What comics would you recommend to someone who isn't into comics?

[TheMinxTail]

So there was a convention at my university today. Pretty small - one fairly decent-sized room and about a dozen stalls, and I only found out about it a couple of days in advance when I happened upon a poster in the building on campus. I got a couple of comics from the friendly stalls, mostly surprisingly old people (with even spread men and woman for those combating stereotypes of comicbook fans all being neckbeard-mouthbreathers), by which I literally mean two, while my sister picked up a bunch of the independants and subversively fished for a job as an artist; but we had fun either way, grabbed lunch, gave change to homeless man and immigrant-lady, and got our picture taken with the semi-officially best team of Star Wars cosplayers in the country (if I had been ballsier I'd have asked the Anakin cosplayer for a lend of his lightsaber and struck a dueling pose with Vader, possibly shouting that there could be only one despite lack of a photo's ability to convey sound). But I quite the trepidation with the stacks and stacks of comics there' ongoing continities are difficult if not impossible to get into, especially the popular comics like Batman, whose issues universally numbered in teh 400-somethings therein. Simply jumping in and only vaguely knowing half the characters from their place in popular culture would not suffice to give the proceedings context and emotional weight - and I imagine would often be rather incomprehensible for a non-fan (Heath Ledger is easily my favourite Joker - I've been playing Arkham Asylum and I find him aggresively unimposing by comparison)

So the gist of my inquiry to comic fans reading, is what issues or collections or graphic novels should I hunt down, either as stories of their own or as good ways to get into Iron Man or whatever your most recommended series is? So far, I've read Watchman and found it utterly delightful (or rather darker than black matter, but you know what I mean) - certainly above the standards of the few fragmented issues of Spiderman I picked up mid-story arc in my youth led me to believe was the standard of comic book writing - and artwork for that matter. Hell, it's part of what has inspired me to take up my craft, however mediocre, as a writer.

And to balance out the good impression I left with my appreciation of a near-universally beloved mini-series, you may wish to know that the comics I bought today were; an independantly produced 'adult humour' comic which promised to sell itself on (in both cover art and title) sexy female nazi vampires, picked up mostly as a joke gift for someone else, though I am rather disappointed to find that while the vampire-nazi bit is the best drawn and best written bit of the comic, it only composes four pages. Essentially the equivalent of the first minute of some ridiculous but perhaps fun exploitation movie wherein Churchill and an army officer brainwash a nazi vampire to the british side (sounds like something out of Cinema Snob or an Ed Wood movie), and I don't even know if it would be be continued, but at £3 an issue, **** it, really.

The other was Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness. Because insert Bruce Campbell joke here.

Thanks!

tl;dr - I read Watchman a couple of years back and want to get into comics; what should I read next?

EDIT: Excuse spelling - I type really fast and generally have a well tuned auto-correct to compensate for it, because as one should remember, these things were historically designed to be used slowly (so the keys on typewriters wouldn't jam, the flimsy pieces of ****, one of whcih I happened to see today on my way back from the convention - CONSPIRACY? Must be Obama's/Zombie-Reagan's fault, trying to keep unpublished Scottish authors down... somehow.)

[WalkingTarget]

There are plenty of comic series that have no connection to other titles and/or are self-contained stories and require no additional info. Watchmen is one of these. Are you settled on superhero comics? I have more suggestions if that's not a requirement.

My standard "comic for non-comic fans" is actually Strangers in Paradise by Terry Moore. It's about relationships, for the most part (I mean, there's plot and stuff, but it's more of a vehicle to push the characters emotionally than action for its own sake). There's something like 106 issues total, but you can get them in a variety of collected editions.

Transmetropolitan - Hunter S. Thompson meets cyberpunk. 60 issues across 10 trade paperbacks.

Midnight Nation - man has his soul stolen, has to make it to New York (from California, on foot, within a year) to get it back. Some thematic similarities to Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. 12 issues (one trade paperback)

Other Alan Moore projects: V for Vendetta, From Hell, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I enjoy all of them, only the League has anything like continuity references, but with Victorian literature instead of other comics.

