What graphic novels should I get?

[assault]

Re: What graphic novels should I get?

 

And as for the Bat, I have my eye on the 3-part Knightfall and the 5-part No Man's Land. I'll just have to sell my car first...

 

And after we suggested so much Bat stuff, we are reminded that one person's cr*p is another person's treasure...

[mangahunterd]

Re: What graphic novels should I get?

 

Some good stuff that I haven't seen mentioned would be:

Preacher Graphic novels. Kind of dark... okay really dark but they are well worth the read.

Saga of the Swamp Thing by Alan Moore. I think there are about 6 of these.. very good.. in fact I hated the Swamp Thing until I read the first one.

Supreme by Alan Moore-great SH hook.. Of course then again it is Alan Moore so it is hard to go wrong.

The Original Crow series by J O'Barr

The Grendel series by Matt Wagner. I think that they are all in TPB now and they rock

Sandman the old stuff by Gaiman was incredible. A lot of the Death books are in TPB now as well and they are very good.

Something a little different that you may enjoy as well is a conversion of a Manga Series called Blade of the Immortal. It has been released by Dark Horse Comics. It is a great story. Of course a classic that has also been released again by Dark Horse is Lone Wolf and Cub. While the last two are not really superhero books the characters could be transplanted in to a modern universe.

There are a few... hmm... I seem to notice a trend in my reading habits... Can bald people be Goths?

 

OMG I can't believe I completely forgot Rising Stars by Straczynski... You MUST go and get that series...

[RobCRogers]

Re: What graphic novels should I get?

 

Here are some of my favorites:

 

• Batman: The Long Halloween
  
• Batman: Dark Victory
  
• Batman: Haunted Knight
  
• The Golden Age
  
• Marvels
  
• Batman: Year One
  
• Any Starman
  
• Any Astro City
  
• Any Wildcats by Joe Casey
  
• Any JSA by Geoff Johns
  
• Teen Titans: A Kid's Game
  
• JLA: New World Order
  
• JLA: Year One
  
• Outsiders: Looking for Trouble
  
• Any Powers
  
• Camelot 3000
  
• Watchmen
  
• Ultimate Spider-Man
  
• Stormwatch: Change or Die
  
• The Authority (first two TPBs)
  
• Any Planetary
  
• Any Nightwing by Chuck Dixon
  
• Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga
  

No offense, but I'd avoid the No Man's Land and "broken back" Batman graphic novels. The stories weren't terrible, but there are a lot better and more cohesive graphic novels out there.

[phydaux]

Re: What graphic novels should I get?

 

I asked a buddy who is a comics GURU what I should get. This is his "short list."

 

 

In my opinion, here's what I would consider the essential, greatest trade paperback collection ever - there's alot of story arcs to choose from and the criteria is based more on story quality, rather than art. Again, this is the stories that I chose.....

Let's start with DC Comics stuff......

 

EIGHT ESSENTIAL BATMAN STORIES

 

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (essential Frank Miller story that ushered in the "grim and gritty" era of comics)

Batman: The Killing Joke (Alan Moore's seminal Batman story and THE Joker story)

Batman: The Long Halloween (a Loeb/Sale collaboration and a really good take on Batman's early history)

Batman: Year One (Frank Miller's chronicle of Batman's first year fighting crime)

Batman: Death in the Family (I don't care for the art, but the death of the Jason Todd Robin was a huge point in Batman's history)

Batman: The Cult (a pivotal story, in my eyes, because the batman's will is broken for the first time)

Batman: Son of the Demon (THE Ras Ahs Ghul story and a major moment in Bruce's history)

Batman: Ten Nights of the Beast (another pivotal point in Batman's history, because of the surprise ending!).

 

FOUR SUPERMAN STORIES YOU SHOULD READ

Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow (the last "pre-Crisis" DC Universe Superman story, beautifully written by Alan Moore, ties up all of Supes' loose ends and finally answers the pivotal question - who does Clark love more - Lois or Lana?)

Superman for All Seasons (a tale of Supes' early days, brilliantly written)

Superman: The Man of Steel Volumes 1 and 2 (written by John Byrne, these are stories that take place right after "Crisis" and are not all that popular with lots of collectors - I, however, love them)

 

THE BEST WONDER WOMAN STORY

 

Wonder Woman: Hiketia (written brilliantly by Greg Rucka and, IMHO, the BEST Wonder Woman story ever told).

 

SOME GOOD JUSTICE LEAGUE READS

 

Justice League: A New Beginning (a re-imagining of the old JLA by Giffen/McGuire that was absolutely brilliant - if you want an off the cuff take of the JLA, this is it)

JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice (not only well-written, with lots of attention to detail, but wonderfully drawn)

JLA: Tower of Babel (this is a smart tale where Batman literally takes out the JLA, but in a surprising way - a pretty good read with some neat twists and turns)

JLA: Year One (One of the definitive JLA tales, ever)

JLA: Earth Two (a neat "Crisis-like" tale that features a good sotry and awesome art by Frank Quietly).

