with this enough. I have read some great Batman and some terrible Batman in my day and Morrison's run has been the epitome of mediocre and impenetrable. R.I.P. was the most egregious offender of the "Batman plans ahead for everything and you simply cannot beat him because he was twenty steps ahead of you before you even decided on your lunch on June 24, 1987" fiasco I have ever seen. His run has been a mess of less than amusing or poignant super hero pastiches, villains bordering on parody, over-the-top and nonsensical reveals that turned out either untrue, never went anywhere or outright never got resolved (Such as the revelation that the villain of the last arc may or may not have been a prominent figure from Bruce Wayne's past and Alfred may or may not have been a sexual deviant who did heroin) and the world's most terrible deus ex machina situations (Such as having a foolproof contingency plan in place should someone brainwash you, drive you insane and leave you homeless).

Grant Morrison is probably the most overrated writer in comic book history.

Runaways is a solid recommendation, though. At the least, the first two volumes by Brian K. Vaughn (The same guy who did Y: The Last Man and Deus Ex Machine) were pure gold. Pick up anything with his name on it. Joss Whedon's run on the title is largely ignorable. He added a cast member, but his run was largely uneventful and poorly executed. The jury's still out on Terry Moore's current take on it, but it's failing to reach BKV levels by any stretch.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #23 on: 09 Dec 2008, 07:13 »

Sounds to me like you're reading the Terry Moore incarnation of Runaways, Jens. Does it look something like this?



If so, trust me, the BKV incarnation is a significant step up. The book has been downhill since he left.

I'm also not saying Morrison has never written anything good or great. I've read some quality Grant Morrison. That said, he's also written a whole fuckton of absolute shit, such as his Batman and X-Men runs. He's had some quality stuff, but he's a vastly overrated dime store Warren Ellis.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #24 on: 09 Dec 2008, 07:20 »

Okay, you just have terrible taste in comics, then. Sorry, Jens.

For the record, folks, the covers are not done by the same penciler as the interiors.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #25 on: 09 Dec 2008, 07:27 »

Oh, also, if you're looking for a quick, single-serving read, there's a graphic novelization of Neverwhere that was decent. They changed a couple plot points, but I liked the art and how they envisioned London Below.

http://www.amazon.com/Neil-Gaimans-Neverwhere-Mike-Carey/dp/1401210074/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228836328&sr=8-2

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Gilead

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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #26 on: 09 Dec 2008, 07:27 »

Read David B.'s Epileptic. Don't question me, just do it. To get you turgid here's a scan of some of the ridiculously gorgeous art in the book.

edit: This goes for the rest of you as well.
« Last Edit: 09 Dec 2008, 07:29 by Gilead »
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #27 on: 09 Dec 2008, 07:31 »

Quote
Read David B.'s Epileptic. Don't question me, just do it. To get you turgid here's a scan of some of the ridiculously gorgeous art in the book.

Dude, I saw you post this in the Discuss threads, but I'm not sure if it's available at your conventional book stores, should I just order it online?
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #28 on: 09 Dec 2008, 07:37 »

Morrison's We3 is a decent and very short read, though the last page or so felt a bit deus ex machina for my tastes.  It's about errant animals who've been turned into cyborg war machines---think Homeward Bound with machine guns.

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Gilead

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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #29 on: 09 Dec 2008, 07:40 »

Quote
Read David B.'s Epileptic. Don't question me, just do it. To get you turgid here's a scan of some of the ridiculously gorgeous art in the book.

Dude, I saw you post this in the Discuss threads, but I'm not sure if it's available at your conventional book stores, should I just order it online?
I've seen the occasional copy in bookstores with good graphic novel sections (kinokuniya in sydney is where I got my original copy), but your best bet is probably to order it online.

Amazon appears to have it for 12 dollars.

http://www.amazon.com/Epileptic-David-B/dp/0375714685/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228837048&sr=8-1
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Usopp

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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #30 on: 09 Dec 2008, 10:05 »

Awesome, kthx
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #31 on: 09 Dec 2008, 10:14 »

okay, so i ended up getting Watchmen because they didn't have much else that was very interesting at Borders when i went in yesterday. i'm about a third of the way through it already (couldn't put it down last night) and it's pretty spectacular already. it's made me very nostalgic for the days when i actually read comics and i think that, coupled with all the suggestions in this thread, will see me reading alot more comics in the coming weeks (i have two weeks off work for the holidays, so i've got lots of free time).
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #32 on: 09 Dec 2008, 17:32 »

I've gotta go with Jon on this, Morrison's run on Batman was complete and utter shit.  I was starting to think that he has some odd hard on for the Silver Age like Alex Ross does for the Golden.

