My Long, (not exactly) Awaited Return to Comic Books.

There was a time when every Thursday would come around and I'd routinely go to the comic book shop to get those titles that I followed. Without fail I would pick up my favorites, which usually hovered around what artist was penciling them. Story was important, of course, but as an artist it was the art that I followed more closely.

Then college came around, and the city I moved to college for didn't offer a robust selection of comic book shops to visit. So while my interest in comics didn't waver, my updates did. Eventually, despite completing college and moving back to the Dallas area, comics just became something I didn't buy anymore. Yeah, sure, I'd keep up with what big events were going on, but nothing more.

Then I spotted a Lone Star Comics (you DFW residents may know what those are) near my work place. A comic books shop, a decent one at that, located right by my work place! Conveniently located in a place I'll always be near! I wouldn't even have to go out of my way! If this wasn't a sign from God Himself that it was time to get back into reading the finest form of literature, then I wouldn't know what is.

"But," I thought to myself, "What if they don't remember me? What if comic books have moved on from me? Is it too late to have a relationship again?! I don't even know what's good anymore!"

So here I am, asking the community for some good reading suggestions that also offer up large amounts of eye candy. But before just throwing them out there, let me at least inform you of what I don't want to bother with.

No ongoing series with no end in sight. I just can't take them anymore. I used to read Superman, X-Men, Flash, Gen X, and plenty of the monthly titles. But after a while, it got to be too soapish for me. Eventually they rewrite history too much, or ignore established character, or something. So, please, avoid suggesting them.

Yes, I will read collected paperbacks of big events. I do want to read Darkest Night. Or even one-shot stories from main titles.

No bad art. Could I be more obscure? Just as long as it looks like the artist has a good understanding of composition and human anatomy (or alien anatomy) and perspective, then I'll be ok with it. The more stylized they make it usually the more I'll like it. Ed McGuinness, Mike Mignola, Joe Madureira, etc; those were the kinds of artist I loved to see. I'm an artist, I needs my eye candies!

Also, if you're familiar with artist like Ashley Wood, Andrew Wilson, Alberto Ruiz-Diaz (or any of the artist that show up on his blog), then you might be able to guess artwork I'd like.

But art's so subjective, I won't hold it against you if we don't agree on it's quality.

No lame writing. This may seem subjective as well, but I'll at least outline some requirements. It can't ignore character - as in someone who's been acting one way suddenly acts another for no other reason that it was a deus ex machina. It can't ignore established plot points. And it helps if it's thought provoking. But I know they can't all be.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what's out there. Thanks in advance for any help you guys (and gals) can offer!

I just started getting back into comics myself, but Scarlet was the book that rekindled the interest.

I love the art and writing, but if you're looking for a more traditional cape and tights kind of thing, this ain't it.

Some of the stuff I have read over the past couple of years since I got back into comics and have loved:

1. Identity Crisis. Must read.

2. Green Lantern. I know you said no ongoing series but GL has, for the past couple of years, basically been one major event after another. It is easy (though probably not cheap) to catch up on in TPB and hardcover volumes. Everything from Rebirth on up to Blackest Night is great, and I'm now reading Brightest Day and enjoying that as well.

3. Moon Knight. There are now 5 or six (can't remember) volumes that collect the full run of the Moon Knight series. That series has ended, and the next steps in the character's journey are in a new series titled "Vengeance of the Moon Knight." The first volume of that is great too.

4. Kick A**. Brilliant story, great characters, Romita's art is as good as ever. I really wish the forums would let me type the full title.

5. 52. There's another thread about Infinite Crisis and 52 with some good advice and recommendations for reading there. http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=239022

In fact, check out this thread: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=238565 - some old, some new, but so far just about everything in there is good stuff (except maybe House of M... you can skip that one)

The new Batman Beyond mini series is shaping up to be a good read so far. Scott Pilgrim is also a fun ride as well.

Most comics series, if they have an end in sight, we don't know about it yet.

There are the usual miniseries that come along and have 3 to 6 issues, but there are quite a few of those, and kind of impossible to recommend without reading them beforehand. Ya just kinda gotta try 'em out when they release if the subject sparks your interest.

I'm in Arlington, TX, so I'm quite familiar with Lone Star. You can start a pull list with them for any amount, and they have an option to "include one-shots and miniseries" related to whatever ongoing series you're currently buying. So if you're buying Captain America, you'd also get his current miniseries, Captain America: Forever Allies. But again, that only works if you're buying an ongoing...

About the only series I can recommend that have definite endings but are longer than miniseries would maybe be Brian K. Vaughn's series. Y The Last Man is great and already concluded a few years ago at issue #60, and Ex Machina is about to conclude around the same issue number. I don't know if that is his usual M.O., but I can at least recommend both of those.

Artists that I particularly enjoy that may fit your criteria (Google if you like): Esad Ribic, Clayton Crain, Steve McNiven, Marko Djurdjevic, Gabrielle Dell'Otto, Ariel Olivetti... And many others I can't recall at the moment.

My personal favorites: Nova by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (completed (or at least on hiatus) formerly ongoing series), Iron Fist by Ed Brubaker (completed series), Invincible, The Walking Dead, Ex Machina, Powers (releases VERY sporadically, two or three "complete" volumes already), X-Factor (this may not pass your art requirements; it was really horrible when Larry Stroman was on the book, it's gotten better lately... But Peter David's writing makes it worthwhile), S.H.I.E.L.D. (recently began Jonathan Hickman book... Doubt they could make this into an indefinite ongoing, but only time will tell), Invincible Iron man (Eisner winner by Matt Fraction), Scarlet (only read two issues so far though), Irredeemable (I don't see how this could be an ongoing, but currently it's classified as such), Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine (VERY interested miniseries; Adam Kubert on art), Secret Avengers...

