So. I was thinking one day while I was doing some re-reading and waiting for my latest shipment of comics from the local shop, "What comics does the fellow Titans like?" And so I created this Thread. The comics you recommend doesn't have to be about Superheroes. It can be Indie, webcomics or something you can find on ComiXology - you name it. Manga, too, belongs to this medium, right? So go crazy, people! Just write a short summary without any spoilers, and it should be good to go. And if you really want to recommend, for example, a comic in its current event but have to read some backstory into it - just put what we should read so we can also follow along.
Simple, right?
I will start off with my own recommendations:
* Superman: Red Son
Written by Mark Millar. He placed Superman under a simple line: What if he crashed in Russia, during the height of the Red Revolution? The answer was simple: "He became a Communist." Now, if you hate that the idea of the US's greatest comic icon turned into a Communist - let it be known that the idea of it doesn't shove down your throat. It's just another Elseworld tale of Superman. Regardless, give this one a read.
* Birds of Prey
Written by Gail Simone. Before DC's New52, Gail Simone took a spin of this small group of super heroines (Oracle, Black Canary and Huntress) and the results were fantastic! After being paralyzed from the waist down, Barbara Gordon decides to pick up a new persona known as Oracle and with her expertise as a hacker still in good use - her crime-fighting will never stop. Though I still regret that I have only picked up its 4 issues, I am sure ComiXology has the rest of them.
* Sandman
Written by Neil Gaiman. Though I only own the first issue, its a fascinating tale about a being called Sandman, the Master of Dreams, and his kin - The Endless. Sandman wakes up only to find his equipment have fallen into the wrong hands and must require them before disastrous events happens! Gaiman is already famous for being an excellent writer and this one didn't disappoint. Though it may be a bit "out of style," seeing that this was drawn in 1990s were this sort of style were just as common as today's computer coloring.
* Batman: The Killing Joke
Written by Alan Moore. For any hardcore Batman fan, I am sure that there will be many of you that have already brought this one. If not, it was serving as one of the comics Christopher Nolan used as a key inspiration for The Dark Knight, as it explores one of the versions of Joker's backstory. Joker has escaped Arkham and have kidnapped Police Commissioner Gordon and puts Batman in a race against time to save him. A simple story for a great book!
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Twitter: [url=https://twitter.com/Franzseska]@Franzseska[/url] // Tumblr: [url=http://franatastic.tumblr.com/]Haus of Zapatera[/url]
Well, since you asked so nicely ^_^:
We'll start with the multiple Hugo Award winning [url=http://girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php]Girl Genius[/url], by Phil and Kaja Foglio; set in a world that is ruled by Mad Science. Poorly. ^_^
[url=http://www.grrlpowercomic.com/]Grrl Power[/url], by Dave Barrack; about an ordinary looking superheroine who has joined a team full of superhero(ine)s who look like the ones in comic books.
[url=http://www.egscomics.com/]El Goonish Shive[/url], by Dan Shive; about a group of teenagers, some of whom are dealing with superpowers while others deal with really strange problems. Start at the beginning, I can't be expected to explain it all.
[url=http://www.sandraandwoo.com/]Sandra & Woo[/url], by Oliver Knörzer and Powree; a heartwarming tale of a raccoon and his girl. And all of their strange friends. While you're there, check out [url=http://www.sandraandwoo.com/gaia/]Gaia[/url].
Topping my list of comics I haven't read yet, but recommend anyway: [url=http://www.imagecomics.com/content/view/tales-of-honor-comic-launches-multi-platform-storyworld-to-introduce-new-fa]Tales of Honor[/url] by Matt Hawkins, based on the "Honor Harrington" series by David Weber. Actually, that's the whole list, but we're talking [b][I]Honor Stephanie friggin' Harrington!!![/I][/b] I presume Nimitz will make an appearance or three, and show [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTZ2Tp9yXyM]Rocket Raccoon[/url] how to be bad-ass.
Foradain, Mage of Phoenix Rising.
