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Comments
Fair enough. Idunno, it just sounds kinda silly.
Gah!
I forgot to buy that Mega Man comic after lunch. And the comic book store I went is so far away too.
And that's why I'm glad I use Comixology.
My wallet is less pleased.
The Fantastic Four is all about glorious silliness, man. From Dragon Man to Doctor Doom THE SUPREME RULER OF LATVERIA AND RIVAL OF THAT PESKY RICHARDS all the way through Galactus, eater of worlds, wearer of stupid hats and his herald, the raddest of the rad, the Silver Surfer.
>Fair enough. Idunno, it just sounds kinda silly.
The leader is a stretchy rubber genius because YOHOHO HE TOOK A BITE OF COSMIC RADIATION. Silly's kind of par for the course.
I thought Reed was already a total braniac?
Nihilistic space bugs
The fantasticar
Ben Grimm's dialog
An oversexed king of Atlantis with little wings on his feet
Guys on the moon who blow up cities when they whisper
Reed rolling alien invaders by tricking them into transforming into cows
Yeah, but because he can stretch and twist his brain it actually made him much much smarter.
Because, you know, brains work like that.
Really? I thought that was a Planetary joke. Huh.
My fave Deadpool moment: Trying to convince Black Bolt to say "Spatula"
True.
Anyway:
Daredevil 10.1: Very fun issue. Some character insight, some (minor) advancement of the main plot. I'm not sure it serves the purpose of being a good jumping-on point when #1 did that job better, but whatever.
Avenging Spider-Man 2: Also good. I loved the interaction between Spider-Man and Jameson. The cliffhanger is definitely not sticking, but it'll probably be interesting, so whatever.
So, last time someone asked me recs for comics and gateway introductions.
I decided to give a little list of my own for superheroes because even I have to admit that getting into the genre or characters is complicated sometimes. These were the books that got me into the characters that I follow these days and I recommend them as someone who was affected in some way or another by these stories.
Either way
DC Comics
Superman:
All Star Superman: by Grant Morrison might just be the best Superman story of all time. If it's not, it's certainly up there. It's pretty much a Silver Age Superman story with modern sensibilities and sorta postmodern approach, but unlike most pos-mo approachings of Superman, this book manages to be entirely idealistic, which, in an industry that has tried endlessly to replicate the success of Alan Moore and Frank Miller's cynical approach to superheroes to no avail, is nothing but a breath of exhilarating fresh air. This story is about the joy of flying and punching bad guys in the face while facing insurmountable odds. And I feel that while superheroes have always managed to do this well, very few books do this as well as this one does. Honestly, if someone asked me to introduce them to the concept of superheroes, I'd give them this book without a doubt.
Superman: Birthright: The origin of Superman is pop cultural lore by now. Doomed planet, desperate scientists, last hope, kindly couple. Everybody knows that. But Mark Waid manages to tell a fun story based not just on this, though, but on the origin of a lot of things that the Superman mythos, like Lex Luthor or Lois Lane (Have I mentioned I really love Waid's Lois? People often forget that Lois' supposed to be this sassy "I do what I want" girl with a kind heart, especially, sadly, some writers) but anyway. Birthright's about Clark Kent becoming Kal-El and then Kal-El becoming Superman. Of course, we all know Superman has always had a crisis of identity regarding who he is (Is he human? Kryptonian? or neither and just a hero?) but this story is not about that. This story is about him realizing he has all these personas within him and wielding them not just for the sake of other people's lives, but for the sake of his own self, too.
Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?: Alan Moore is probably the single most known comic scribe in the world, besides Stan Lee and Neil Gaiman. Mostly because of Watchmen and the hairy ecosystem attached to his face his "cranky wizard" persona. But Moore does have a soft side. And this story is about that. It's about Superman facing death, much like All Star Superman. But unlike All Star Superman, this is a story where Clark/Kal faces the fact that he's no longer relevant in an ever changing world. It has still my fave Alan Moore line, which I think anyone who has read this story knows. For anyone who might be reading it because of my recommendation, it's at the very beginning.