That should be more than enough of a starting point. Welcome back!

As for completed series:

"Y: The Last Man" - available in 10 TPBs. The story is that everything male (animals included) on the planet dies at the same time...except for one man. It's a great story and the art is pretty good IMHO.

"Preacher" - also available in 10 TPBs. The story is...well...browse through the first TPB at your comic shop. It's kind of hard to describe. But it is totally awesome.



I highly recommend "Irredeemable", from BOOM! Studios. It's written by Robert Kirkman and it kicks mucho derriere. The basic storyline is that the Superman-level hero - Plutonian - of the book's Earth, snaps one day and levels an entire city, killing 3.5 million people. And that's just where he starts. Oh, and did I mention that Plutonian has no known weakness, such as Kryptonite? The first issue starts out about 1 or 2 months after Plutonian started his rampage, and Plutonian's former teammates are desperately trying to stay alive and find some way to stop him.

Now, "Irredeemable" is an ongoing series, BUT it's set in its own universe. So there's no retcons or huge back-story to screw up. It's currently on issue 17, and the first 12 issues are currently in TPB with issues 13-16 due out in TPB soonish. I know you said no ongoing series, but this is soooo good that I had to mention it.

There's also a "companion" series called "Incorruptible", in which one of the world's greatest villains decides he's going to become a good guy. It's currently on issue 9, with the first 4 issues in TPB and the next 4 due out soon.

Irredeemeable is Mark Waid.

The various Astro City books are pretty much always good, and an interesting take on a superhero universe, as it more or less happens in "real time." The various stories and characters span entire generations of adventures, most of which are really only hinted at to the reader, while tweaking established archetypes of characters and stories already present in the genre in interesting ways.

PS238 is another series that plays with conventions of the superhero genre in a fun and clever way, but this time in the setting of a secret, underground elementary school for the children of superpowered folks. It is ongoing, but not monthly, so it shouldn't be too hard to catch up in trades and such. And the series' writer/artist is a CoH fan! (Unfortunately, the interior art is done in black-and-white/grayscale, but it's nice and cartoony while remaining internally consistent.)

If you haven't read it, I highly recommend Transmetropolitan. Completed series of 60 issues, vaguely cyberpunk/transhuman-ish setting. Essentially The Adventures of Hunter S. Thompson In The 23rd Century. The trade paperbacks are almost all out now.

If you liked MASKED (I'm reading it at the moment, myself, reading a chapter here and there in between volumes of Yotsuba& and Yokohama Kaidashi Kiko) then you might also wanna check out Soon I Will Be Invincible. A superhero novel, follows a rather traditional-style supervillain in his last bid for power.

I don't haven't read a huge amount of stuff, but from what I've read I'd recommend:

Astonishing X-men by Joss Whedon- Yes, Warren Ellis is currently continuing the series, but you can end with Whedon's last issue and be perfectly happy with it. Great story and I love John Cassaday's artwork, it was one of the reasons why I picked it up in the first place.

Runaways by Brian K. Vaughn- If you're looking for something shorter just grab the first volume (18 issues) because it's a completely self-contained story. If you want more, you can grab the rest of the issues by Vaughn, but the quality drops off a bit once he leaves.

I'd also recommend Invincible Iron Man with Matt Fraction, but it's currently ongoing and I don't necessarily see an end to it. It's got a great story though and is somewhat self-contained.

Planetary. Warren Ellis & John Cassaday. Top notch art & writing. I cannot possibly recommend this series highly enough.

Gah! I completely forgot about Planetary!!

I second that nomination. The series just wrapped a few months ago, and it's all very, very good.

I'd recommend "Rising Stars" from Top Cow. It's a 24-issue series, a pretty decent run and a relatively unique story. The plot sorta fell apart towards the end, but still... worth the read in my experience.

If you want comics with an end in sight...

Graphic Novels for western comics are where you're gonna look, not Comics

For comics, you want to look at TPB. This keeps you from worrying about the drama of on-going stories while still allowing you to read them.... all saves the trees and your time by putting several issues all in one neat package.

Other than that you can only look for limited series and not much else in the western market...

And also if you just like that a story is wrapped up, most modern comics from what I can see have 5-6 issue arcs which is something that is borrowed from manga ^.^

in Manga though... Almost every story has an end in site... They are always working towards an end goal, even Naruto, Bleach, Gantz, and other long running series that are something like 10 years on.

For self-contained story and art that resembles Ashley Woods' (kinda-sorta), I'd recommend Criminal Macabre by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith. You don't need to know anything about Cal McDonald or the world to jump right in; I didn't and did just fine, because Niles is riffing on hard-boiled detective tropes in a horror setting. I've only read one of the 30 Days of Night collections, but I enjoyed that, as well.

Also, one of the single best series of all time is 100 Bullets. The art is consistently amazing, and as the story goes along it becomes richer, deeper and, dare I say it, more depraved (but in a good way). I'd say it's prescient in its oblique discussions about power and the abuses thereof, but we've always had that problem, haven't we? Plus, it's a cool concept. Some of the stories I had to flip back a couple pages to re-read, thining to myself, "Did they really just DO that?!" It runs 100 issues, to a slam-bang finale.

Yeah it's happens man, Sadly do to money issue or a change in Location, but at the end we all go back to the Comic book Store, we always do.

It's because comic books are evil.

Excuse me, I have to go sacrifice a goat...

I like Fables, which I only read in collections. (In fact, I only read things in collections, period. I forget what's going on from month to month otherwise.) I believe they're up to collection #13. The first eleven are essentially subparts of one story, if you're looking for something manageable (I sympathize with this feeling, as well).