Neil Gaiman's Sandman books are technically part of the mainstream DC universe, but the continuity references are either very obvious or are not really necessary for the enjoyment of the story.

Edit - something you could look into if you're playing through the Arkham Asylum game is to pick up Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth. The game took a lot of thematic elements from it.

[Gnoman]

I'd suggest some of the self contained alternate-universe story arcs for established characters, such as Superman: Red Son.

[TheMinxTail]

I'd suggest some of the self contained alternate-universe story arcs for established characters, such as Superman: Red Son.

Isn't that the one where he's working for the Soviets or something? (I watch internet personality Linkara's comic review show AT4W from time to time and think I heard it mentioned once.)

[Gnoman]

Yeah, that's the one where he crashed into a Ukranian collective farm instead of Kansas.

[TheMinxTail]

There are plenty of comic series that have no connection to other titles and/or are self-contained stories and require no additional info. Watchmen is one of these. Are you settled on superhero comics? I have more suggestions if that's not a requirement.

My standard "comic for non-comic fans" is actually Strangers in Paradise by Terry Moore. It's about relationships, for the most part (I mean, there's plot and stuff, but it's more of a vehicle to push the characters emotionally than action for its own sake). There's something like 106 issues total, but you can get them in a variety of collected editions.

Transmetropolitan - Hunter S. Thompson meets cyberpunk. 60 issues across 10 trade paperbacks.

Midnight Nation - man has his soul stolen, has to make it to New York (from California, on foot, within a year) to get it back. Some thematic similarities to Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. 12 issues (one trade paperback)

Other Alan Moore projects: V for Vendetta, From Hell, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I enjoy all of them, only the League has anything like continuity references, but with Victorian literature instead of other comics.

Neil Gaiman's Sandman books are technically part of the mainstream DC universe, but the continuity references are either very obvious or are not really necessary for the enjoyment of the story.

Edit - something you could look into if you're playing through the Arkham Asylum game is to pick up Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth. The game took a lot of thematic elements from it.

Hunter S. Thompson you say? I'm basically sold there. I've been meaning to watch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas for a while now, but my copy didn't have subtitles, and since the main characters either had an accent unfamiliar to my British pallete or something in their mouth when deliveirng there lines, I couldn't understand what was said and had to hold off.

As for Superhero comics, I'm all for them - to some extent. I've heard there are some series specifically crafted to hook in new fans, I'm just looking for them too. Actually, I always thought it was silly how most of the DC comics take place in the same universe. I mean, I run a weird ship with my stories' incredibly expansive continuity (encapsulating 100,000 years of fantasy setting and at least one parrallel dimension strongly resembling earth as we know it), but playing Arkham Asylum, the very thought that red-pants-blue spandex-lack-of-stupidity-rendering-disguise-glasses Superman, with his world shattering strength and supernatural backstory - that alone would permanently snap all tension and suspension of disbelief.

But yeah, excuse the rant, I'll take whatever is good, Superheroes and non-Superheroes

[TheMinxTail]

Yeah, that's the one where he crashed into a Ukranian collective farm instead of Kansas.

That was Kansas he crashed into? Being British and therefore ignorant of the exact geopgraphy of the behemoth that is the USA, I know of that place by only one movie... perhaps that tornado that scooped up Dorothy's house was an aftereffect of Sup's flying so fast it reversed time! (I'm in a fairly prestigious physics department and even my big time Doctor Who/Star Trek fan of a Quantum Mechanics teacher wouldn't have much in the way of an answer to that. Though if I'm ever drunk enough maybe I'll actually ask him.)

[TheMinxTail]

Shameless bump.

Anyone got ideas for comics for newbs?

