Any comics/graphic novels you'd recommend?

If a thread exists for this kind of thing, I apologize, and would ask if you could link me there, please?

Anyhoo, I was wondering if any of you could recommend me some comics and graphic novels? I do know of a few I'm sort of interested in (Maus and Hellboy, mainly), but I was wondering if you guys could point out some others.

I'm mainly interested in character-driven stories, if that helps. I'll read almost any genre if it's written well enough.

Watchmen. American Born Chinese. The Invisibles. The Flight anthologies.

And now I am out of comic-fan-ness.

If you're looking for something character driven, you should probably look into Runaways. I'd also throw a suggestion for Scott Pilgrim, although that's also Rule of Cool Driven.

Kick-Ass and Watchmen.

Usagi Yojimbo and the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are very good reads.

Not sure what you mean by character-driven, but the theme of Joe Kelly's run on Deadpool is that the protagonist is struggling with trying to be a hero, despite his past as a mercenary. (By the way, did any other writers do anything else with that? Or did he Snap Back after Kelly left. It's been a while since I've read it.)

Not sure what you mean by character-driven

By character-driven, I mean more centered around the characters of the story, and that their interactions with the events and other characters are given more importance than the events themselves.

Many of those comics said look interesting. I'll check them out.

If you can stand to be seen reading a comic that would suggest a plain brown wrapper,try Empowered. It's a rare person who can enjoy its mix of relationships,neurotic heroines and gratuitous fanservice,but those who do like it love it.

Alternatively, there's PS238: Charlie Brown gets sent to a Superhero School and has to become a Badass Normal just to survive. This is a comic that gives each of its youthful cast a day in the limelight. There's generic (and not really thrilled by it) Flying Brick 84,supergenius superjerkass Zodon,nuclear-powered and kinda immature Suzi and more.

Did I mention they're all 10 years old?

If you want something with strong characters you're gonna feel an attachment too, I suggest Gotham Central. It's a police procedural set in Gotham City. The comic is collected in three hardcover so far, the fourth one is coming early next year. However, I suggest you read this with a fair-sized box of tissue on hand, especially during the Half a Life arc (best comic ever written, IMO)

I also suggest the afore mentionned Runaways (especially if you like Joss Whedon. Brian K Vaughan, the creator of Runaways is a fan and it shows, even before Whedon jumped in to write the book)

The new Ghost Rider omnibus written by Jason Aaron. This comic run kicks arse and is affordable compared to many other hardcovers.

Starman by James Robinson but the hardcovers are expensive, at least where I live.

Blazing Combat: comics so manly the hardcover book needs to be shaved daily*.

The Rocketeer: Pulpy adventure fun that keeps you on the edge of your seat, err, bed in some cases.

OMAC or One Man Army Corps by Jack Kirby. Even from the very first page you'll know it's awesome.

• book does not actually have to be shaved

Hellboy, Hellboy, and Hellboy.

For less Hellboy-related stuff, you also can't go wrong with Grant Morrison's JLA run.

^And after you've read all the Hellboy titles, check out the BPRD series, and the Lobster Johnson and Abe Sapien minis. What they lack in the art department, they make up for in plotfulness.

Chew. Scott Pilgrim. Can't go wrong.

edited 24th Oct '10 3:54:52 PM by GorramBats

Batman No Mans Land is pretty awesomely character driven. It's all about what happens in city lines when Gotham is cut off from the rest of civilization.

edited 26th Oct '10 7:04:54 AM by Ronnie

Seconding Empowered. It's so much more than the covers would lead you to believe. Many of its pages are warped from my manly tears.

edited 26th Oct '10 12:16:57 PM by Bur

I'd reccomend Astro City. It does a good job of simultaneously playing various comic book tropes straight while deconstructing them, without delving into dark pits of despair that a lot of other big deconstructions tend to do. It does a very good job of humanizing viewpoint characters be they superhero, villain, anti-hero or bystandar (A lot of the best stuff in Astro City is from the perspective of Joe Average). It also handles darker material pretty well without going all uberdark.

I'd also recommend the Thor run by Walt Simonoson. If you're into crazy epic fantasy you'll love it.

B.P.R.D. - It's Hellboy but without the invincible protagonist. Gotham Central - Very short series that focussed on the Gotham Police Department. I Am Legend - Better than any of the movies. We3 - Go read it. The Killing Joke

Saga of Swamp Thing. You can find Alan Moore's run at most bookstores, It's a great series, the artwork is a little meh at times though.

You might like to check out The Darkness, unless you don't like alot of violence.

Tank Girl's pretty off the wall and if you read that you might want to refrain from using logic or reasoning. Also it's got violence and nudity for the sake of having them, but it's all drawn by Jamie Hewlett, the artist of the Gorillaz, so it looks fantastic.

A couple of people recommend Watchmen...I'll save you the time with a summarization -

Bunch of emotionally-disturbed people who like to dress up in cosplay finally cowboy the fuck up and get over themselves. And there's a whole subplot about a dude made of light and his dingus.

Mysterius The Unfathomable and Underground. The first is about House as a magician (sorta). The second is a thriller that takes place almost completely inside a cave. Both are by the same writer.

In the interest of full disclosure, the writer of both is my cousin, but he writes really damn good comics.

You're Jeff Parker's cousin ? Wow...

(And the guy does regularly produce good comics. His Marvel Comics work — X-Men First Class, Agents Of Atlas, even that short-lived Exiles relaunch or his Hulk work — is well worth a look.)

Cerebus The Aardvark: It's was a damn good series for awhile and it was collected into 16 phonebook sized trades. Starts out as a silly episodic Conan parody but grows into a very complex story at around the second trade, High Society. Any after the tenth collected book, Minds, is very Your Mileage May Vary but if you'be gotten to that point your hooked.

Watchmen, Scott Pilgrim and Usagi Yojimbo are also very excellent.

Tzetze read Flight? Wicked sick.

Top Ten and Tom Strong, as well as Alan Moore's Supreme are all really, really good. Moore's got to be my favorite writer ever, period. The man has a gift.

I also reccommend UDON's Street Fighter.

Greg Rucka and Greg Trautmann's "Checkmate": Black ops in a world of superheroes. Very tight storytelling and action.

Geoff Johns and Dan Jurgens's "Booster Gold": Wacky time-travel hijinks, nostalgia, and just a wee touch of Ho Yay.

Gail Simone's "Secret Six": Supervillains turned Anti Heroes (or are they?) fighting worse villains. Badass, quirky, and full of fun character interactions.

edited 9th Dec '10 5:22:35 AM by Filby