I forget if you said you read All-Star Superman? Off the top of my head, that would be my recommendation. Not that I am eligible to win.

You cannot write seriously about comics without having read Zizjek!!!! Though I don’t think I would recommend that anybody ever read anything by Zizjek…. he rots your soul.

I may have to re-read All Star Superman. I read it a while back because everyone, their grandmother, and their favorite critic loved it, but um, I can’t really remember much of it. Just that Quietly’s Superman was kind of a… chunkster. Not to say that I didn’t find it suitable. Superman, being a man of steel and super strength, needs a bit of that physical awkwardness.

Poison Elves… If Drew Hayes hadn’t died… I can’t even finish I’m getting all verklempt.
The Goon, Ex-Machina & Y: The Last Man, The Age of Apocalypse run, The Dark Knight Returns. Jimmy Corrigan, and Iron Man “Demon in a Bottle”

This has nothing to do with the contest, but I can’t believe you made that graphic with MS PAINT!

Honestly, Invincible ripped my guts out this week, again. It’s absolutely heart-wrenching at times. Got the whole series at NYCC, and I can’t stop reading it. It’s Ultimate Spider-man without having to live up to Spider-man and the Marvel U. Start from the beginning. I know it’s 63 issues, but it’s a great read.

The one series that kept me entertained more than any other was Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s Preacher. The tight story telling, overarching themes, character development, and sheer outrageousness were one of a kind. The run that I was most surprised to find I liked a lot was Chris Claremont’s Uncanny X-Men from around 200-233 (includes Mutant Massacre and Fall of the Mutants x-overs). The more unfamiliar lineup with less well known characters like Longshot and Dazzler worked unusually well.

Phonogram: Rue Britannia by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie. Called “one of the few truly essential comics of 2006″ by Warren Ellis, it’s a fascinating indie title about music and magic. And you can tell the creators absolutely love what they’re making. While the trade is fine I highly recommend you track down the singles. All six issues included essays by Gillen that really improve the experience.

OK, so Sandman, Preacher, The Watchmen – been there, read that, right? So, I would have to say two of my favorites right now are both by Robert Kirkman: Invincible and The Walking Dead. Both have great story lines, amazing writing and great art. Invincible also adds humor and sarcasm, two things Kirkman is excellent at. Really, you can’t miss with anything by Kirkman.

For something by Alan Moore – but a bit off the beaten track – try “Mortal Clay” – a story from Batman Annual #11 (or in the Across the Universe: The DC Universe Stories of Alan Moore” TPB collection. A love/relationship story – of sorts!

For current classics read anything by Ed Brubaker (Captain America, Criminal, Daredevil, Incognito) & the past 45 (or is it 46?) issues of X-Factor by Peter David – have all been pure gold!

I F#@%ing love the new X-Factor stuff. Maddroxx has been a long time favorite character and the noir theme has been so great.

I felt like Invincible has taken a turn for the worse lately, almost like he is trying to stretch the series out. Preacher I think might be the one Series everyone LOVED, I don’t think I have ever met someone who doesn’t like Preacher, and that has to mean something.

Good hip pick, Kyven. And good point about the bonus material in the singles.

I liked Claremont’s run on X-men, Angel is one of the most underrated characters. And he really fleshed out in that run. … Everyone loves Preacher.. . good pick.

Yay, thanks so much for the suggestions!! I’m 100% grateful, and then some. I will get on reviewing as soon as I convince my parents that they should leave lumberjacking to the lumberjacks. (Long story.)

To avoid duplication, here’s some of what’s floating around in the inbox:
- Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams’ Green Lantern/Green Arrow (DC Comics)
- Bryan Talbot’s Luther Arkwright (Dark Horse)
- Matt Wagner’s Madame Xanadu (DC Comics)
- John Layman’s Chew (Image Comics)
- Neal Adams’ Marvel Essential Classic X-Men volume #3 (Marvel Comics)
- Jack Kirbys Fourth World titles (DC Comics)
- Philippe Francq and Jean Van Hamme’s Largo Winch (Dupuis)
- Grant Morrison’s The Invisibles (DC Comics)
- Taiy? Matsumoto’s Tekkonkinkreet (Viz Media – Eng Release)

Is it greedy of me to be like keep them coming? Keep them coming!

Totally hip suggestion– and being the hipster girl that I admittedly am, I pick it up a while back in trade form. I really loved the mélange of magic and music as a premise, and I kind of had a crush on the lead character. (He’s a jerk and he’s British!) And while ultimately I wished there was more done with the mini-series, I still thought the art and writing quite skillful—I remember thinking that it’s got great flow, flashback/flashfowards and all. Whenever I do a revisit, I’ll be sure to try to track down the issues; thanks for the tip.

