comics chatty (non-buffyverse! shocking, I know)

[angearia]

My urge to read ALL THE THINGS is re-awakening, and I've decided I want to venture forth into reading more comics besides my Buffyverse monthlies and the occasional X-Men issue. I'm planning on hunting down library copies of some of these works, simply because I price-shopped on Amazon and I'm pretty sure dropping a few hundred dollars on comics is

Comments

[gryfndor_godess]

I don't read comics except for the occasional BtVS one (and once I read the first collection of Runaways, but the ending really annoyed me, so I don't especially recommend it), so I can't speak to your poll, but Persepolis, which is more of a graphic novel than a comic, is excellent. I actually read it and its sequel for a 300-level college course on Middle Eastern politics. I'm sure those, at least, would be available at the library, and they're quick reads, only about an hour and a half each.

[angearia]

Yes! I'll be honest, I'm leaning towards that one especially because it sparked my interest on a personal level (LADIES ARE COOL), and I've read some really great reviews.

I tend to lump graphic novels in under the umbrella of ~comics~, tbh, since I use it as a shorthand for the medium. Maybe that's ~wrong? But I'm not too fussed about the terminology.

[darthmarion]

Persepolis is wonderful!
Its movie version too!

[ceciliaj]

Yes to the movie as well! I would definitely recommend both.

[norwie2010]

Watchmen.

Great, great commentary on (US-American) superhero comics. The superhero comic book to end all superhero comic books. :)

[angearia]

Yep, classic for a reason.

[eilowyn]

I agree. Watchmen is a classic of the genre and was on Time Magazine's list of the 100 Best Books in the English language. Or some other prestigious list.

I just got Fray from the library, so YAY! for comic book reading!

[angearia]

FRAY ♥

[beer_good_foamy]

Sandman for the world Gaiman creates, focused on characters that are so heavily conceptualized that he can basically tell any story about anyone within that world and make it part of the main story. So incredibly imaginative, with an arc that's sprawled all over the place and yet works.

Watchmen because it's really the last word on superheroes.

The Dark Knight Returns because it thinks it's the last word on DC superheroes, and as such should be read critically.

Persepolis is brilliant. And on the subject of semi-autobiographic novels, Art Spiegelman's Maus and Alison Bechdel's Fun Home are must-reads too.

[angearia]

*fistbumps*

Thanks! I was hoping you'd have a few more recs for me.

[beer_good_foamy]

Yay!

I'd second the recommendations of the Hernandez Bros and Ennis' Preacher. Also, I don't even know if he's widely available in the US but I used to read a lot of a French artist named Jaques Tardi, and I think you might like his Adèle Blanc-Sec series if you can find it. Basically, it's a steampunk story set in 1910s Paris, with a female private investigator dressed to the nines who hunts mummies and pterodactyls. (Luc Besson recently did a movie version that wasn't half bad.)

[rhi_silverflame]

I have no real opinion on Watchmen or DKR, and haven't read Persepolis and Maus, but will absolutely, completely recommend Alison Bechdel's Fun Home too.

[ladypeyton]

In my opinion Sandman is the best comics series of all time.

[angearia]

That's definitely the impression I'm getting here. I'm gonna track down a copy to read this week for sure. :D

[beer_good_foamy]

Warning - Bill Willingham took it over at one point.

Yeah, but AFAIK that was after Gaiman had finished his run, so that can be safely ignored. Just read all the Gaiman volumes.

[angearia]

My reasons for not wanting to read Fables are a bit petty, but I just don't like the guy. My sole impression of him was his ripping into Buffyverse fandom with his professional tirade.

I'm pretty stuck on reading Frank Miller if only because I want to read the work that repackaged the Batman story. I'm curious, how is he like Brian Lynch? (Because if there's anything you could say that would scare me off, it's that! BLARGH.)

I've read Promethea and I really enjoyed it, though I felt it started to wander for large chunks there. It sounds like Watchmen is a tighter story, so I expect it'll fit me just right.

I have read Fray! Love that comic. I know some Buffyverse fans aren't into the dystopian future, but I really enjoyed it.

Neil Gaiman - the Sandman series is incredibly long and extensive. Warning - Bill Willingham took it over at one point. Start with volume 1. The Dreaming isn't by Gaiman.

Anything with B.Will's name on it will be avoided at all costs, never fear. :D

Black Orchid by Neil Gaiman is a beautiful comic