 

IF YOUR ONLY GONNA READ ONE FLASH TALE, READ THIS ONE

 

DC Archive Editions: The Flash, Volume One (since I'm not a big fan of the new Flash books, I'll recommend this one, one of only two DC Archive books on this list - it reprints most of the best old Flash stories, complete with appearances by most of the best from his Rogue's Gallery.

 

 

IF YOUR ONLY GONNA READ ONE GREEN LANTERN TALE, READ THIS ONE

 

Golden Age Green Lantern Archives, Volume Two (I reccomend volume two because it is not only better than the first one, but most of the classic GL villians for the Golden Age make their debuts here).

 

ESSENTIAL CONTINUITY FOR THE DC UNIVERSE

 

Crisis on Infinite Earths (Still DC's biggest landmark story of the last 60 or so years), Crisis on Multiple Earths Volumes 1 and 2 (helps to explain alot about the pre-Crisis DC Universe, especially concerning multiple earths)

 

The History of the DC Universe (this one explains it all, from the dawn of time to when the lights go out in the universe).

 

OTHER BOOKS YOU'D BE AN IDIOT NOT TO READ AT LEAST ONCE

 

The Swamp Thing TPBs volumes 1-6 (this is Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing and the arc that jumpstarted his career - this is ST at his absolute best and the range and depth of these stories is incredible)

Kingdom Come (an awesome "future" take on DC's heroes, with beautiful art by Alex Ross, not to mention a great story)

All of the Preacher TPBs (Garth Ennis' best tale yet, with some of the best written characters I've ever seen in almost 30 years of reading comics - great stories and solid art by Steve Dillon)

All of the 100 Bullets TPBs (Brian Azzarello's awesoem tale of Agent Graves and his mysterious suitcase is absolutely enthralling - whatever you do, do not miss this one....)

All of the Sandman TPBs (Now, I'm talking the nine core volumes, not the off the wall "Dreaming" stuff - great stories by Neil Gaiman that truly put Vertigo on the map)

Hellblazer: Dangerous Habits (IMHO, the best John Constantine story ever - some of the later TPBs aren't too bad either and if you like this one, give the others a look).

 

OTHER BOOKS YOU'D BE AN IDIOT NOT TO READ AT LEAST ONCE (CONTINUED)

 

Animal Man Book 1-3 (Grant Morrison turned this piece of crap character into something interesting, making Buddy Baker someone you could actually care about)

Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters (The definitive GA story, well-written by Mike Grell)

Hawkworld (this Tim Truman story arc about Hawkman was a bit off the cuff, but really imaginative and well-written - awesome art by Truman as well)

V for Vendetta (anothe Alan Moore tale, this story is so wonderfully written that the first time I read it I was so floored that I actually had to pick myself up off the floor)

Death: The High Cost of Living (a wonderful Neil Gaiman tale about Death and her day off as a mortal - check it out).

 

THE BEST DC COMIC EVER

 

Watchmen (This comic by Alan Moore was the one that helped turn comics around in 1985, along with Batman: Dark Knight Returns - this IMHO is the best comic DC has ever published)

 

Alright, on to the Marvel Comics......

 

ESSENTIAL SPIDER MAN TPBs

 

Spiderman: Kraven's Last Hunt (the last true Kraven the Hunter story - a masterpiece!)

Essential Spiderman Volumes 1-5 (Yes, they are in black and white, but between these five books, you get 150 issues and 3 annuals, plus all the old school tales that made Spidey famous)

Ultimate Spiderman Volumes 1-3 (not my favorites, but they are a great re-telling of the SM mythos)

Spiderman: Blue (another Loeb/Sale collaboration, this is agreat story arc about Spiderman's early days)

Spider-Man Visionaries: John Romita Sr. (you can get alot of these tales in the Essential Spiderman collection, but some you cannot - great stuff here)

The Amazing Spider-Man: Until the Stars Turn Cold (J. Michael Straczynski's initial run, with some really good alternative takes on Spidey - worth a good read).

 

DAREDEVIL STORY ARCS THAT ARE WORTH YOUR TIME

 

Daredevil: Yellow (a wonderful watercolor retelling of Daredevil's early career)

Daredevil Legends: Born Again (an amazing story by Frank Miller which explains how Kingpin learned Daredevil's identity)

Daredevil Legends Volume 3: Man Without Fear (another great by Frank Miller, providing a wonderful look at DD's origins).

 

HULK STORIES THAT KICK ASS

 

The Incredible Hulk: Return of the Monster (the beginning of the current run of the Incredible Hulk - not the classic "Hulk SMASH!" sorta thing, rather it's more a combination of a thriller/intrigue plot and the story of an innocent man who's led a haunted life)

Hulk: Future Imperfect (a great Hulk tale of a future Hulk that rules the world - good stuff).

 

THE ONLY SILVER SURFER STORY YOU NEED TO READ

 

Silver Surfer: Parables (a great SS tale and one for the ages with kick ass Moebius art).