[url=https://cityoftitans.com/forum/foradains-character-conclave]Foradain's Character Conclave[/url]
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Pick up the latest run of Hawkeye ( i think they're up to issue 16 or so, now)
also, the latest Black Widow run is very good
Nova (sam alexander) and Ms Marvel (Kamala Kahn) are both shaping up to old-fashioned "spiderman-ish" stories ("with great power....etc")
and beyond all of those...
Pick up [b]Saga[/b], it's the best thing since best things.
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[i]....Fly me to the moon and let me play among the stars...[/i]
I enjoy [url=http://sidekickgirl.net/2007/05/15/intro-i/]Sidekick Girl[/url]!
Be Well!
Fireheart
I'll second [i]Batman: The Killing Joke[/i], for the reasons Skaargoroth mentioned.
I hope it does not need to be said, but [i]Watchmen[/i] is a fantastic story that remains one of the only things I have ever read that actually lives up to the title of "graphic novel."
I absolutely loved [i]Avengers Vs. X-Men[/i]. The immense scale of the story arc was captured beautifully in the artwork, and it truly reads like an epic tale.
Finally: [i]JLA: Tower of Babel[/i]. I don't want to include spoilers. Just trust me when I say it is, once again, a fantastic story. Here's the cover to whet the appetite:
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2f/JLA_Tower.jpg/250px-JLA_Tower.jpg[/img]
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[size=15][b][i]A cold front is heading toward Titan City[/i][/b][/size]
Ice Man of [url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/phoenix-rising-initiative-0]The Phoenix Rising Initiative[/url]
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I am loving Chris Bachalo's art and the current story of Uncanny X-Men from Marvel Now. It feels a lot like "Generation X".
I'm also reading "Federal Bureau of Physics" because I love science and pop art.
Gail Simone IS Batgirl.. And the book is amazing.
All the Batwoman before New 52 was amazing too.. after is still good.
Astonishing X-men from Marjorie Liu is amazing for those who love character development.
Crowd Control Enthusiast
[img]http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/planetary27cover_logo-copy-1024x518.jpg[/img]
Planetary.
All of you.
[color=#ff0000]Composition Team[/color]
Flex mentallo if it wasn't mentioned already
May the wings of liberty never lose a feather
Forgot to add that I'm currently reading DC 1,000,000. Some good stuff here, really captures the pure essence of the characters it deals with. I recommend picking this lost 90's gem as it's highly imaginative and creative. If you like All-star Superman then this is a must read as it deals with plots and characters that morrison will expand upon on all-star.
May the wings of liberty never lose a feather
Don't know how I could've forgotten to list [url=http://ps238.nodwick.com/]PS238[/url]. Thanks for reminding me, Red!
Foradain, Mage of Phoenix Rising.
[url=https://cityoftitans.com/forum/foradains-character-conclave]Foradain's Character Conclave[/url]
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I just lost a whole Day to that.
Be Well!
Fireheart
[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman:_Secret_Identity]Superman: Secret Identity[/url]
Alan Moore's "The Swamp Thing" is among my personal favorites. It's a deeply engrossing tale that encompasses life, loss, love, retibution and the minor topic of universal balance. A must read. Other good reads would include "Preacher", "100 Bullets", "Hitman", "Skrull Kill Krew" and "The Authority". +1 for Flex Mentallo (hyper-sigils FTW).
When Hell is full, the Dead shall walk the Earth.
If you've been keeping up with the New Gods and/or like DC Cosmic Heroes, get the LSH Great Darkness Saga trade that just came out. It's AWESOME how well it meshes with storylines that came out many years after it--and it's good enough that they're re-issuing it in trade again.
Also, +1 for Moore's Swamp thing. It's colossal. My very first level 50 in City of Heroes was a huge but thin build viney/earth skinned spines regen scrapper named Bog Beast based off of Moore's Swamp Thing. Crey biologist with Devouring Earth origin. Man I loved him. I remember dinging 50 in The Hive just outside of Eden...
FIGHT EVIL! (or go cause trouble so the Heroes have something to do.)
