Best comic or graphic novel you've read lately

Hmm? either star wars legacy, batman under the hood, Niel Gainmans Neverwhere or the end of shaman king (does manga count?) i havent really been keeping up with the latest comics beyond star wars. i got a bit fed up of marvel rebooting it's franchise ones a week! lol

I've read volume 1, it was great. I want to get volume 2 when i can.

Read all three. You have to! It's a total mind-fuck. You'll really like it.

Just read the graphic novels Torso and Goldfish by Brian Michael Bendis over the last week.

Torso was pretty good. It was the true story of the Torso killer in Ohio that Elliot Ness was trying to apprehend. I liked it mostly because it was true and there was a lot of photos added into the drawings.

Goldfish was awesome. It was the closest I've seen a graphic novel or comic come to being a movie. It was perfectly written and executed. To me it was one of the best graphic novels I've read so far.

Okay, so while I've only skimmed through the thread, I'm shocked that I haven't seen any mention of Morning Glories by Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma. They're only 7 or 8 issues deep, and it's already being hailed by some as the next LOST. Basically, it's about six kids who attend a boarding school and all kinds of crazy stuff goes down. To say any more would be a potential spoiler, so just drop whatever you're doing and go pick up the first volume immediately. You won't regret it.

And if you're looking for something a little more "make-you-cry-ish," Daytripper by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon is exactly what you need. It's a 10-issue series that follows a Brazilian obituary writer who's searching for meaning in his life. Not sold yet? Okay, how about if I told you that every issue takes place during a different stage of his life, and he dies tragically at the end of each one? It's incredibly well-written, heart-breaking, and I promise you'll be thinking about it long after you've read it.

Oh, I read about that Daytripper one. It sounds really interesting. But I wasn't convinced it was good because I never heard of the author and never heard of anybody else reading it.

Downloading the Daytripper comics. Really damn curious now.

I just got two comics in the mail today!

Bulls Balls by Ralf Konig and Harry and Dickless Tom by Brad Rader.

And I still have the first volume of Cerebus on my desk. I'm afraid to read it for some reason.

I'm in the process of downloading every Marvel, DC and Image comic. So far I've got everything from DC from 1939-1991, everything from Marvel from 1961-1980 about half of Image a a boatload of Independents. I don't even know where to begin reading!

This one is about the love life of Glenn Danzig and Henry Rollins.

Found this ol' gem tucked inside a nice warm spot on my shelf.

^ I've head that!

Graphic Novels I have enjoyed:
Finished Series I have read:

Preacher by Garth Ennis
Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughn
100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello
Young Liars by David Lapham
Sin City by Frank Miller
Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis

Finished Series I am still reading:
Ex Machina by Brian K. Vaughn

One-book graphic novels I enjoyed:
V For Vendetta by Alan Moore
Ghost World by Daniel Clowes
Silverfish by David Lapham
Filthy Rich by Brian Azzarello

Ongoing series I am following closesly (collecting the trades):

Scalped by Jason Aaron
Greek Street by Peter Milligan
The Boys by Garth Ennis
The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman

I think everyone in the world should read Preacher...so messed up, my favorite by far. I haven't been able to find Stray Bullets anywhere...I saw it mentioned a bunch of times in the thread as I was skimming.

Is The Exterminators by Garth Ennis?...It sounds familiar to me, I think I was thinking of picking it up one day.

Best comic I've read in a long time was Steve Niles Criminal Macabre: A Cal McDonald Mystery series. I read all the comics and now I'm getting in the prose stories that are focuses on Cal and the world he lives in. Niles is a great writer the art changes between each collection pretty much but its all good art just different styles. For any one who hasnt read any of Niles stuff I suggest you do.

I will actually probably look into that. Thanks. = )

I had to mention, as a nintendo freak, I absolutely love your avatar picture. I was thiking of changing mine to Boo.

No, Simon Oliver.

I really liked Grant Morrison's Batman stuff that he's been doing for a while, although the last issue of The Return of Bruce Wayne was very difficult to understand.

Here's a list of comics that I enjoy and read every month assuming they come out every month:

Garth Ennis' The Boys and The Chronicles of Wormwood
Grant Morrison's Batman Incorporated (although it's new and I'm not crazy about it so far)
Peter David's X-Factor
Joe Hill's Locke & Key
Sweet Tooth (Vertigo comic)
Peter Milligan's Hellblazer (although I don't like it as much as his earlier comics like Shade, the Changing Man and X-Statix)
Brian Michael Bendis' Powers (I recently discovered that this still exists and is now published by Marvel)

Not sure if I'm forgetting anything.