 

IRON MAN STORIES THAT KICK ASS

 

The Power of Iron Man (the famed alcoholic story arc that defined Tony Stark)

Iron Man: The Mask in the Iron Man (the story where the armor takes on a life of it's own - some really great storytelling to be found here).

 

FANTASTIC FOUR STORIES THAT RULE - Sorry, but for my money, there's just no better than Essential Fantastic Four Volumes 1-3 (70 issues, 2 annuals and everything that made the FF popular, even if it is in black and white). Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne is also a great read.

 

THE ONLY THOR BOOK YOU NEED - Thor Visionaries: Walter Simonson (the classic Thor story arc that helped redine the character and make him popular again).

 

THE ONLY X-MEN STORIES THAT YOU REALLY NEED TO READ

Uncanny X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga (probably the most acclaimed run of the X-Men titles - good stuff)

Essential X-Men Volumes 1-2 (50 issues of the Claremont/Byrne run - this is what really made the X-Men popular)

X-Men: Days of Future Past (only two issues, but one of the most acclaimed stories ever - Sentinels rule!)

X-Men: Mutant Massacre (this one almost doesn't make the list, but after reviewing my copy, there are some serious moments here - Collosus kills for the first time, Kitty gets trapped in Shadowcat form, Wolvie and Sabertooth duke it out for the first time, Angel gets crucified and is forced to become Archangel..... all good stuff)

Almost all the TPBs for Ultimate X-Men (again, not a super-huge fan, but it's still good stuff).

I guess I oughta lump in X-Men Visionaries: Neal Adams as well, because most of the stories were solid and the art was great.

 

GREAT AVENGERS TALES

 

Avengers Legends Volume One: Avengers Forever (the Busiek tale that helped define the modern day Avengers)

Avengers Visionaries: George Perez (if you love Perez's art, this is the book for you)

Avengers: The Kree/Skrull War (a really classic Avengers tale)

Avengers: Celestial Madonna (a great Mantis story and one of the better Avengers arcs ever)

Essential Avengers Volumes 1-2 (again, classic tales from the group's beginnings, including some top of the line Captain America stories).

 

 

NICK FURY ROCKS!

 

Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (with all of that beautiful Jim Sternako art and solid stories)

Garth Ennis' Fury (the best Nick Fury story ever, IMHO - Fury never got any better than this).

 

MARVEL MEGA-EVENTS WORTH YOUR TIME

 

The Infinity Gauntlet (Starlin's great story about the mad Thanos and his infinity gems - a great read)

Secret Wars (The first mega-crossover book that helped establish the cross-book trend, not a bad read all these years later, especially if you are a Doctor Doom fan)

Marvels (I lump this one in here because I don't know where else to put it - one of the greatest Marvel books ever)

The Life & Death of Captain Marvel (the first graphic novel ever and a solid Starlin story).

 

INDIE BOOKS YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS

 

The League of Extraordinary Gentleman Volumes 1 and 2

Tom Strong Volume 1

Promethea Volumes 1-3

Mage Volume 4

Bone: Out from Boneville, most Mike Mignola Hellboy Stories (the "Right Hand of Doom" and the "Chained Coffin and Others" in particular)

Sin City

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Maus, Nevada, Flaming Carrot, Volume 3: Flaming Carrot's Greatest Hits, Fun With Milk and Cheese, Music for Mechanics (Complete Love and Rockets, Book 1) Volume One,

From Hell

Bacchus Book One

American Splendor

A Child's Life and Other Stories

Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth

Cerebus Volume 1, The Complete Concrete, Dreadstar: Plan M, Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned, Ghost World, Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron, the R. Crumb Coffee Table Book, Ronin, The House on the Borderlands (the Corbin version), Will Eisner's Spirit Collection, Frank Miller's 300, Torso, Goldfish, The Complete Starngers in Paradise Volume 1, Kill Your Boyfriend, Miracleman, all the Astro City books, all the Powers books, all the Rising Stars books, all the Authority trade books and David Boring.

 

 

 

 

I think it's just a list of every title on his shelves.

[Sketchpad]

Re: What graphic novels should I get?

 

Another oldie one-shot if you can find it:

Batman - Holy Terror

 

An elseworlds where the world is run by a theocracy and the Batman must find the truth about his parent's murder ... a great read with some great art

[st barbara]

Re: What graphic novels should I get?

 

I tend to agree with much of what has been posted. "Watchmen", "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", "Crisis On Infinite Earths", any "Sandman"any "Death"(Ät Death's Door"is a lot of fun too !), "Top Ten", Ästro City" "Camelot 3000" and "The Dark Phoenix Saga" are all TPB collection that I have and enjoy. Going off at a slight tangent "Modesty Blaise"(the original newspaper strips) is being reissued in TPB's and I recently got Volume 3 ( I think, judging from internal evidence). I don't know about the U S but my copy is published by "Titan Books"in the U K.