Batman
Batman: Year One: Confession time: To me, Frank Miller is the single most overrated comic book author in this universe (There are probably a few universes out there where Frank Miller's good, but I digress). But regardless of how much I think that stuff like The Dark Knight Returns and Sin City are just drenched in a teenager's definition of cool, I just can't be dishonest with myself and claim that Year One is not only a great story, but a great gateway for the character. Similarly to Superman, Batman's origin is also pop cultural lore by now. Kid sees his parents getting shot, kid decides that he must become vengeance and justice incarnate, grows into a man, man decides to use the face of a bat to instill fear in criminals (who are a superstitious and cowardly lot) but Miller's story's not great because Bruce Wayne, to be honest. No, this is really Comissioner Gordon's story through and through. It may not carry his name, but the fact is, that this is the story where Bruce and Jim become comrades in arms in the endless bitter war they've decided to partake on.
Batman and Son: A lot of people know by now that Grant Morrison is my writer hasubando one of my very favourite writers in the business. He turns superheroes into myth and allegories with nothing but a flick of his pen and inserts modern day sensibilities and conventions into stories that would just feel silly today, like, say, an story about the world's greatest detective being some recluse who punches criminals in the face while wearing a bat costume. Funnily enough, though, Morrison's run doesn't start that way. It stars with a fun little romp in London where Batman discovers that a certain encounter with Talia Al Ghul ended up spawning a lil' runt who he has to adopt and raise. I think the fact that Morrison takes what would be the simple most sitcomy premise ever and plays it both for laughs and serious value (Bruce had adopted many kids in his adventures, but never had he a biological one, let alone someone who was raised already to be an assassin and whom he didn't have to train like his Dick or Tim in, say, morality) speaks of his versatility.
Court of Owls: Of course it had to be here. The Best Book of the New 52. A friend of mine described this story as "Jungian jiu-jitsu" between Batman and the Court of Owls and I don't think there's any better description. It's about myths and stories, it's about men and reality. It's about how sometimes, even when we claim to understand everything, there's always something out there, something we can't claim to know or even have seen. It's about a man versus a myth and slowly but surely realizing that myths are sometimes founded on fact. And it's also about Batman piloting a remotely controlled robotic T-Rex to attack assassin creed knockoffs. How cool is that?!
Gotham Central: This is admittedly a very Batman-lite series, like an extended Blink episode. And really, in a way, Blink is an apt comparison. Without the security of Bruce Wayne to accompany us, Gotham City is hell on earth, much like the Weeping Angels are damn creepy when there's no sonic screwdriver-wielding time lord besides you. But if I had to make a more similarity based comparison, I'd say Gotham Central is basically what happens when someone makes a procedural like The Wire settled on Gotham and the way Gothamites live with the fact that they are in one of the world's most dangerous cities and where hope is represented in way of a possible nutcase in a Batman suit. This series doesn't work as a way of getting acquainted with Batman, but it works perfectly as a way of getting acquainted with Gotham City, its rogues gallery and some of the Batman books supporting cast, like Reneé Montoya and Crispus Allen.
Green Lantern
Green Lantern: Rebirth: Remember when Green Lantern was a fun book, regardless of the nostalgia faggery inducted by the author? Well, this is pretty much one of its better stories (Its best story is, of course, the Sinestro Corps War later down the line). Rebirth reintroduces the old silver age concepts that were endemic to Green Lantern pre-Zero Hour, like Hal Jordan or the Green Lantern Corps. Johns' run is drenched in a love for the past that comes across at first as an innovative approach to old stories, but later as the run goes along, becomes detrimental for the story, but it starts pretty well enough to get a feel of the Lanterns and see if the concept of the series interests you. Just...don't expect Blackest Night to be the best conclusion to the run, really (Not like the run concluded there, but Johns did state that Blackest Night was sort of an ending to his pseudo-trilogy)
Justice League
JLA: Grant Morrison's gonna get tons of mentions here, if it wasn't obvious and this one certainly deserves it. Many times, when people talk about comic books, they forget about the visual element. Not to say that people don't care about the art, but sometimes, they are more than willing to forgive bad art if the writing's good, for example. Well, to be honest, I'm also more than willing to do the opposite. And while JLA is by no means a bad story, the writing's not really why I'm here. I'm here because Howard Porter draws some bitching action. His character designs are somewhat iffy, but I don't think it really detracts from the "widescreen" approach he created for this book and that Bryan Hitch would later take and perfect.