Also, Vaughn's run on Runways was ungodly awesome, and WE3 made me cry
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #33 on: 09 Dec 2008, 17:57 »

I know the new Marvel stuff is generally meh, but after reading it today, I have to say that Nova vol. 1 - Annihilation Conquest is really great.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #34 on: 09 Dec 2008, 20:02 »

Generally meh?  Maybe this is true for a lot of titles, but I have to say, I've found Captain America, Thor, Daredevil, Astonishing X-Men, and Wolverine to be quite excellent recently.  I've also heard really good things about Nova and Guardians Of The Galaxy.  And Spider-Man, though it's been mixed fair, has picked it up during the last couple months (they silly Flash Thompson war issue being an exception).
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #35 on: 09 Dec 2008, 21:30 »

Local, by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly. In which a girl has emotions in a bunch of places.

I've had a tough time enjoying comics lately, but found Local to be the bees knees.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #36 on: 09 Dec 2008, 21:43 »

I might get some guff for this, but I generally enjoy the Minx line of books from DC.  Sure, it's aimed at teenage girls, but I love the stories, they're separate from each other, and the people involved have put out some awesome stuff, like Brain Wood and Ross Campbell.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #37 on: 09 Dec 2008, 22:12 »

Pretty much anything by Alan Moore.  People have already correctly cited Watchmen, From Hell and V for Vendetta, but if you're in the mood for lighter fare his America's Best comics are great too.  Plus, they're limited-run comics so the entire series are usually just a few trade paperbacks long.

Top Ten is a Moore's homage to police procedurals, imagined in a city where every cop, criminal and average citizen has superpowers.  The whole thing is chock-full of background gags playing off all kinds of superhero comics.  Its spin-off Smax pulls the same trick for the fantasy/sword-and-sorcery genre.  [3 trade paperbacks: Top Ten Vols. 1 & 2 are a single long story line, Smax is a one self-contained TPB. There's a prequel book, Top Ten: Forty-Niners but I haven't read that to give  suggestions.



The '49ers is quite good.  Not as good as the two trades, but quite good.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #38 on: 10 Dec 2008, 03:31 »

I third the Bone reccomendation. I'm addicted to it. But I refuse to buy the shitty all-volumes-in-one-poorly-bound-book edition. I'm buying the nice, crisp, full coulour ones, one book at a time. It's so hard to not go apeshit and buy all of them at once, but it's better this way. The anticipation, the excitement... And they're SO much better in colour.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #39 on: 10 Dec 2008, 07:17 »

(they silly Flash Thompson war issue being an exception).

Did you actually read the issue? It was one of the top reviewed single issues of the last year's worth of Spider-Man.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #40 on: 10 Dec 2008, 09:10 »

The '49ers is quite good.  Not as good as the two trades, but quite good.

Thanks, I’ll add it to my must-read list.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #41 on: 10 Dec 2008, 10:01 »

(they silly Flash Thompson war issue being an exception).

Did you actually read the issue? It was one of the top reviewed single issues of the last year's worth of Spider-Man.

Yep, and I don't understand where these reviews have been coming from.  It's overly sentimental, it interupted the flow of the series, and it does a lot to legitimize war, playing with some fairly bad stereotypes.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #42 on: 10 Dec 2008, 10:26 »

How in the world does a decades old character being maimed legitimize war? Reading that, all I could was "Fuck, I am sure glad I never enlisted."

I've read overly sentimental comic books and that was far from overly sentimental. It was a pretty damn good balance and coming right after NWTD was a perfect spot for it, especially with the almost weekly scheduling, where it didn't interrupt anything.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #43 on: 10 Dec 2008, 15:38 »

Hm...not everything short, but my recomendations are:
Preacher, Walking Dead, Fables, Invincible, Bone.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #44 on: 10 Dec 2008, 18:56 »

With De El recommending Kingdom Come, you should also get Marvels.  it has the same amazing artist and chronicles most of Marvel's history from the perspective of an every day reporter.


Marvels and Astro City are the two best graphic novels I have experienced.  Quite simply, at his best Kurt Busiek is the best writer in comics ever.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #45 on: 10 Dec 2008, 21:43 »

Shadow Hill is one of my favourite cities/towns in a comic universe.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #46 on: 11 Dec 2008, 07:10 »

The '49ers is quite good.  Not as good as the two trades, but quite good.

Thanks, I’ll add it to my must-read list.

It's actually a little better, I think, but only if you've already read the other two trades. Dunno how it stands on its own.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #47 on: 11 Dec 2008, 16:15 »

i'm almost done with Watchmen (fantastic) and i got The Killing Joke yesterday. not only that but i finally signed up for Amazon.com so i'll probably order some of the more obscure things you guys recommended.

the next couple of weeks are going to be pretty great (two weeks off work + comics = sweeet).
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #48 on: 11 Dec 2008, 16:46 »

I thought the '49ers one stood quite well on it's own since I read it first.  I was surprised to see him again in Top 10.
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Re: Graphic Novels/Comic Books
« Reply #49 on: 12 Dec 2008, 06:47 »

Really? I tried to read the first issue but the dude was such a dick I had a hard time enjoying it. I suppose it deserves a second chance.
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