you should start reading comics again
If you want to be really pretentious about it, you can call them graphic novels. That's the technical term for art that just happens to be words plus pictures. It's vaguely pretentious, but not so much that it's unbearable.
What more than likely caused you to stop was the mid-90s debacle that was Marvel and DC. All their titles suffered simultaneously from bad art, bad writing, and bizarre continuity issues that made even the simplest storylines incomprehensible. This is what happens when you start having alternate versions of characters in alternate universes; everything becomes stupid.
Anyhow, there are certain titles you should look at if you decide to get back into the whole comics thing. I'll try to start from earliest to most recent. I've read all of these, and they're all first-rate examples of novel-quality writing combined with constructive and sometimes beautiful art.
Watchmen, by Alan Moore
Pretty much the gold standard when it comes to the discussion of comic books as art. Watchmen centers on an alternate-reality 1986, a time where Nixon kept on getting elected and costumed superheroes enjoyed a brief heyday before becoming outlawed in 1977. The comic deals with the most committed of these former heroes, Rorschach, and his investigations into the murder of the Comedian, a costumed vigilante who escaped prosecution by working directly for the government. Moore presents unique moral conundrums; what is justified in the pursuit of, well, justice? The Comedian is practically amoral, Rorschach is nearly fascist in his belief in absolute justice, and Dr. Manhattan, the only one of the bunch with actual powers (so extensive that he is as close to God as one can come), raises the question of just how a being that powerful would act. Watchmen's art redefined what one can do within the boundaries of a paneled comic form. It might not be where you should start if you're trying to get back into comics, but it's too important not to be read.
The Dark Knight Returns, by Frank Miller
What happens when Batman gets old? Would a man that obsessed with order ever really retire? DKR is essential for understanding the modern conception of Batman; many of its conventions are present in the character today. Primarily, the idea of Batman as the most committed hero imaginable is examined, and questions of his actual sanity (note to the reader: Batman is nuts. Functionally nuts, but nuts nonetheless) abound. This is an alternate-reality tale, which means that none of the events that happen actually occur in the canon DC universe. However, DKR will finally tell you why Batman is so different from other heroes, and why his own teammates are scared of him.
Sandman, by Neil Gaiman
This one got me back into comics. A ten-volume set, Sandman brings mythology and literature from all of human history in a story that spans space and time. Gaiman took an old DC superhero known as the Sandman and turned him into Dream, one of the seven Endless beings that rule the fabric of reality (the others are Destiny, Death, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium. Props to Gaiman for summing up the fabric of reality primarily in one letter). The series is set primarily around Dream dealing with change; as a character who is nearly as old as time itself, this is a difficult thing for him to grasp. There are a number of peripheral stories as well; one deals with the relationship between Dream and a man who he has granted immortality, and spans five hundred years. Another focuses on the bargain made between Dream and one William Shakespeare; in return for talent, Shakespeare must write two plays for dream. Despite this comic's scope, it's accessible and, quite frankly, awesome.
Preacher, by Garth Ennis
Full of black humor and bizzare scenarios, Preacher is the story of Jesse Custer, a swearing, smoking, brawling preacher who has been possessed by the spirit of Genesis, the unnatural offspring of an angel and a demon. This grants him the Word, a power that enables him to force someone to do something just by saying it (he's got to be careful how he words things, though. A command to an evil sherrif to "go fuck himself" ends up very badly for the sherrif). Preacher is probably the least polished out of all of these, as the artist, Steve Dillon, seems to be only able to draw a few types of faces. It's undoubtedly one of the funniest, though, as Ennis is ten parts bastarf for every one part saint. He's got the ability to create some of the most memorable characters I've ever seen; the immortal and unstoppable Saint of Killers, who killed the devil when he talked back to him; Herr Starr, the leader of an organization bent on bringing about the apocalypse and a man who gets more and more mangled with each encounter with Custer; and God himself, who's decided to take a holiday during all this business.
Transmetropolitan, by Warren Ellis
The series I'm currently on, Transmetropolitan is as much about new ideas of media and the power of journalism as it is about its main character. Spider Jerusalem is a futuristic analogue of Hunter S. Thompson, though he's much bigger on beating up anyone who gets in his way of a story. Forced to come back to the City from his mountain retreat, Spider constantly tries to get at the Truth, which eluded him when his celebrity status got too extensive. The majority of the series deals with Jerusalem bringing down two corrupt presidents, although so far he's just stopped a riot in an area of the city where people who have changed their genes to become half-alien have demanded their rights. Ellis is full of big and interesting ideas; Mercury is covered in solar panels to solve an energy crisis, people have automatic product generating machines in their homes, and everyone is a potential journalist. The humor is very similar to Ennis', as the two men are friends in real life, but it's noticeably different, and the art is better.