[Frozen_Feet]

Hägar the Horrible (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A4gar_the_Horrible)
Beetle Bailey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beetle_Bailey)
Peanuts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanuts)
Calvin & Hobbes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_%26_hobbes)
Garfield (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfield)
Asterix (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterix)
Moomin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moomin)
Yoko Tsuno (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoko_Tsuno)
Spirou et Fantasio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirou_et_Fantasio)
Lucky Luke (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Luke)
Ranma ½ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranma_%C2%BD)
Dragon Ball (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_ball)
Fullmetal Alchemist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullmetal_Alchemist)
Yotsuba& (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yotsuba%26!)
One Piece (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Piece)

Well, those are the things I read as a kid. I could go on listing, but a) I'm not sure if you could get your hands on obscure Finnish comics like "Väinämöisen Paluu" or "Praedor" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petri_Hiltunen) and b) likes of "Inspector Canardo" or "Omaha the Cat Dancer" might contain material that isn't exactly newbie friendly.

[WalkingTarget]

Shameless bump.
Well, first off (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/announcement.php?a=1) *coughminorspamcough*

Anyone got ideas for comics for newbs?

Another that I liked quite a bit is the Jack Knight iteration of DC's Starman written by James Robinson which ran from 1994 through 2001.

The comic is about the son of a golden-age (i.e. 1930s-50s) superhero who picks up the job really reluctantly (he develops a kind of costume, but out of street clothes - he doesn't go in for spandex). Rather than just gloss over the 50+years of continuity, they really play with it and embrace it - wacky silver-age stories and all. I had never read anything involving the previous Starman characters, but never really felt like I was missing things since Jack has to learn what's going on too. There are the occasional cameos from other DC heroes, but they're generally the big-name guys.

[Lurkmoar]

I liked All Star Superman.

[WalkingTarget]

Oh, and the Ultimate line of Marvel comics tends to be a little easier to get started with.

They've been running since 2000, but with a lot fewer titles to keep track of. They take a lot of the "classic" Marvel storylines and update/compress them in a grittier, modern setting. Whether this is a good thing or not depends on the reader (and the writers of individual stories, honestly), but the shorter continuity makes it easier to jump in.

They might even work to get you a vague idea of the "official" continuity characters - at least somewhat, they change a lot of traits (which, again, really annoys fans of the mainstream continuity).

[Yora]

I also really like Sandman and Calvin & Hobbes.

Two other great comics are Monster and Uzumaki. Yes, they are written by Japanese men, but that doesn't mean they are Pokemon.
Both are quite heavyweights though. Monster is a very complex story about a neurosurgeon hunting a serial killer whose life was once saved by him and is doing a Joker-like plot to turn the surgeon to the dark side. It's probably one of the best comics, but not easy fare. But if you liked watchman, it might be something for you.
Uzumaki is just plain weird. I've read it because I wondered how a horror comic is supposed to work. And pretty soon I realized: It does. Very well! :smallbiggrin:
I'd compare it to Stephen King novels, though probably more weird and a lot better.

[WitchSlayer]

That was Kansas he crashed into? Being British and therefore ignorant of the exact geopgraphy of the behemoth that is the USA, I know of that place by only one movie... perhaps that tornado that scooped up Dorothy's house was an aftereffect of Sup's flying so fast it reversed time! (I'm in a fairly prestigious physics department and even my big time Doctor Who/Star Trek fan of a Quantum Mechanics teacher wouldn't have much in the way of an answer to that. Though if I'm ever drunk enough maybe I'll actually ask him.)

I still say because he was going backwards in time it appeared as if the world was rotating backwards.

[Lord.Sorasen]

Is it not cool to like Craig Thompson? I really like Craig Thompson so I'll say it anyway. Goodbye Chunky Rice is really nice for people who don't like the standard comic book, and Blankets is pretty popular last time I checked.

If you want more superhero type things, Darkest Night is all sorts of cool.

[Frozen_Feet]

If you want more superhero things, try "Empowered" by Adam Warren. :smallwink:

[WalkingTarget]

and Blankets is pretty popular last time I checked..

I enjoyed Blankets quite a bit - it's a memoir, though, so fair warning. If that's acceptable, Persepolis was also a good one.