Justice League (Would later get an spinoff called "Justice League: International". Not as funny as the actual thing, but good as well): Say, do you guys know the founding Justice League line-up? I think everyone knows it. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Flash, Green Lantern and Aquaman. Well, imagine writing a Justice League story without six of these characters. Well, that's the challenge Keith Giffen and J.M DeMatteis face here. After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC rebooted their titles and Giffen and DeMatteis were given the Justice League. Which would be an incredibly sweet gig, were it not because DC editors veto'd their characters for the Justice League as they needed to stablish their origins in most cases, which lead to Giffen and DeMatteis having to use unknown characters like Mister Miracle, Booster Gold and Blue Beetle. Neil Adams even took pity on them and gave them Batman to use (And it wasn't long before they took him away), and they got to use Captain Marvel and Black Canary before they were taken away. So why is this book good? Well, the best way of putting it is that it's the Arrested Development of comic books. It not only is incredibly funny and quotable, but it thrives on entirely on the way each character interacts with each other. From Martian Manhunter treating Blue Beetle with respect and "Goddamnit why don't just shut up"-ness to Booster Gold and Blue Beetle's famous bromance, this is definetly one of the very few superhero comic where the humor doesn't just come from the inherent craziness of the genre but from the characters and their personalities.
The DC Universe's lore
Fifty-Two: Fifty Two doesn't have just one character but I guess it can be used as a way of getting acquainted with Booster Gold, The Question, Ralph Dibny and so many others. It's basically the work of the aforementioned Waid, Morrison, Rucka and Giffen together as they explore what happens when the Justice League is gone from the world. This is a good story to notice those heroes that only people who're already into comics know about and getting to know who they are and they're personalities . Plus, like Giffen's Justice League it's damn amusing. And it involves very clever character work as these four scribes prepare for both a big reveal about the nature of the DC Universe and to change this merry band of fuck-ups into heroes who can take care of the world while the league is long and gone.
Seven Soldiers of Victory: Grant Morrison takes another merry band of fuck-ups and leads them into saving the world. This time, though, the Seven Soldiers of Victory attain victory not through teamwork, but through the complete absence of it and their never assembling in the first place. Similarly to Fifty-Two, this is an story where Superman's not the one who saves the world, but where heroes who people who are not acquainted with the DCU probably don't know about, plus relics like Guardian. I think the only criticism I can level at this book is that it can drag quite badly at some points (Klarion's story comes to mind) but it's otherwise top-notch storytelling about how heroes facing a threat in a way unlike any other.
Marvel Comics
Spiderman
Avenging Spider-Man: This is quite easily the most available gateway right now. It's only seven issues in, which helps alot. But anyway, Avenging Spider-Man is about Spider-Man's adventures as an Avenger and as a member of the Future Foundation/Fantastic Four. So basically, we get to see him team-up with various characters across the Marvel Universe. Admittedly the first arc can feel a bit long, but Avenging Spider-Man still manages to be a fun take on the Batman: Brave and the Bold concept we're all familiar with while splicing new life into it thanks to some clever funny writing.
New Ways to Die: A Dark Reign arc, this time by Dan Slott. In this arc, Spider-Man tastes firsthand the anger of Norman as he unleashes the Thunderbolts to capture Spider-Man after he's framed for murder by a very vindictive Green Goblin, while Eddie Brock faces death to then find out that his cancer is cured (and he finds out that he’s a cure to himself, too) I think the best thing I can say about New Ways To Die is that it’s an incredibly riveting storyline about what happens when Peter Parker’s personal life’s assaulted by a man who won’t stop at nothing to end his life, even if he doesn’t know the full story of Spider-Man.
Big Time: Another Dan Slott arc. And with good reason. Dan Slott has revitalized a character that was bogged down by really awful editorial mandated arcs, such as the infamous One More Day. In Big Time, Peter Parker basically loses another job and sees himself in dire economical times again, until he finds a job at Horizon Labs, where he gets to finally display his genius and the resources to come up with many an invention. Big Time is basically Dan Slott tapping into a known part of the character that many overlook and using it for some legitimately meaningful storytelling about growing up (A coming of age story involving Spider-Man? Say it ain't so!) and stepping up his act as one of New York's caretakers.