I don't read any comic every month, I force myself to be patient and wait until they come out in a bigger trade. I am reading The Boys as well. I have up until I think the 5th volume...I'm assuming you've read Preacher if you like Garth Ennis.

I know why it sounded familiar to me now. The very beginning of it was in the back of one of my trades...I remember thinking it actually seemed good. That's another title I should think about looking into then.

I am not as into the superhero comics. I couldn't get into Shade either but I like Milligan's Greek Street, I haven't read Hellblazer.

Most of the comics I read are Vertigo. I almost bought Sweet Tooth, it's been mentioned to me a few times now. So, maybe I will pick Vol. 1 up and give it a shot.

Garth Ennis' run of Hellblazer was my favorite. I used to read a lot my Vertigo, but now I just read Sweet Tooth and Hellblazer. I read the first issue of Greek Street and wasn't into it. There are so many good things to read. If I don't like something immediately, I usually don't come back for a second issue.

I am the same way. Sorry, I didn't catch, have you read Preacher? That and Y: The Last Man were pretty much what first got me into graphic novels.

So, Hellblazer has different authors? I think I actually saw an ad for that as well in the back of one of my trades, and it advertised the fact that it had Ennis as well as a bunch of other writers. It wasn't like with when I got to read a piece of The Exterminators where it was a preview or anything though. I don't know why I never picked it up or anything....Maybe just because it seemed like a long running series and with everything I am reading I didn't want to add a series with that many volumes to it to my list. I think that was probably my reasoning.

Have you ever heard of Scalped? If you get the chance you should give it a look. I am on the 7th volume and am still totally into it. It's about life on an indian reservation, I don't want to give too much away. It's pretty violent. The issue I just read had a really crazy drawing of a curb stomping taking place. Transmetropolitan is also a good one but it's definitely an acquired taste. Think Hunter S. Thompson in a post-apocalyptic world in the future. It's a finished series of, I think, 10 volumes. You may have already seen it mentioned here may have already made up your mind for or against it, but David Lapham's 3 Volume series, Young Liars is also a very interesting read. It's weird stuff with a lot of stuff open for interpretation.

Yeah, I've read Preacher. One of my favorite comics.

Hellblazer has had tons of writers over the years. It started before Vertigo existed. Let's see, besides Garth Ennis and Peter Milligan, there's been Jamie Delano, Warren Ellis (whose run is also really good), Brian Azzarello, Mike Carey (I think), a few guest writers here and there for a few issues, and maybe a few more who I don't know off the top of my head.

I haven't read Scalped. I'm always hesitant to get into writers who I haven't heard of considering there are so many things I want to read by writers who I have heard of. But I'll try out a comic written by an unfamiliar writer if it sounds enticing. And I spend too much time reading.

I loved Transmetropolitan.

I think I read the first issue of Young Liars and didn't read the second. That guy wrote a comic called Stray Bullets. I've read a bunch of issues and liked them.

I think I'd say Preacher IS my favorite comic. The letter in the last book describing God was nothing short of genius. And just the insanity throughout. I loved it.

A lot of names I recognize there. I like what I have read by Azzerello and Ellis. Yeah, that is what I mean, it's a years-long series. I honestly don't know if I have time to add that to everything I am reading. I spend too much time reading too (if such a thing is possible). The writers alone are a big draw-in though. I read Mike Carey's Unwritten but I couldn't get into that one.

I know what you mean. Especially with comics for some reason I find. Maybe because you have to enjoy the art as well as the writing, so you want names from both sides you recognize and getting into a new writer just adds another thing to a long list of things to read by authors that you have already established are good. If you get the chance, I would still recommend it. But I definitely understand not having the time to get into a new author or series. I am reading so many series right now as well as novels and true crime books. I always read numerous books at once, from different categories because then if I feel like reading a novel, I can pick one up, a comic, a biography, true crime. I sort of have a book for every mood I'm in. But I don't read two from the same category at once, aside from comics actually. I can read different series at the same time.

I have heard such great things about Stray Bullets. I know it's out of print, and none of the comic shops here have any copies of them. I have wanted to read it for a while now. I should probably just try to find them on amazon or ebay. Or maybe there's some sort of torrent I can download? Although I am not the most computer literate person when it comes to things like torrents. I'd be worried though if I did that I would be unable to find the entire series. So maybe trying to find the full series to buy is my best bet. It's been recommended to me by so many people now.

Since you like Preacher, you should read The Chronicles of Wormwood. It's sort of similar.

I used to like Azzarello's 100 Bullets a lot. I've never been able to get into anything written by Mike Carey. I appreciate comic art, but I follow authors rather than series and artists. I'm kind of like that with movies too as far as directors.