[Green-Shirt Q]

My top five recommendations to get into comics are:


5. Cable and Deadpool (an awesome, hilarious, and surprisingly deep tale with bible references, black humour, action, philosophy, politics and 4th-wall breaking. Has a LOT of references to the Marvel universe and nearly EVERY. SINGLE. MARVEL CREATION makes an apperence, but I didn't find it hurt the accessibility of the story too much. You may need to look up one or two things on Wikipedia to understand if fully while reading, but still awesome enough to make up for that.)

4. Blackest Night (it is a company crisis crossover but just ignore all the weird DC universe continuity stuff and read on. It's really easy to get into, as I've proven by giving it to my friends for Christmas who were not previously big into comics)

3. I would put Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness at this spot, but since you've read that already I instead recommend Howard the Duck: Media Duckling (the story is like a cross between Donald Duck, South Park and Family Guy, but set in the Marvel universe. Surprisingly entertaining and pretty simple and self contained, sans a reference to Civil War once or twice.)

2. Batman: The Killing Joke (a pretty simple, self contained story about Batman and the Joker. Is cited as being Heath's inspiration for his portrayal of the Joker. I don't know how true that exactly but I wouldn't be too surprised. One of my favourites. OH! And written by the same dude who wrote Watchmen, so there's another plus. One of the best Batman stories ever written.)

1. Superman: Red Son (an alternate universe where Superman is Russian and a communist, but still manages to encapsulate EVERYTHING awesome about Superman. A must read for anybody who wants to get into the character, comics, or just wants a good story without any backstory. Also has a lot of in-jokes about silly Superman stuff that should be pretty easy to spot, like a joke about how Clark Kent's glasses are a stupid disguise. Very great story)

Mind you, I don't recommend them in the order of quality. None of these are in my top 5 favourite comics EVER, and I highly regard Cable and Deadpool and Blackest Night far better then Howard The Duck: Media Duckling. I put them lower on the list because of their continuity and relationships to other series.

[Soras Teva Gee]

If you want to get into the standard DC/Marvel comics then I would say don't worry about what everyone always says about continuity and the like. Find a steady source of comics and just dive in. Yes you will be confused for a bit, there simply isn't a way to avoid this but participation is the cure. Sooner or later a new arc will start where it gets easier. Then just google up character backstories when someone you don't know appears.

In short don't worry just go with it. (Also it may be impolite but read a bit of it before you buy)

Now then some more specific recommendations in no particular order:

Geoff Johns- One of DC's big name writers for the past few years. I wholeheartedly recommend just about everything he writes. He has a talent for touching things and turning them into awesome. Loves to revamp histories so he's easy to follow because he will tell you everything you really need to know for the story. Has been making awesome out of Green Lantern since Green Lantern: Rebirth following with the massively awesome Sinestro Corps War and the almost as awesome Blackest Night along with lots of stuff inbetween. Also has written a lot of Superman in the past few years

Captain America- Under writer Ed Brubaker specifically. Under Brubaker this comic has committed absolute heresy and been praised for it. By a the demographic that puts the unpleasable in unpleasable fanbase. Does require some back reading to at least the Winter Soldier arc, but all available in trade paperback form.

Annihilation- A self contained event from a few years back. From Marvel and featuring a bunch of their underutilized "cosmic" heroes in a story about a massive war in space. A sci-fi military superhero hybrid by Dan Abnett. Spawned a whole bunch of sequel material too.

52- DC Comics most interesting and successful experiment in recent memory. After the Infinite Crisis event Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are all out of the action. Supes is temporarily depowered, Bats and Diana are off on introspective sabbaticals. Most of DC comics at this point skipped forward a year (in continuity) giving them a chance to change their status quo and otherwise do new things. However what happened in the 52 weeks between then, how did the world cope without its biggest heroes in play? 52 is that story, told in "real time" with each issue covering one week of events. Its split between four writers and has a huge ensemble cast of generally second stringers in stories that only occasionally intersect. Its like following comics as a whole, but in miniature and way more satisfying for it.