Iron Man
Extremis: Volume 4 kicks off with a great Warren Ellis story about Iron Man fighting another Super Soldier Serum attempt. Ellis approaches the character in a semi-realistic way that would later inspire the Iron Man movie's characterization of Tony Stark, as he learns (this being Tony, learning is more like “Noted and ignored until later”) that while he wishes to be the "test pilot of the future", his action in the past will always catch up with him, and that he needs to face them head on.
Captain America
Out of Time/Winter Soldier: I count these two stories as one arc because there's a lot of interconnectivity going on between them and Winter Soldier basically is "Captain America vs Aleksander Lukin, Round Two".
Out of Time is basically the kick-off to another volume in the history of Captain America. Brubaker kicks off this arc with a very hooking cliffhanger. I won't tell because it's probably one of the best establishing moments for Lukin as a character and saying what he does basically ruins the surprise. Otherwise it’s standard spy fiction fare, but still good and it ends up with one hell of a cliffhanger.
But the real recommendation is Winter Soldier here. Here, Brubaker manages a feat that very few writers can claim. Here, Brubaker takes a known part of Cap's origin, fucks up with it and still manages to come out on top with a deeply resonant story about a man who tries very hard to let go of his past, only to be later down the line confronted by it in the form of the Winter Soldier, who turns out to be someone very close to Captain America.
Daredevil
Born Again: This is another Miller/Mazzucchelli arc. I guess that Mazzucchelli brings the best out of our most beloved misoginyst fascist asshat. But anyway, Born Again is about how important is a secret identity to a superhero. Admittedly, though, the premise is standard Miller "Women turning into whores" fare, but hey, stupid flaws like that are around everywhere. After Karen Page (Matt's secretary) tried to become a hollywood actress, failed and ended up in the gutters, she sells Daredevil's secret identity for drugs. Obviously, the Kingpin buys it. And this turns into a grade A example of how to destroy's a man's life, from getting barred from practicing law, to losing his bank accounts, Matt's life becomes increasingly unbearable until Kingpin performs such an stupid move that Matt finally realizes who's behind his downfall and plots his "resurrection" from the ashes. It also has a very interesting depiction of the Avengers from an outsider point of view (“[Captain America] said ’Make it rain’, with the voice that would command a God’s will. And it does”)
Fantastic Four
The Bridge/Solve Everything: Another double arc rec'd as one. The Bridge is a Dark Reign tie-in where Reed Richards builds a machine where he sees alternate universes, in hope of finding a universe where he solved the superhero registration act situation without creating a civil war. In the meanwhile, the rest of his family is accidentally thrown into the machine and ends up rolling through Alt-Us and we get to see cool stuff like Chamberlain Grimm (Idol o' millions) and Black Sue (Fastest gun in all the galaxy).
Solve Everything is about Reed's conclusions on the information regarding the bridge and coming down to a very important decision: Will he "Solve Everything" for the cost of "Everything" (His personal life and his identity)?
Hickman sets up a very beautiful arc about how important is Reed to the Fantastic Four as well as how important are the Four to Reed while preparing for an epic storyline about love, loss and Four becoming groundbreakers and returning to their mad science roots.
"Milady, 'tis the clobbering hour."
Bravo good sir. I'll try to throw in some of the good X-men stuff and odds and ends(stuff like Runaways and Incredible Hercules and Silver Surfer: Reqiuem and Rememder's run on Venom) from Marvel later
Got any non super hero western comics to toss out Juan? Well I'll guess you'll throw out Y The Last Man, Transmetropolitian, Sandman and maybe Finder.
It's $30:
It's twelve issues. Most GNs have about 6-8 issues for about 16-20 so it's not that bad a deal.