There. Try those five, altough there are certainly more out there that may be excellent as well. Just give them a chance; you read books, and you look at pictures, so why not combine the two?
What more than likely caused you to stop was the mid-90s debacle that was Marvel and DC. All their titles suffered simultaneously from bad art, bad writing, and bizarre continuity issues that made even the simplest storylines incomprehensible. This is what happens when you start having alternate versions of characters in alternate universes; everything becomes stupid.
Anyhow, there are certain titles you should look at if you decide to get back into the whole comics thing. I'll try to start from earliest to most recent. I've read all of these, and they're all first-rate examples of novel-quality writing combined with constructive and sometimes beautiful art.
Watchmen, by Alan Moore
Pretty much the gold standard when it comes to the discussion of comic books as art. Watchmen centers on an alternate-reality 1986, a time where Nixon kept on getting elected and costumed superheroes enjoyed a brief heyday before becoming outlawed in 1977. The comic deals with the most committed of these former heroes, Rorschach, and his investigations into the murder of the Comedian, a costumed vigilante who escaped prosecution by working directly for the government. Moore presents unique moral conundrums; what is justified in the pursuit of, well, justice? The Comedian is practically amoral, Rorschach is nearly fascist in his belief in absolute justice, and Dr. Manhattan, the only one of the bunch with actual powers (so extensive that he is as close to God as one can come), raises the question of just how a being that powerful would act. Watchmen's art redefined what one can do within the boundaries of a paneled comic form. It might not be where you should start if you're trying to get back into comics, but it's too important not to be read.
The Dark Knight Returns, by Frank Miller
What happens when Batman gets old? Would a man that obsessed with order ever really retire? DKR is essential for understanding the modern conception of Batman; many of its conventions are present in the character today. Primarily, the idea of Batman as the most committed hero imaginable is examined, and questions of his actual sanity (note to the reader: Batman is nuts. Functionally nuts, but nuts nonetheless) abound. This is an alternate-reality tale, which means that none of the events that happen actually occur in the canon DC universe. However, DKR will finally tell you why Batman is so different from other heroes, and why his own teammates are scared of him.
Sandman, by Neil Gaiman
This one got me back into comics. A ten-volume set, Sandman brings mythology and literature from all of human history in a story that spans space and time. Gaiman took an old DC superhero known as the Sandman and turned him into Dream, one of the seven Endless beings that rule the fabric of reality (the others are Destiny, Death, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium. Props to Gaiman for summing up the fabric of reality primarily in one letter). The series is set primarily around Dream dealing with change; as a character who is nearly as old as time itself, this is a difficult thing for him to grasp. There are a number of peripheral stories as well; one deals with the relationship between Dream and a man who he has granted immortality, and spans five hundred years. Another focuses on the bargain made between Dream and one William Shakespeare; in return for talent, Shakespeare must write two plays for dream. Despite this comic's scope, it's accessible and, quite frankly, awesome.
Preacher, by Garth Ennis
Full of black humor and bizzare scenarios, Preacher is the story of Jesse Custer, a swearing, smoking, brawling preacher who has been possessed by the spirit of Genesis, the unnatural offspring of an angel and a demon. This grants him the Word, a power that enables him to force someone to do something just by saying it (he's got to be careful how he words things, though. A command to an evil sherrif to "go fuck himself" ends up very badly for the sherrif). Preacher is probably the least polished out of all of these, as the artist, Steve Dillon, seems to be only able to draw a few types of faces. It's undoubtedly one of the funniest, though, as Ennis is ten parts bastarf for every one part saint. He's got the ability to create some of the most memorable characters I've ever seen; the immortal and unstoppable Saint of Killers, who killed the devil when he talked back to him; Herr Starr, the leader of an organization bent on bringing about the apocalypse and a man who gets more and more mangled with each encounter with Custer; and God himself, who's decided to take a holiday during all this business.
Transmetropolitan, by Warren Ellis
The series I'm currently on, Transmetropolitan is as much about new ideas of media and the power of journalism as it is about its main character. Spider Jerusalem is a futuristic analogue of Hunter S. Thompson, though he's much bigger on beating up anyone who gets in his way of a story. Forced to come back to the City from his mountain retreat, Spider constantly tries to get at the Truth, which eluded him when his celebrity status got too extensive. The majority of the series deals with Jerusalem bringing down two corrupt presidents, although so far he's just stopped a riot in an area of the city where people who have changed their genes to become half-alien have demanded their rights. Ellis is full of big and interesting ideas; Mercury is covered in solar panels to solve an energy crisis, people have automatic product generating machines in their homes, and everyone is a potential journalist. The humor is very similar to Ennis', as the two men are friends in real life, but it's noticeably different, and the art is better.
There. Try those five, altough there are certainly more out there that may be excellent as well. Just give them a chance; you read books, and you look at pictures, so why not combine the two?