Kingdom Come- The antithesis of Watchmen. With some of the best artwork ever put to print. Required reading.

Vertigo Comics- A specific brand of comics DC created in the wake of Watchmen and Alan Moore to support writing that is more mature, weird, or otherwise not in the traditional mold for comics. In practice this means a lot of dark and/or artsy stories about with an occult/magical background. Probably written by a Brit too. Originally published mostly ongoing series, most notably Hellblazer and the Sandman, now it puts out more stand alone limit series. Used to be nominally in the same DCU but the two labels never interacted more then the occasional shared character. Now they are almost totally divorced now.

The Sandman- The epic of Dream of the Endless, Prince of Stories, reigning deity at TvTropes, and other such titles. And his various associates and dysfunctional family of siblings. Neil Gaiman's magnum opus and something I recommend everyone read. Even if they never read any other comic ever.

NeXtwave- An utterly ridiculous and ridiculously fun romp satirizing comics as a whole. So good that its is forcibly pulled into being canon whenever one of its "heroes" shows up somewhere else, despite most of them having been derailed in the comic for the lulz. Also stuff explodes.

[Eldan]

And for everyone who liked the Sandman, Lucifer. It's a kind-off sequel. Not written by Gaiman, but still great. Follows the events after the Prince of Hell throws down the towel, quits hell, goes on vacation, opens a nightclub... and from there it goes epic. New universes are created. Mythological armies clash. Gods are killed. Worlds end. Hell is reformed. Children die.

[JabberwockySupafly]

Neil Gaiman's The Sandman has been mentioned, but I will also agree this is a good place for a person who is new to comics. It's fairly dramatic and really nothing like superhero fare, but it's the modern equivalent to a faerie tale. Fantastic stuff.


Hellboy is another good one. Only 8 or so collected volumes, and they're damned good reads. Awesome story, relatively interesting premise (the key to Armageddon ends up working for the good guys) and some of the best writing and (in my opinion) art in recent comic history.


The Goon. One part Sam Raimi's Evil Dead Trilogy, one part H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, one part 1940's Gangster Noir, and one part Monty Python's Flying Circus. Eric Powell mixes his beautiful art work with one of the funniest, freakiest, and ingenious concepts I've heard of in a while. There's a reason this series keeps winning award after award.

Alan Moore's been mentioned a few times, but I find his run on Swamp Thing to be some of his best work. He took what was essentially a bit-player movie monster character, and turned him into something greater than most could imagine. It also introduced one of my favourite comic book characters, John Constantine.

And last, but certinaly far from least, is Locke & Key. Written by current acclaimed horror author Joe Hill (he's Stephen King's son, and he was being lauded as the next big thing in horror before people even knew they were related) and art by Gabriel Rodriguez, this is a supernatural horror comic that makes you want to stop reading just as much as it has you turning the page out of morbid curiosity and the compulsion to drink in more of Rodriguez's stunning visuals. This is currently my favourite graphic novel series and I'm positively chomping at the bit for the next collection to come out. Trying to explain Locke & Key to someone instead of just telling them "Read it. It's awesome." is usually a bad idea, since it's incredibly difficult to explain why it's utterly amazing wihout spoiling a fair bit of it.

[Mikhailangelo]

Batman - The Long Halloween is excellent, it allowed me to convince my girlfriend to get into reading Batman :P

[Robert Blackletter]

Good starter comics:

Preacher (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preacher_%28comics%29): Very good, well written comic with characters you will love, not connected (as far as i know) to any particular comic-verse but very anti-religious and a lot of bad languages

Y the last man (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y:_The_Last_Man) My favourite, its about the only man to survive the death of every male mammal (barring his own pet monkey) on Earth. Its complex, deep and an awesome read, it one of the comics I use when debating (with friends) on comics place in the class room.

the walking dead (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walking_Dead) Very well done, good plot and different enough from the t.v show that it still worth ereading (or watching in my case, read the comics first)

Ex Machina (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_Machina_%28comics%29) What happen when the only super hero is elected major of New York

Also seconding The Sandman, Monster, V for Vendetta, From Hell and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

[Aidan305]

I'll throw Fables in to the ring. Essentially it's about a group of fairytale characters who fled fairyland and now live in New York.