I did design the list to be superhero specific because it's easier to read something like Ex Machina, where the only continuity you have to worry about is what has happened within the series. Of course, I do think that people overrate how important continuity is, but it's an issue for many a would-be comic reader that turns them off the superhero genre, so I felt like addressing that head-on
But anyway, sure, good non-Big Two (For a rather loose def. of non-Big Two) comics I've read are on the way,
Watchmen: Everybody and their moms (And their farmer's sons) has either seen, read or heard of Watchmen. This is commonly known as Alan Moore's masterpiece. I disagree, but it doesn't mean it's not a great story. We could discuss philosophy, its analysis of the superhero genre, society or war, we could discuss Manhattan's testies, even. But it doesn't matter because you've probably read it all before if you haven't read this. And if you haven't then...what the fuck are you doing here? Get the hell out of my sight and get that book, son
Y: The Last Man: Brian K Vaughan belongs in the League of Cool Bald Writers (And Brian Bendis) for a reason. Brian K Vaughan is basically Joss Whedon but without the flaws that are so endemic to his work (Oh hay, pseudo-dramatic deaths) and Y: The Last Man is his magnum opus so far. It's about, well, the last man on earth. After all the male lifeforms on Earth die for some reason. Yorick Brown (Named by an English Professor in case you couldn't tell.) embarks on a quest alongside his also male monkey Ampersand (Yorick's an English major too) to try to save the world, find some answers and get to his girlfriend, Beth. By his side he has Agent 355 and Alison Mann, two of the best female characters in the history of comic books, in my opinion. So basically, what I'm saying is that this is the best road trip across the world ever.
Ex Machina: This is about the world's first superhero, Mitchell Hundred. His power is communication with technology (Basically a technopath of sorts). But this is not your typical superhero story. You see, Mitchell here is also the Mayor of New York City. And this comic is basically the West Wing with flashbacks to Hundred's superhero days as a threat looms over his city and he needs to make a decision. This series manages to ape Aaron Sorkin's hit-with-zing-and-run-to-hit-again without ever seeming too much like an Aaron Sorkin story. I think the only thing I can say that is bad about it is that the ending is much like Y: The Last Man, which I feel doesn't fit the story that Vaughan was telling at first, but the rest is amazing enough to get a rec from me.
Saga: This is starting right now and it's been pretty amazing so far. It's basically that Yorick/355 adventure story we were all waiting for after the end of Y: The Last Man. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with this because the story's originality points lie elsewhere. This is Romeo and Julieta In Space. After They Had A Kid. And Without Their Romance Being About Teenage Dumbfucks. See? Totally original, yo. Well, there's also the worldbuilding, but really, I think Saga's greatest strenght is the damn funny dialogue and clever characterization
Pride of Baghdad: OK, fine! This is the last Brian K Vaughan story I'll recommend! Because I've run out of Brian K. Vaughan stories to recommend. But anyway! Pride of Baghdad is based on a real story about some lions who escaped a zoo in Baghdad during a bombing and their attempts to survive on the city during, well, a bombardment. There's really not much I can say except that if you liked the above, you'll like this.
The Sandman: Another one of those comic books everyone and their moms has read or heard of. The Sandman is Gaiman's biggest work. It's about Dream of the Endless being imprisoned, then reflecting on his acts and life to later try to pay his own debt to himself, while running the Dram Kingdom. Sandman's about myths and how important they are to us and our culture. Sandman's about changing or dying, as Gaiman put it back when he had to summarize the series. Sandman is also about how our everyday actions, thoughts and even our passive properties, such as desire, despair, delirium and so on, define who we are. Plus, it has Death as a perky adorable goth girl.
Hellblazer: John Constantine's a badass. Everybody knows this. He's a wizard private detective con-man with a love for trenchcoats and life. Sadly, Hellblazer has become as big as many a superhero comic in numbering and fame (well, amongst nerds, I guess.) So I obviously have to rec a gateway. And I think the best possible gateway is Dangerous Habits. Dangerous Habits is the beginning of Garth Ennis' run. While I don't think very highly of his later work (To be honest, I'm not so sure this run holds up this well past this opening arc, which is nothing but genius) Dangerous Habits is a sweet story about Constantine facing death (Notice a trend here?) by lung cancer, after smoking one too many a fag, as he'd put it. Of course, Constantine doesn't die, but his way of surviving his own death is nothing short of magnificent. Definetly a must-read.