My favorite comic author is Grant Morrison. I would recommend his run of Doom Patrol (which was a Vertigo-esque comic before the imprint existed) and The Invisibles.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will definitely check out The Chronicles of Wormwood for sure. And I will look into the others. I have heard good things about Grant Morrison, and the guy at my regular comic store (so he knows what I like) recommended Doom Patrol to me just a little while ago but I had already spent too much money on the series I was following at the time.

I loved 100 Bullets. I have only read that one comic, Unwritten, by Mike Carey and like I said, couldn't get into it. You say you don't like his other work either? I haven't really heard of anything by him that sounds like it would appeal to me, I don't think. Good to know if it's possibly not really worth looking into. We may have different tastes, but if I have already not enjoyed a piece of his work and then someone else says it's not that great either, it gives you a better idea when you're thinking about spending your money or not just in case I ever did. And we also have a fair few things in common as well.

Yeah, I can get passed some art for excellent writing, but it definitely makes it a better experience when the art is good. *That is the most obvious, moot statement ever, obviously it is better if the art is good than bad even if you do stil enjoy the writing. Anything is better when an aspect of it is better. For example though, the art in Preacher was phenomenal and the art and writing complimented each other so well, it enhanced the story greatly.

I tried getting into Carey's Fables and failed. For the last bunch of years, it seems like he's been writing the majority of Vertigo's titles, so he might be the main reason why I stopped reading them. It's like he turned into "Mr. Vertigo" like Neal Gaiman used to be although he mostly only wrote Sandman.

Oh, Carey wrote Fables? My friend just lent me a few of those which I haven't gotten around to reading yet. I know they're really popular.

I know Sandman is considered a must-read among comic fans, but I have never read it. I have heard rave reviews but also from other people that it would not be my thing. What's your opinion on it?

I liked it a lot.

This is the one run of graphic novels that I want to sell. I would never see any of the other ones I have. But this one - I feel like I could almost throw it away and gain some shelf space.

Don't get me wrong - there were a few good moments. But not enough to justify me spending the money I did on all of them.

I really liked his run on the various Batman comics a lot except for that one last issue. Both the Batman title that he started out on, Batman and Robin, and The Return of Bruce Wayne comic were all great. I didn't like them when I was reading the issues on a monthly basis, but I went back and read them all after Bruce Wayne returned to the present time. And a body was left behind and the DC superheroes thought it was his at first. Instead, it was a body of a clone of Batman that Darkseid's men tried to create. That's the corpse that Superman comes flying out with near the end of Final Crisis (Superman and the JLA seemed to have figured out it wasn't actually him during The Return of Bruce Wayne). The last issue of Final Crisis (along with the two "3D" Superman issues) were really convoluted as well, but but not as much as the final issue of The Return of Bruce Wayne. Starting with Seven Soldiers, Morrison's comic have read a lot better when read all together rather than month by month.

lol even your explanation makes no sense.

But hey - to each their own. If you enjoyed it that's all that matters.

What explanation makes no sense? About the dead body?

To reiterate in much more detail, during Final Crisis (the miniseries and big comic event/crossover) a couple of Darkseid's scientists (or whatever they were) tried to clone Batman, but all the clones died. When Batman tried to kill Darkseid with a God gun (or whatever it was called), Darkseid shot him with this Omega Effect ray thing, which transported him back to the stone age with amnesia (along with transporting him to different times at the end of each issue of The Return of Bruce Wayne). The bodies of one of the clones were left in Batman's place, so he was thought to be dead. And Superman found the corpse, grabbed it, and was all weepy when flew out of the building where the Batman/Darkseid showdown happened. (Batman ended up wounding Darkseid while Superman finished the job by killing him.)

Later, in the new comic called Batman and Robin, the new Batman (who is Dick Grayson who was formerly the first Robin and Nightwing) and the new Robin (who is Batman's son and Ra's al Ghul's daughter is the mother--she raped Batman when he was drugged or something). They thought the clone's corpse was the real Batman and tried to resurrect him by bathing in one of the pools that Ra's al Ghul uses to remain immortal. The water is magical and shit so it can extend life and resurrect the dead.

So the clone Batman comes back to life and he's a moronic mental case and totally violent and he attacks everyone. The new Batman and Robin realize he's not actually Bruce Wayne.

Back in the Return of Bruce Wayne miniseries, the Justice League have somehow, and I forget how, discovered that Bruce Wayne is still alive and stuck in time. And somehow, and I forget how, they know that once he returns to the present he will unleash some sort of convoluted techno virus that Darkseid put in his body somehow and that the virus will kill everyone on Earth. So the JLA travel though time, trying to locate Bruce Wayne so they can stop this from happening. And they always seem to end up at a specific time in history a few minutes after the Omega Effect caused Bruce to leave it. So then in the incredibly convoluted final issue of the comic, Bruce Waybe returns to the present, where everyone wants to fuck his shit up because of the virus that he's carrying, but he manages to save the day himself.