[H Birchgrove]

Sin City by Frank Miller, to those who liked the film.

[Gift Jeraff]

I highly recommend Atomic Robo to anyone and everyone. Free comics can be found here (http://www.atomic-robo.com/free-comics/).

[Devonix]

Is it not cool to like Craig Thompson? I really like Craig Thompson so I'll say it anyway. Goodbye Chunky Rice is really nice for people who don't like the standard comic book, and Blankets is pretty popular last time I checked.

If you want more superhero type things, Darkest Night is all sorts of cool.

Richard Donner said thats what was actually happening. He was traveling around the planet to build up enough speed to go FTL and once he broke the lightspeed barrier he began traveling backwards in time. We were simply seeing his journey back in the timestream the earth wasn't really spinning backwards.

All Star Superman i s a great standalone series 12 issues collected in two trades.



Just stay as far away as possible from All Star Batman

[ThePhantasm]

Just stay as far away as possible from All Star Batman

Quoted for truth.

[TheMinxTail]

Hägar the Horrible (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A4gar_the_Horrible)
Beetle Bailey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beetle_Bailey)
Peanuts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanuts)
Calvin & Hobbes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_%26_hobbes)
Garfield (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfield)
Asterix (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterix)
Moomin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moomin)
Yoko Tsuno (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoko_Tsuno)
Spirou et Fantasio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirou_et_Fantasio)
Lucky Luke (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Luke)
Ranma ½ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranma_%C2%BD)
Dragon Ball (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_ball)
Fullmetal Alchemist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fullmetal_Alchemist)
Yotsuba& (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yotsuba%26!)
One Piece (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Piece)

Well, those are the things I read as a kid. I could go on listing, but a) I'm not sure if you could get your hands on obscure Finnish comics like "Väinämöisen Paluu" or "Praedor" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petri_Hiltunen) and b) likes of "Inspector Canardo" or "Omaha the Cat Dancer" might contain material that isn't exactly newbie friendly.

I have seen the anime adaption of One Piece (really don't like the recent arcs), Ranma 1/2 (weird ending), most of Dragonball and the original Fullmetal Alchemist anime. Haven't seen Brotherhood all the way yet. Actually, I'm not a fan of the manga in general - not because of the manga itself but more the context, ie distribution in the UK is goddamn terrible, and the weird standard of no colouring makes some manga like One Piece really cluttered. But they are good, and I'll check out the others, thanks.

[TheMinxTail]

I highly recommend Atomic Robo to anyone and everyone. Free comics can be found here (http://www.atomic-robo.com/free-comics/).

Oh, Atomic Robo! I totally forgot about that guy, how could I! Man, I loved 8-bit theatre...

[TheMinxTail]

Good starter comics:

Preacher (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preacher_%28comics%29): Very good, well written comic with characters you will love, not connected (as far as i know) to any particular comic-verse but very anti-religious and a lot of bad languages

Y the last man (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y:_The_Last_Man) My favourite, its about the only man to survive the death of every male mammal (barring his own pet monkey) on Earth. Its complex, deep and an awesome read, it one of the comics I use when debating (with friends) on comics place in the class room.

the walking dead (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walking_Dead) Very well done, good plot and different enough from the t.v show that it still worth ereading (or watching in my case, read the comics first)

Ex Machina (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_Machina_%28comics%29) What happen when the only super hero is elected major of New York

Also seconding The Sandman, Monster, V for Vendetta, From Hell and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

I've heard about Preacher - I actually saw some of it at the comic con the other day. Bad language and offensive overtones have never been one to throw me off a story (one of my favourite films is A Clockwork Orange)

[TheMinxTail]

I still say because he was going backwards in time it appeared as if the world was rotating backwards.

That's what the man wants you to think. Also, as far as forces go, gravity isn't so intense so as to... ah, dammit, it's past midnight, I shouldn't have to explain how stupid it was.