Transmetropolitan: Warren Ellis writes about Spider Jerusalem, a Hunter S Thompson tribute who lives in The City. We don't know where this is, but we know when this is. This is the FEWTCHA! A place where men can turn themselves into nanobot clouds and cyborgs, but yet a place where political decadence (And otherwise) runs rampant. This story is about how important it is to speak against oppression. Funnily enough, for a story that is drenched on cynicism about the human condition, this is still an story where a man makes a difference in a world where everything's stacked against him. Plus Ellis' damn funny and this is probably the book where he gets to showcase his funny side in the form of nazi sex midgets (A known Ellis gag) and chair legs of truth.
Preacher: I know, I know, Alk. I still liked it back when I read it. I wouldn't say it's perfect. Ennis' cynicism doesn't have much of an idealistic side to balance it off causing Preacher to be in many ways a textbook example of what 15 year olds find cool (Blah blah blah gore blah blah blah cowboys blah blah blah religion imagery treated irreverently blah blah blah Bill Hicks blah blah blah)* but there's still a certain sincerity to the proceedings that shines through and makes the characters, in most cases legitimately likeable. Either way, Preacher's about Jesse Custer. A Preacher. Right. Anyway, this guy's all preaching like and then suddenly, out of fucking nowhere a big baby spirit thing enters his brain. It was Genesis. The son/daughter (Do we ever get its gender?) of a demon and an angel who confers him an special power. This power's the Word of God. He command anyone to do anything he wants provided they hear and understand the order. Jesse later discovers that God has left his throne and ran away from heaven, causing Jesse to go and try to find him in order for him to answer for his sins (See what I did there? Clever huh?)
*As opposed to the things us 18-25 year old nerds find cool like blah blah blah men fighting T-Rexes blah blah blah Doctor Who Defeating Doctor Doom in a Deadly Disco Dance-off blah blah blah really stretchy dudes choosing family over work blah blah blah really fast dudes who save their superhero suits in a ring
Fables: Fables is about fairy tale characters. It turns out that characters like Prince Charming, Snow White and Rose Red lived in a land of fantasy, until some dude calling himself The Adversary turns the land into a living hell. These characters then decide to run into the "real" world and settle in a square called Fabletown. It takes them and tosses them into a very adult world and gives us then, pathos based on their plight. It admittedly loses it's main drive right around issue 70 something, but the rest of the ride is really good enough.
Finder: Finder's magnificent sci-fi. Finder's also magnificent aboriginal science fiction. This book's about another rebel, not unlike Jesse Custer mentioned above. Jaeger's the son of an ascian (Speed McNeil's stand ins for actual native americans in the future) and a redneck who is adopted by a tribe to become both their sin-eater (an spiritual scapegoat of sorts) and one of their finders (Basically, master hunters) Jaeger's the kind of guy who opposes any establishment, but really cares about his friends and would-be family. Finder's about how Jaeger impacts the people around him and how these people affect him, as well as him accepting his role on the world.
Planetary: I've been raving a lot about this, it just had to be somewhere. So it might as well be here. Planetary's a superhero comic, but it's not about superheroes per se. It doesn't follow characters like Peter Parker or Clark Kent. This is an story of the Archaelogists of the Impossible. They find the world's secret history and study it. Which basically means they find out about known pop culture main stays like Hulk or Sherlock Holmes and study them or alongside them, depending on the circumnstances. Planetary is about the glory of fiction, it's about saving things, both people and objects, for future generations. It has to be said that Cassaday really shines here. His art is nothing short of magnificent and the way he adjusts his style according to each story helps both towards maintaining a level of self-contained-ness per issue while boldening each story and making them into their own little epic which is part of a bigger puzzle. Couple this with some of the best Ellis' character work and you get one hell of a series. Seriously, Elijah Stone might be the best Century Baby character were it not because of...
The Authority: ...Jenny Sparks. Jenny Sparks is the leader of a team formed to fight off big threats and boy does she do it well. The Authority's real star, though, is not Warren Ellis, believe it or not. No, this Bryan Hitch's book through and through. Here, we see Hitch detail some of the biggest most impressive artwork and battles in the history of comics, while generating a whole new way of approaching comic book storytelling (Decompressing comics) which, of course, would become nothing short of stupid and overused later down the line, but hey, still magnificent baby.