Speaking of duplication, guys: Don’t forget that if more than person suggests the winning book, only the FIRST PERSON to suggest it wins. So, not to say you can’t chime in and agree that a book is indeed awesome, just bear in mind you can’t win by recommending it at that point.

I think I shot myself in the foot a little by asking everyone to be more cool-cat and less obvious, but there were also a few suggestions that I couldn’t track down, or cost a bazillion dollars. I wasn’t aware of the hidden expenses associated with comic blogging!

You know, I actually really do like Dazzler– with little basis I may add, as my X-men history is pretty terrible. She just wants to sing!

I agree, PAD’s X-Factor revival has been great fun, especially at the start.

Poison Elves looks really interesting, though possibly not the easiest thing to come by.
What else? Goon, I like. Y, I liked, but possibly not as much as everyone else. Age of Apocalypse– HEART, HEART, HEART!

Invincible and Walking Dead I enjoyed, but didn’t continue to follow. My favorite thing about Invincible? Dupli-Kate!! Come on! Dupli..Kate!

You can probably write seriously about comics without having read Fell, but surely it would help, and it’s a good read.

Each issue is a compact story and a great value at $2 a pop. Though, I’m often bored with 9-grid page layout it just feels right in this case.

I especially enjoyed #5 and #9. Unfortunately, the last issue (#9) in this “ongoing” series came out about a year and a half ago, so I’m not expecting to see anymore.

I am surprised no one has recommended Wanted. It was such a great scewering of the genre and the last few pages of his personal FU to the reader are so great… Even if the movie was a giant let down. ….I’m not recommending it I’m just surprised no one else has. :)

–[ title: Largo Winch ]————————————————–
writer: Philippe Francq and Jean Van Hamme
wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Largo_Winch

Largo Winch is a Belgian comic book series by Philippe Francq and Jean Van Hamme, published by Dupuis.

In the first two volumes of the series (”L’héritier” and “Le Groupe W”) Largo, a young and handsome orphan, is propelled to the head of a business empire, Group W, after his adoptive father Nerio is murdered, and goes through a lot of troubles to preserve his inheritance and avenge Nerio.

The following albums are more or less based on the same basic plot: someone is trying to harm Largo’s company or to take control of it from him, and he has to fight that someone to ensure the survival of his holdings.

All the stories of the series are published in two volumes, the first one being the one putting Largo in an impossible situation, and the second one letting him get out of it.

English versions available in trade form on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Largo-Winch-Lh%C3%A9ritier-Philippe-Francq/dp/2800117915/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245981146&sr=1-5

why you should read it: It’s a completely unique take on what kind of story can be told in the comic medium. A business executive in the boardroom, making deals and trying to run a company? Not your average comic. It sounds boring, until the seasoning of espionage and intrigue are thrown in, with a dash of conspiracy. Perhaps some comparison could be made to Bruce Wayne and James Bond but the tone and tenor of the serious is entirely different, and unique.

–[ title: The Invisibles]————————————————
writer: Grant Morrison
wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Invisibles

The Invisibles is a mature readers series that was published by Vertigo from 1994 to 2000.

The description is probably impossible for me to put into words. Read the wikipedia entry and stop if you feel a spoiler coming on.

Why you should read it: The author is insane and this happens to be some of his best work. The story is free-form and somewhat confusing when you begin reading it but something keeps you going and wanting to see what happens next. By the time you’re near the end everything in the story makes sense — but perhaps by that time the material you’ve read has made YOU insane too.

More about the author’s high strangeness:

* When the title’s sales slumped in the first year, Morrison suggested a “wankathon” in the hope of bringing about a magical increase in sales by a mass of fans simultaneously masturbating at the same time.

* Morrison has said that much of the story was told to him by aliens when he was abducted during a trip to Katmandu.

Those are my two recommendations! :)