Lessee here... currently working through a collection of Kirby's "Tales Of Asgard", which were short - yet connected - stories about Thor and his crew that ran as back-ups in "Tales To Astonish", if I recall rightly. Even with G. Bell inking his work, Kirby is always great stuff. I recently read through most of Alan Moore's "League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen" books and enjoyed them, although the shine did wear off a bit further in. I also recently read a Pogo book from the 50s and despite fond memories, somehow it failed to entrance me like they did when I first read about a dozen of them in my 20s. Then again I wasn't exactly giving it my full attention, just gulping it down in bits here and there, so that may be my fault. There may be another thing or two, but those are the ones that come to mind right now.
Other than that I find I don't read as many comics as I used to. Back in the late 90s I was dropping about 60 bucks a week on stuff but had to quit due to financial problems and now I like the saving the money. Also, I'm reading more books and magazines.
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"What you say is rather profound, and probably erroneous." - Joseph Conrad
“The universe is made up of stories, not of atoms” - Muriel Rukeyser
[color=#ff0000]Composition Team[/color]
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Jupiter's Legacy
In the 1930s as the Great Depression causes the United States to slump toward an economic or morale collapse, a group of young people are "called" to an uncharted island where they receive superhuman powers. They use their powers to become superheroes to defend, and inspire and uplift their country. Eighty years later, the United States is once again on the brink of collapse, but the heroes who arose to face the challenging times in the 20th century have grown old and their offspring are more concerned with partying and getting product endorsement contracts than they are about a faltering America.
I usually don't like superhero comics with the premise that "if superheroes really existed they would be:" whatever vile power-mad, sociopathic thing that the writer can think up. But a few years ago I read Wolverine: Enemy of the State and I really enjoyed it and was impressed by Mark Millar's writing, so I've been willing to give whatever he writes a chance. And I’m glad I gave Jupiter’s Legacy a try. It is “I-can’t-wait-for-the-next-issue” good. Also, Frank Quietley’s artwork is simply beautiful.
http://behindthepanels.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/jupiters-legacy001f.jpg
Astro City
Astro City is a metropolis in America that just happens to be a major hub of superhero and supervillian activity.
I've always enjoyed Astro City unique style of telling superhero stories, especially in this latest series. The stories usually revolve around secondary characters; like a hectic day in the life of the assistant to the dimension's supreme sorceress, or how a call center worker for E.A.G.L.E. (think S.H.I.E.L.D.) struggles to make amends for a mistake she made in judging a call for help, or what drives two brothers, one a police officer, and one a petty thief, on a path to become something that neither of them thought they would ever be. Kurt Busiek's writing is always great, and Brent Anderson does an equally great job with the art.
http://emeraldcitycomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Astro-City_1.jpg
Wolverine: Enemy of the State
After Wolverine's becomes mind controlled by an evil group, every superhero in the Marvel Universe starts sweating.
I have read many stories in which Wolverine gets taken over by evil and every other superhero in the Marvel Universe didn't wet their pants, but from the first page Mark Millar's writing combined with John Romita, Jr.'s artwork to draw me into what turned out to be a very enjoyable story.
http://images.yuku.com.s3.amazonaws.com/image/pjpeg/75c15dc4cfdaff5cf1ee0fc9af44fc6ef25fcdc.pjpg
Justice League/ Avengers
Something goes very wrong when the realities of the Justice League of America and the Avengers begin to intersect.
I remember being excited when I first read about this crossover/ team-up back in the 1980s, unfortunately it didn't come to fruition until 2003. But it was well worth the wait; it was smartly written by Kurt Busiek with impeccable artwork by the great George Perez. Longtime readers of both Marvel and DC Comics finally had some answers to the debates of: who is faster? Quicksilver or the Flash? Who is the best archer? Green Arrow or Hawkeye? Who is the better at hand-to-hand combat? Batman or Captain America (a real no brainer to me -- Cap -- but I like the way they resolved this particular debate).
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rmd86LGoCIk/Tz4d73BqEAI/AAAAAAAAG_U/lGrrTCQfXHg/s1600/JLAAvengers.jpg
Batman: Year One
A young man returns to the city that he hasn’t set foot in since the night he witnessed his parents' murder. Since that night he has traveled the world studying, learning, and preparing. Preparing for what he doesn’t know. But he knows that since that night, the course of his life has been leading him to back to Gotham City. At the same time, a good cop named James Gordon struggles to survive and keep his family intact in a city and a police department rampant with crime corruption.