Animal Man: Couldn't get away with a non-Morrison story. This is the story where Grant's love for meta storytelling shines through. Animal Man works so well because it's a boldly honest work where the author talks about things that matter to him without ever feeling preachy because Grant's just so honest about the way he treats his stories.
Top Ten: OK, this is another "Superhero comic that isn't really a superhero comic", much like Planetary. Remember what I said about Watchmen not being Alan Moore's magnum opus? It's because this is his best work, in my humble opinion. Top Ten is NYPD Blue set in a city where adventure is always happening and superheroes are all over.
Seeing as Juan already did all the superhero comics, I guess it's up to me to do all the other stuff.
Which I will do this Friday.
I'll add some stuff.
Hack/Slash: Hack/Slash for me is what I'd describe as pure id comic. It's basic premise is 'what if Buffy was a goth and fought slasher monsters instead of vampires'? The story revolves around Cassie Hack, mentally-maladjusted monster hunter. The thing about Hack/Slash is that it does actually do a really good job of portraying the sick sense of humor and brutality of slasher movies that makes them appealing with some down-to-earth character work and a healthy dose of black humor. It's not something I'd show to people to say 'No really, comics are serious grown up medium now' but it's the best kind of exploitation junk food.
Hitman: Another Ennis series which many people like better since being in the DC Universe forced him to reel down his shock value humor (though that still exists) The story is about Tommy Monaghan, professional Hitman who only kills bad people. After an accident, he gains telepathy and x-ray vision and decides to up his weight class and fight monsters and supervillains. It's a lot of fun as Ennis uses the setting to joke around with the superheroes (such as Tommy barfing bad Italian food on Batman) and some really cool ideas.
Hellboy: I like Hellboy. I like Hellboy, I love Hellboy, Hellboy is probably the most consistently great comic out there. It's at its core pretty simple. The son of the Devil fights nazi scientists and wizards in an homage to old pulp and noir stories. The execution is what kills it though. Mignola is a master of his craft and anything he draws is a joy to look at, and the cast of the BPRD are simple but genuinely charming and engaging. This comic isn't focusing on reinventing the wheel. It's focus is delivering the most solid product it can. And boy does it succeed.
Nextwave: It's like Shakespeare.... BUT WITH LOTS MORE PUNCHING! Nextwave is Warren Ellis' personal love letter to the wonderful inane world of the Nextwave team, members of H.A.T.E. (Higher Anti-Terrorism Effort) fighting... something. The plot is deliberately nonsensically complicated and serves only to push forward the dysfunctional characters and the gags and humor. It's probably the funniest comic I've ever read and it gave us a rebirth of the greatest monster hunter ever: Elsa Bloodstone. (Suck it Buffy!)
The Invisibles: Juan no Juaning. The Invisibles was part of a spell Grant Morrison had cast so he could get laid more. No really. In it, Grant Morrison makes himself 'King Mob' and sexual powerhouse and Superhero fighting off the threats of stasis and conformity... and then it gets weird. This is really the comic that shares a lot of Morrison's philosophical and metaphysical ideas, his views on anarchy, and the universe.
That's what I meant to adress with "How Jaeger affects the people around him", but I guess it wasn't clear.
>Nextwave
still need to find that
>The Invisibles
/me prepares rant
>Juan no Juaning
goddamint he said the words
/me flies out of the window.
UNTIL NEXT TIME, MALK RICHARDS *SHAKES FIST*
Shut up, I've got to emotionally abuse my wife and ignore my children while I invent things.
Man I need to read Fantastic Four 1234 sometime. That sounds like a hoot.
Or to put it into a way to make Juan leap on it like a starving cake addict out of fat camp, Morrison writes about the Fantastic Four where Doom built a machine that exaggerates their character flaws.
I like how Juan used to get on me for sucking Morrison's cock but now that's become his thing.
I thought I just used to get on you because of your love of The Invisibles.
Guaranteed awesome.
No it was a miniseries.
Fantastic Four have over 600 issues until they reach 1234.