[TheMinxTail]

Kingdom Come- The antithesis of Watchmen. With some of the best artwork ever put to print. Required reading.

If it's the antithesis to Watchmen, doesn't that mean it would be exceptionally bad? (it is at this point that a shocked looking zen monk offs himself, having reached Nirvana through a single notion). Anyway, if it warranted a bold font, I guess I'll read up on it.

[Knaight]

The high art stuff:

Persepolis: It is an autobiographical story about a girl who grew up amidst revolutionary Iran, and powerfully written. It also has a very unique art style that works incredibly well for it, seen below.
http://www.sidewalklyrics.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/persepolis2.jpg

Maus: Its an examination of concentration camps in Nazi Germany, and semi biographical to boot. Everyone should read this at some point or other.

The low art stuff:

Hedge Knight: Marvel took George R. R. Martin's Dunk and Egg stories and made graphic novels out of them. The writing is solid, the setting extremely good, and the art quite likeable, though it takes getting used to, as seen below.
http://www.longbox.net/catalog/hedgeknightiitpswornsword.jpg

[WalkingTarget]

If it's the antithesis to Watchmen, doesn't that mean it would be exceptionally bad? (it is at this point that a shocked looking zen monk offs himself, having reached Nirvana through a single notion). Anyway, if it warranted a bold font, I guess I'll read up on it.

Where Watchmen was a deconstruction of superheroes, exploring what kind of person would actually put on a silly costume to fight crime, Kingdom Come is a "what if?" story about the future of the DC universe where the number of metahumans has reached a critical mass such that normal society can't handle it anymore. It uses quite a bit of imagery from Revelations. It's also illustrated by Alex Ross and is generally beautiful. It's one of my favorite superhero stories.

A downside as a recommendation for beginners is that there are a lot of characters in it that won't be familiar to people who aren't regular readers. It's still a good story, but that aspect of it would be lost on newbs.

Edit - also, that image from Persepolis looks like it's from the film (the comic is black and white, no gray), but it's a similar art style.

[Knaight]

Edit - also, that image from Persepolis looks like it's from the film (the comic is black and white, no gray), but it's a similar art style.

It is, I couldn't find an image from the comic without a whole bunch of text from the middle somewhere. However, it does look like that, if not exactly so.

[grimbold]

any uncanny X men is good

[chiasaur11]

I'm recommending BLOM's stuff here.

Not, as you may expect, Scott Pilgrim (although it is great and well worth a look to see if you dig for anyone) but for Lost at Sea.

Got a unique tone.

Of course, I'd start with McCloud's "Understanding Comics". Pitch perfect primer.

[drakir_nosslin]

Sandman, Lucifer, The Walking Dead and Midnight Nation are all definitely worth reading. If you like manga, Rurouni Kenshin is also a good read.

[Blayze]

Nextwave, without hestitation. Forget all the melodrama-filled and over-complicated plots and about fourteen different Wolverines running around at once--Nextwave is about blatantly over-the-top characters punching each other and exploding.

[dehro]

I'd suggest the 2 volumes ww2 tale of "maus" by art spiegelman..a bit of a must in it's genre.
definitely lucky luke and asterix for laughs
on the adult side of things, milo manara is fairly well known and I would think easy to come by.
I'm not into marvel/dc etc etc superhero stuff so I can't help you there.. but I would suggest that if you are looking for alternatives to that, you look up italian comics and south american (especially paraguayan/argentinian, I'm thinking about the author Robin Wood for instance)..
as for the italian, such titles as Nathan Never and Dylan Dog come to mind..I know for certain the latter was distributed in the states..not sure about the first one.

[Asthix]

They're impossible to find, but the two I have that I'd reccommend are Trencher and Hieroglyph. Both very arty and low on story.

[Knaight]

The Tintin Series is worth reading, simply because it both codified a great many genre conventions (speech bubbles), and because it acts as kiddified pulp and is intriguing as a result.