I’d enjoyed Frank Miller writing since his stint on Daredevil, and I think that Batman: Year One really helped to inspire the modern incarnation of Batman (and a lot of year one comics). David Mazzucchelli also did an excellent job setting a gritty and foreboding tone with his artwork.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AVrrQVVHl28/ThXNcRcYkOI/AAAAAAAABM4/F-KM-o_OZ5Q/s1600/BatmanYearOne.jpg
Unlikely Heroes Studios' "Super!" is great, it swears a lot!
The Royals: Masters of War
Set during WW2 in a world where people with superhuman powers exist. The catch is that these powers are only possessed by people of noble or royal bloodlines. The purer the bloodline, the greater their abilities.
A long-standing agreement exists between the noble and royal houses of the world to not become personally involved in national/international conflicts. What will be the consequences when one of royal blood decides to break this agreement? Will it end the horrors of the war? Or escalate them?
http://www.vertigocomics.com/comics/the-royals-masters-of-war-2013/the-royals-masters-of-war-1
Danger Girl
http://www.comicvine.com/danger-girl/4060-40975/
We have all seen movies that have a very distinct comic book feel...Sin City, 300, Watchmen and so forth but to find a comic that feels like your watching a movie is rare.
The story is kinda cliché....the characters are interesting but not that developed...you can see the inspiration for many settings or plot devices and characters....the thing is the comic is aware of this and just has fun with it.
Justice League 3000
"In the end there can be only one" The Highlander
I recommend a over-looked comic called Battle Hymn. Great read for any golden age fan as it uses marvel (or rather timely) comic expy's to tell a watchman type story. It's not all dark as it has some great jokes in it. Love the character designs for the heroes. All n all it's a good read
May the wings of liberty never lose a feather
Update on my list: I found issues 1 & 2 of [url=http://www.imagecomics.com/content/view/tales-of-honor-comic-launches-multi-platform-storyworld-to-introduce-new-fa]Tales of Honor[/url] at the Top Cow booth, and it is, IMHO, worth reading. ^_^
No badassery by Nimitz, yet, but he didn't get any big fight scenes until they went to Grayson in the second book.
Foradain, Mage of Phoenix Rising.
[url=https://cityoftitans.com/forum/foradains-character-conclave]Foradain's Character Conclave[/url]
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Hey my bday is coming up and I was wondering if I should ask my girl to get me a copy of Avengers Vol. 5: Adapt Or Die. Is it any good?
May the wings of liberty never lose a feather
I recently picked up a B&W collected book of the first few books of [b]Nemesis The Warlock[/b] from the 80s that was very fun to revisit. It was definitely a hell-spawn of its punk-inspired 2000 AD era publisher, featuring one of the most unique heroes ever to grace (or bedevil) a comic book and had a lot of really nifty ideas going on it.
Funny to say though, I somehow always felt less than jazzed reading it than I felt I should have - the world building going on it was nothing less than great but sometimes the moment-to-moment seemed to miss the next branch somehow. Still qualifies as solidly worth a read though, even if it wasn't perfect.
And that's not even mentioning the artwork...
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"What you say is rather profound, and probably erroneous." - Joseph Conrad
“The universe is made up of stories, not of atoms” - Muriel Rukeyser
[color=#ff0000]Composition Team[/color]
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I'm a comic fanatic, with some great affection for various kinds of comics. At this point in my life, most of my favorites are not really super-hero comics...
Sex Criminals
Lazarus
Mind MGMT
Nameless
Wicked + Divine
I'm also collecting plenty of superhero comics as well. Here are some of the comics that I think are currently pretty great...
Daredevil
The Valiant
Aquaman
Silver Surfer
Thor
Batman & Robin
Batgirl
Action Comics
If we want to talk about past recommendations, I could bend your ears all day.
The only comic I read nowadays is the web comic "Megatokyo".
I did read the entire Sandman series by Neil Gaiman. I also read the Saga compendium (containing issues 1-5, I think?). Sandman was fantastic. Saga was underwhelming on many different levels, but the multiple allusions to City of Heroes makes me chuckle.
