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Looking To Read Some New Books

Started by Figure Fan, January 02, 2009, 03:27:40 AM

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Figure Fan

Okay guys,

I'm looking to get some new reading material, but I don't really know what's good and I'm not into the idea of plopping down a bunch of cash on books in order to find out. You guys seem to be in the know when it comes to comics, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

I'm mostly into the idea of buying trades and not so much monthly issues. So far, I'm really interested in reading Transmetropolitan. Have any of you read it?

Other than that, I'm open to suggestion. My favorite book is Watchmen, so it's safe to say I like stories that start and end without requiring any additional reading. I'm not tied down to the big two, either, so feel free to suggest beyond them.

Okay, I guess that's all for now. If you need any more info from me, feel free to ask. :-)

Gremlin

Transmetropolitan is stellar. I loved 95% of that comic. Sometimes Ellis kinda just rants, but it fits Spider's character so I forgive him.  In a similar vein, check out Preacher. I haven't finished the series yet, but what I have read is fascinating, messed up, hideously offensive and wonderful.

zuludelta

#2
Some suggestions (all of them available in trade format for your convenience):

- Transmetropolitan (DC/Vertigo Comics): have to agree with Gremlin that Ellis gets a little rant-y at times with his writing, but it's still an okay read, and the whole series has been available in trades for a couple of years now. It's not a superhero book, though, in case you're wondering... it's more of a Hunter S. Thompson-meets-Blade Runner deal.

- Preacher (DC/Vertigo Comics): what Gremlin said... one of my personal favourites but again, not strictly superhero stuff and if your religious/moral sensibilities are easily offended, you might be better off avoiding it. It drags a bit during the last quarter of the series and I think the first 40 issues or so of the book are the most solid parts, but I think it's also a matter of pacing... Garth Ennis wasn't writing ostensibly for the trade paperback format (DC hadn't bought into the whole TPB collection thing back then) so it does get a bit uneven towards the end.

- The Punisher (Marvel MAX version, not the "regular" Marvel version): The first 60 issues written by Garth "Preacher" Ennis is, in my mind, one of the most consistently well-written crime comics of the past 2 decades. Forget what you know about the "superhero" Punisher... this is hard-boiled modern noir with a lot of jabs at the commercialization and commodization of warfare on the side. The entirety of Ennis' run is available in TPB form and any well-stocked library should have them. You can also pick up The Punisher: Born and The Punisher: The End. which serve as complementary bookends to Ennis' Punisher work. You should probably avoid anything past the 60th issue, though, as Ennis' replacement, while certainly a capable writer, just doesn't seem to have a good handle on the character, at least from what I've read.   

- The Other Side (DC/Vertigo Comics): A poignant but nonetheless brutal look at the Vietnam War through the eyes of a young American GI and a North Vietnamese Army recruit. Coincidentally written by the much-younger cousin of Gustav Hasford (the guy who wrote the 1979 novel The Short Timers, which got adapted into the award-winning Vietnam War film Full Metal Jacket).

- Four Women (DC/Homage Comics): Something of a tough sell, even for a Sam Kieth fan like myself, but it's an interesting read if you can get into what Kieth's trying to do. It details the stories of four female friends and how they cope with the aftereffects of one of their number getting sexually assaulted. Very heavy stuff and a tad depressing, but it's really a development of the themes Kieth was cultivating in his earlier and much more popular Image Comics work The Maxx and Friends of Maxx -- survivor guilt, inadequate coping mechanisms among the Gen-X set, emotional insularity among even the best of friends, etc.     
Art is the expression of truth without violence.