So that's the wonderful world of superhero comics.

Some of the books I really liked. But I just don't like how they fit together. I think it was some sloppy writing. I think that some of the things written in to make it work - just didn't flow right. It just wasn't for me.

I wasn't criticizing your description of events. I'm pretty sure that's spot on.

I was criticizing Grant's outlining of those events.

But I do understand why some people like it. I think Grant's Batman run is an excellent example of - either love it or hate it.

He's been writing Deadpool Max and it's pretty good. It reminds me of the show Archer kinda. Nothing substantial really happens, Deadpool just runs around fucking everything up. Really offensive stuff too.

Isn't that all Deadpool has ever really done? lol

I can't see how he could bring some of himself to Deadpool though. His writing always feels like he's working towards something bigger. There's always a feeling of a big reveal coming up around the corner.

Agreed! Lapham is fucking inspired. Both Stray Bullets and Young Liars remind me why i love the comic book genre in the first place.

I've been reading The Invisibles. It's outstanding. I'm ranking it among my favorite comic series now. It's also making me reconsider Morrison's run on Batman. I'm probably going to have to reread that and start buying the ones I don't have yet.

Thank you Bradley for always insisting that Grant Morrison knows what he's doing. haha

Sad hurried ending is sad and hurried. So good up to that.

Ack! I was actually thinking of hitting you up on facebook or messaging you here about this series to see if you have read it. Although I haven't read The Illuminatus! Trilogy - I feel like (or gather from research) it gets a lot of themes and theories from that book. And I've seen you say you like that book quite a bit. So I was just curious.

So far I think this might be my favorite series next to 100 Bullets. Preacher might be up there too.

Is there anything by Morrison that you like better?

"Chew" is absolutely hilarious, anyone should give it a go. Just finished the first collection and about to start the second.

Two brilliant monthlies just came out: Saga by Brian K. Vaughn (Y:The Last Man, Lost) and The Manhattan Projects by Jonathan Hickman (Fantastic Four, Nightly News).

Vaughn's Saga seems good. I just don't like the issue by issue speed anymore. I like my story arcs more complete. So I'll wait a year or so for this to blossom.

Comics to recommend:
Blacksad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blacksad
The artwork is amazing. The story is kinda basic noir, but the animal choises for characters complements it excelently: a weasel for a tabloid reporter, a black panther or a stallion for black extremists or a polar bear for a white supremacist.

Sillage:
Great art, so so scifi story. Still worth a look.

Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Eath
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Corrigan,_the_Smartest_Kid_on_Earth
Just read it. It's about at least three different generations of men who fail in raising a son.

Mark Millar is the new Garth Ennis.
Ennis went from Preacher and Punisher MAX to The Boys?

The Boys wants to be a funny fuck in the ass, like it or not. It's Ennis cut lose Preacher - Salvation style. So if gerbils in asses and heads blown off and swearing while at it, is your thing, then The Boys is your thing.

So about Mark Millar.
He wrote some Authority, he wrote Wanted (I like both the comic and the movie), Kick-Ass 1 and some excelent Marvel.
(Marvel sidenote: read Millar's The Ultimates and Wolverine: Enemy of the State)
But Millar's recent, like Nemesis and Kick-Ass 2 is more about the shock value than the story. And there's your new Ennis.

P.S.
Alone and drunk at my summer cottage, it's good to ne back Cult!

I've been reading (in between other books) the nice hardcover edition of Flex Mentallo by Grant Morrison that came out a bit ago. I'm really liking it. It's got a lot of the Morrison themes right off the bat - which reality is real, etc... I think it's four issues and I've read the first two. So we'll see how it ends.

The intro was pretty great too.

I read the first one the other day and it's actually past due because my library decided to close and I haven't been able to take it to another one since it closed.

Local

I've been reading the first hardcover of Powers by Brian Michael Bendis. It's pretty good. It's been pretty straightforward so far though. I was expecting more twists. But I have only read 3 of the story arches so far.

I like Hellboy more and more these days.

has anyone read any of the Elephantmen series? It seems like a silly idea to me, but some of the art in the books looked pretty great as I was flipping through.

Just finished reading "Stuffed!" today.
Two brothers try to figure out what to do with an inherited African statue.
The writer, Eichler, developed and produced "Daria". And writes for "The Colbert Report". And got Writers Guild, Peabody and Emmy Awards.
The illustration is engaging, by Bertozzi.
Going to start back on graphic novels.
It was perfect.