National Comic Book Day!
Hooray hooray! It's National Comic Book Day! Now, for me, National Comic Book Day happens once a week, when the new releases come in. But since not everybody lives in my glorious wonderland of comic goodness, happy holidays! To celebrate, I'm providing a list of my ten favorite comic book series, past and present. There's a lot of awesome out there. You should be enjoying it.
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10. Finder, by Carla Speed McNeil. Published by Lightspeed Press, this dense, lushly illustrated series of graphic novels really pushes the boundaries of the comic form. It's amazing. It comes in at the end of my list largely because there isn't nearly enough of it, and one of the major story arcs did absolutely nothing for me. Still, this is recommended reading for pretty much everybody, whether you're a fan of the comic book form or not.
9. New X-Men, the Grant Morrison issues. You couldn't have a list of ten without the X-Men making it on there somewhere. Morrison's New X-Men were tight, self-contained, gave quick context for unavoidable continuity, and effectively rebooted the X-Men within the main Marvel Universe. I'd been away from the title for a decade, and these sucked me back in. Plus, he gives amazingly good Emma.
8. Y: The Last Man, by Brian K. Vaughn. The only thing that ever stopped me from recommending this title was the fear that Vaughn would be unable to stick the landing and bring his globe-spanning tale to a satisfying conclusion. I shouldn't have worried. The entire series is available in trade paperback form, making it possible for the new reader to take the whole trip in a single sitting. Lucky.
7. Preacher, by Garth Ennis. Look: this title is violent, bloody, profane, sexual, and occasionally -- or possibly constantly -- blasphemous. It's also genius. I didn't read it for a very long time, because it was 'just not my thing.' Well, I was totally wrong about that assessment; this title is everybody's thing. It made me think. I haven't gone through a series that fast in forever.
6. Fables, by Bill Wellingham. This title is still ongoing. That doesn't matter. That just means there's still more story to discover. Most of the title so far is in trade paperback form (with one hardcover), and it is consistently amazing. I find that the pacing often plays better in trade format, too. It's just that sort of incredible modern reimaging of our beloved fairy tale tropes.
5. Fear Agent, by Rick Remender. The main character of this pulp science fiction adventure is drawn intentionally to look like Bruce Campbell, and that's probably all you really need to know. It's witty, it's gritty, it's quick, it's slick, and it's everything you secretly want a space western to be. Check it out. Be prepared for raw awesome.
4. Girl Genius, by Phil and Kaja Folio. From comic book to webcomic to successful series of graphic novels, this gaslight adventure story of romance, intrigue, danger, and mad science has definitely earned its place on your shelf. No other title has worked as hard or in as many formats to get there. Plus, it's entirely awesome -- and if you doubt me, the whole thing is available online. Read, and be enlightened.
3. Transmetropolitan, by Warren Ellis. Someone told me that Newsflesh reminded them of this comic, and that was honestly the biggest compliment the book has received so far. This is an incredible commentary on the human condition and the way we process information, as well as being a truly fabulous comic in its own right. I can't recommend it highly enough.
2. The Boys, by Garth Ennis. Garth Ennis makes this list twice. Garth Ennis is special. This book is also special. It's a pull-no-punches look at what would happen in a world where superheroes really existed, and all the ways in which absolute power begins corrupting absolutely. It's sexual, gory, and entirely worth it. One of my current favorites.
1. Hack/Slash, by Tim Seeley. Oh, come on, you knew this was coming. This is currently my favorite title on the market, no questions asked or answered. The art, story, dialog and premise all delight me utterly. It's Buffy by Wes Craven, it's the final girl with a chainsaw and an attitude, and it's essentially perfect. Utterly recommended.
Got any suggestions?
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10. Finder, by Carla Speed McNeil. Published by Lightspeed Press, this dense, lushly illustrated series of graphic novels really pushes the boundaries of the comic form. It's amazing. It comes in at the end of my list largely because there isn't nearly enough of it, and one of the major story arcs did absolutely nothing for me. Still, this is recommended reading for pretty much everybody, whether you're a fan of the comic book form or not.
9. New X-Men, the Grant Morrison issues. You couldn't have a list of ten without the X-Men making it on there somewhere. Morrison's New X-Men were tight, self-contained, gave quick context for unavoidable continuity, and effectively rebooted the X-Men within the main Marvel Universe. I'd been away from the title for a decade, and these sucked me back in. Plus, he gives amazingly good Emma.
8. Y: The Last Man, by Brian K. Vaughn. The only thing that ever stopped me from recommending this title was the fear that Vaughn would be unable to stick the landing and bring his globe-spanning tale to a satisfying conclusion. I shouldn't have worried. The entire series is available in trade paperback form, making it possible for the new reader to take the whole trip in a single sitting. Lucky.
7. Preacher, by Garth Ennis. Look: this title is violent, bloody, profane, sexual, and occasionally -- or possibly constantly -- blasphemous. It's also genius. I didn't read it for a very long time, because it was 'just not my thing.' Well, I was totally wrong about that assessment; this title is everybody's thing. It made me think. I haven't gone through a series that fast in forever.
6. Fables, by Bill Wellingham. This title is still ongoing. That doesn't matter. That just means there's still more story to discover. Most of the title so far is in trade paperback form (with one hardcover), and it is consistently amazing. I find that the pacing often plays better in trade format, too. It's just that sort of incredible modern reimaging of our beloved fairy tale tropes.
5. Fear Agent, by Rick Remender. The main character of this pulp science fiction adventure is drawn intentionally to look like Bruce Campbell, and that's probably all you really need to know. It's witty, it's gritty, it's quick, it's slick, and it's everything you secretly want a space western to be. Check it out. Be prepared for raw awesome.
4. Girl Genius, by Phil and Kaja Folio. From comic book to webcomic to successful series of graphic novels, this gaslight adventure story of romance, intrigue, danger, and mad science has definitely earned its place on your shelf. No other title has worked as hard or in as many formats to get there. Plus, it's entirely awesome -- and if you doubt me, the whole thing is available online. Read, and be enlightened.
3. Transmetropolitan, by Warren Ellis. Someone told me that Newsflesh reminded them of this comic, and that was honestly the biggest compliment the book has received so far. This is an incredible commentary on the human condition and the way we process information, as well as being a truly fabulous comic in its own right. I can't recommend it highly enough.
2. The Boys, by Garth Ennis. Garth Ennis makes this list twice. Garth Ennis is special. This book is also special. It's a pull-no-punches look at what would happen in a world where superheroes really existed, and all the ways in which absolute power begins corrupting absolutely. It's sexual, gory, and entirely worth it. One of my current favorites.
1. Hack/Slash, by Tim Seeley. Oh, come on, you knew this was coming. This is currently my favorite title on the market, no questions asked or answered. The art, story, dialog and premise all delight me utterly. It's Buffy by Wes Craven, it's the final girl with a chainsaw and an attitude, and it's essentially perfect. Utterly recommended.
Got any suggestions?