The Enigma

If you're a Watchmen fan and haven't read V for Vendetta yet, you owe yourself that much. If you enjoy that and feel up to tackling the length and putting in the effort required, From Hell is also required reading for Moore's work. Transmet is fantastic, mostly because Spider Jerusalem is a fantastic character, although fairly long and occasionally slightly disconnected (that may be deliberate). If you read and enjoy that, Doktor Sleepless is Ellis writing in a very similar world, although with a kind of similar character and is ongoing at the moment (the first trade came out not so long ago).
Er, Sandman is another comic literary touchstone and combines the standard mature Vertigo themes with an imagination and flair for worldbuilding on par with literary greats like Tolkein and C.S. Lewis. Neil Gaiman writes one hell of a story, although like all the best stories, he doesn't quite get into the swing of it for a short while. If you enjoy that, Bill Willingham's Fables takes your standard fairytale characters and reimagines them living in essentially a ghetto in New York. His political view (which does come across occasionally) is not mine, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the series immensely. Like Gaiman, it really picks up when the camera pans out and we start to see the depth of the world in his imagination (and the fact that the characters exist in our heads already means there is a bit less exposition. It may be turning into a tv series near you soon. Jack of Fables, the spin-off series, is also top quality for a spin-off and has its own voice and style whilst still using the familiar characters. Both series are ongoing.
Finally, Brian K. Vaughn's Y: The Last Man is one of the best-written comics I've read in recent years. It's funny, tragic and everything in between. The end was not perfect, but has its own charm. If you need any more information about this or other stuff, just ask me or Wikipedia.
The Enigma skin by Juancho, thanks Jay. Fate skin by Kitt Basher, thanks Kitt. Microhero by Reepicheep, thanks Reep. Fate smiley by Paradox. RIP dude.

BentonGrey

The only thing I can really recommend is Atomic Robo.  It's tons of fun, with great art, and the beginnings of a really interesting setting.
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
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Figure Fan

Thanks guys.

I'm definitely going to be checking out Sandman and Transmetropolitan. I should pick up the book version of V for Vendetta, too. I'll look into Preacher as well.

If anyone else has any suggestions, please post them.

murs47


AfghanAnt


Talavar

Here's secondings for Sandman, Punisher MAX, Y the Last Man, Fables & Ex Machina - all great reads.  Preacher has its moments, but for me it was somewhat hit & miss.  Of these, Sandman, Y the Last Man, & Ex Machina have self-contained stories with a definite conclusion (Ex Machina ends this year  :( ).  Punisher MAX doesn't tie in with any of the standard Marvel Universe, and Fables is stand alone as well (it just doesn't have any ending thus far).

Astro City is great, and if you're looking for trades, it's good because single issues come out pretty sporadically.  Also self-contained with no ties to other books or events.

Hellboy & the BPRD never fail to entertain (me at least), and if you only know the character from the films, aren't that similar.  Their stories are ongoing, but in a related mini-series sort of way, neither are a consistent ongoing book.

The Enigma

Quote from: AfghanAnt on January 03, 2009, 04:28:09 AM
Planetary.

Ooh, yes. Very solid and apparently finally getting the closure we all want at last. If you're a fan of pulp superheroics, The Authority or Ellis' other superhero work, do pick it up. I think it's worth reading Crossing Worlds for the Batman story alone. What else? I really loved The Invisibles, which is short and self-contained in 7 trades, but I think you need a bit more exposure to Morrison's other work first. Doom Patrol and Animal Man (also both short and, at least in terms of Morrison's run, self-contained) are nice ways in. We3 also sets up the government as evil and invested in black ops-type projects thing too. Doom Patrol is good, although occasionally a bit weird for the sake of it to my mind. Animal Man is very good and has the most sublime ending, which I just loved. The Invisibles really opened my mind and is worth reading for that alone. I admittedly became quite paranoid about the nature of control and things like that; there were even a few days when I simply refused to look at the sun. Anything capable of fundamentally changing how you see the universe is well worth the (relatively) short time it would take to read it. If that grabs you, The Filth and Flex Mentallo are interesting companion pieces, especially the former. Anyway, I think this thread is generally a good place to discuss what we all love and why and for me to come when I finally scrape enough money together to finish buying Preacher.
The Enigma skin by Juancho, thanks Jay. Fate skin by Kitt Basher, thanks Kitt. Microhero by Reepicheep, thanks Reep. Fate smiley by Paradox. RIP dude.