Sirui if you’re seriously interested in reading what may be the most underrated comic book ever created check out Jason Aaron’s Scalped. Scalped debuted in March 2007 and is distributed by Vertigo. No single series has done more to revolutionize the medium of comic books (with the exception of The Watchmen) than Scalped. Scalped is a realistic crime drama (no superheroes, no bullshit) set in the present day on the Prairie Rose Indian Reseveration in South Dakota. The protagonist is Dashiell Bad Horse, a native of the the Prairie Rose Reseveration now turned F.B.I. agent sent back to take down Red Crow, who is the sheriff of the local police force and managing director of a newly built casino on the reservation–just to name a few of his titles. Scalped is the most hard hitting and addicting drama that you’ll find in comic books, television, most novels and most movies today. It’s grittiness is unmatched in crime dramas in comic books. Every character in the comic book has a story–usually a tough one–and Aaron makes sure the reader is privy to what his or her story is by dedicating whole issues to insightful and very entertaining flashbacks of these characters. If you’re expecting a played out story about a protagonist that always wins and never dissappoints THIS IS NOT IT. Case and point, in recent issues the reader witnesses Bad Horse’s experimentation and addiction to Meth. This series is in complete contrast to what you expect from a comic book. If you want something fresh, well-written, and hard to forget do yourself a huge favor and pick up Scalped. No one has done a better job of bringing real emotions, motives, and characters to comic books since Alan Moore with the Watchmen than Jason Aaron with Scalped.

I emailed Sirui about Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams’ run on Green Lantern/Green Arrow in the early 70s and I’d like to plug it here, too. The run is collected in two trades and it’s quite the read.

O’Neil and Adams were interested in tackling the big social issues of the day: pollution, cults, drugs, racism. Green Lantern plays the conservative, law-and-order role and Green Arrow is his hotheaded, you-gotta-break-some-rules-to-get-things-done foil in a road trip across the country.

It’s unlike anything being written now. The dialogue is filled with dated 70s slang, the coloring is a wonderful mix of dark purples and bright neon, and it’s so earnest that you almost feel embarassed for it. But I’d argue that this run of GL/GA did more to drag comics out of the “Hey Kids! Comics!” age than any other. Without it you wouldn’t have (for better or worse) Iron Man as an alcoholic, Hank Pym as a wife beater, Heroes Against Hunger, the Watchmen, or the Superhuman Registration Act.

But more than that, they’re just good comics and Neal Adams’ art is gorgeous. He completely influenced a generation of artists.

I’m more surprise that no one recommended anything by Frank Miller. Too obvious?

I can’t recommend Madame Xanadu enough. A great read a using clearly Vertigo-style narrative, while also serving as an unexpected history of the DCU, using a cast of characters from the DC’s magical catalogue. Great read.

-J.

Think so.

I been thinking of picking up Scalped for a while– I heard the chief is a real character..

For something a little on the twisted, darkly humorous side, I suggest “Johnny the Homicidal Maniac”, the directors cut. Creator Jhonen Vasquez knows how to write something that will make you laugh, then feel slightly gnarly for having found it funny. The animation will make you nostalgic for his other creation, Invader Zim, while the writing will amuse you to no end, even if you feel a little queezy at some of the plot lines. You’ll find yourself rooting for the murderous hero, Johnny, as well as his timid sidekick-in-training, Squee. I myself was lent a copy of this one by a friend, and I ended up buying my own. Worth a look in my book :)

Yeah, I think all of the crossovers going on in the X-books has been kind of detrimental to this series. It had this whole noir-vibe going that has deteriorated with the time travel and big cosmic plots.

I’m not going to say she’s my *favorite* thing, but yeah! Awesome name :) and non-ninja-babe Asian characters are always welcome!

Just found this blog by way of PopCultureShock! Since it’s not past the deadline quite yet, I think you should check out Adrian Tomine’s “Shortcomings.” As an Asian American married to a white guy, I found the story incredibly interesting, as it looks at biracial relationships. Of course, I also like Tomine’s storytelling style and his minimalist artwork. It’s good stuff, so I hope you check it out eventually!

Welcome Lorena! I’m an Adrian Tomine fan, too. I suppose “Shortcomings” was a perfectly fine look at look at bi-racial relationships” — so long as you aren’t dating an Asian GUY. Ben was so sad & pathetic, and the whole thing was a bit of a downer =/ Although I guess a lot of Tomine’s work is that way =/ I still like his work, don’t get me wrong — just sayin!

I think it is too late to enter but I just found the site today and wanted to contribute. I really enjoy Casanova by Matt Fraction. It has really great art by Gabriel Ba whom I love. (the secoNd series has art by his brother, Fabio Moon). It is about a spy named Casanova Quinn who is blackmailed into becoming a double agent, and all sorts of espionage and strange stuff takes place. The single issues are in a format like Fell, and are short issues for 1.99. There is one trade out now and a second one coming out soon. The writing is great (gotta love Fraction) the art is great (although not very colorful) and the overall storytelling is great. It’s a pretty unknown series by a well known author. Buy it!

I have JTHM somewhere from my high school days. I haven’t thought about Invader Zim in a while, but it’s a fond memory.

Casanova is one my favorites– it sucks that the publishing is so irregular. I completely agree with you about the art, it looks really great! I really love the detail with the crows..