Oh, I did read the first volume of AstroCity recently. Still haven't decided if I like it enough to read further.
Between work, family, Facebook, Twitter, and this forum, I don't have as much time to read as I'd like. If I did have more time, I'd probably read novels or historical case studies.
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My author page at Amazon: https://amzn.to/2MPvkRX
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Megatokyo? Is Piro drawing more than 10 pages a year now? I stopped reading because it never updated, and half the year seemed to be "Dead Piro Days" with filler art.
[i]Has anyone seen my mind? It was right here...[/i]
I third Sandman, it was awesome. The Brief Lives arc/TPB was the best, IMO, though Season of Mists, Game of You and Kindly Ones were good, too.
I also recommend Grant Morrison's entire Doom Patrol. Possibly his most accessible work, I think it's also his funnest by a large margin, it's hilarious in place, and a conscious departure from the Dark Knight and Killing Joke-inspired broodingly serious nature that was in style a lot at the time, the late 80s-early '90s, with semi-surreal supergroup and bizarre events, and is the origin series for Flex Mentallo. It reminds me a little of Sandman by the end, and has both a maudlin and slightly sentimental happy ending, but the story arcs resolve themselves really well in the final event.
Can anyone recommend me some good Incredible Hulk arcs/TPBs?
"TRUST ME."
DnA's run during Annihilation...assuming one is into cosmic.
...and for the record I HATE that the current staff at marvel is so against Richard RIder as Nova that they felt the need to "kill" him off... grrr
I know, I know...death doesn't mean anything in comics...still it irks me when a character is killed off only to be replaced by some PC variant. ah well...NINO (Nova in Name Only) is being cancelled given the low numbers. thank goodness...
[img]http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/whiteperegrine/84183/69278/69278_original.gif[/img]
It had been a long since I read a Daredevil comic, since Frank Miller and John Romita, Jr's Daredevil: the Man without Fear miniseries. And, Netflix's announcement of its Daredevil series reignited my interest in Daredevil and I discovered Daredevil: Born Again.
Daredevil: Born Again is a storyline featured in Daredevil issues 227 to 233 written by Frank Miller with artwork by David Mazzucchelli (the team who also created Batman Year One). And if you enjoyed Netflix's Daredevil series, I think you might want to take a look at Daredevil: Born Again. The story features everyone from the Netflix series: Karen Page, Kingpin, Foggy Nelson, Ben Urich, but years into their future when all of their relationships have undergone changes.
Daredevil: Born Again is a story of revenge, loss and redemption. It's a pretty good read. And it won't spoil the Daredevil Netflix series since they take place in different universes.
Highly recommend Grant Morrison's run on X-Men in New X-Men.
Quitely's artwork in these beginning issues drew me into a real, weird existing world like nothing I'd read before and Morrison's storytelling here is as bizarre and amazing as it usually is, really capturing the Claremont stuff and bringing a new take on it.
Whenever Frank Quitely and Morrison get together it's usually pretty special, so I could say read all their stuff. We3, All-Star Superman, anything Morrison writes, Batman and Robin (Dick Grayson/Damian Wayne) was great-- and his non-hero work is just really fun. Love The Filth.
Reading the new Moon Knight run and liking it a lot so far, great artwork and just an interesting character.
I'll also say the first 100 issues of Ultimate Spider-Man were really enjoyable for me to read when I was a teenager, I loved Bendis writing Peter Parker, that's always who I'll hear in my head when I think of Spidey.
Aaand Invincible. Great stuff.
Oh, and Ex Machina!
I'm a big nut for just about everything Morrison has written.
I also love The Filth. I've had this picture on my refrigerator for years...
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/b8/5d/0f/b85d0f9273d5bebf9c1663043c4958dc.jpg
Haha! Nice, @Hatut Zeraze! The panels introducing Dimitri were so good, but if my avatar's any indication I'm a sucker for talking chimps. Have you been reading any of The Multiversity?
Every issue. Wouldn't have dreamed of missing it.
I know Morrison is not everyone's cup of tea, but that stuff works for me nearly every time. I loved every issue, but my two favorites were the Ultra issue, and the Captain Marvel issue, which was sweet, sweet comics perfection.