Can you suggest some comic books in trade paperback based on what I have already read and enjoyed?

November 16, 2008 4:19 PM

Can you suggest some comic books in trade paperback based on what I have already read and enjoyed?

Before I'm pummeled with links to this Ask MeFi thread, I've already read it and am looking for more personalized recommendations based on MY tastes

I've recently started to delve into comics. Here's a list of what I've already read and liked:

- Watchmen
- The Dark Knight Returns
- League of Extordinary Gentlemen
- Invincible
- Y: The Last Man
- World War Hulk
- The Ultimates
- Ultimate X-Men
- Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps
- Marvel Zombies
- The Goon

My tastes tend to be a little eclectic. I love the superhero stuff, especially Hulk and Invincible. But I also LOVE Y and The Goon. I prefer to read things I can get in trade paperbacks. Ok Hive, hit me with your best suggestions!

posted by DrDreidel to media & arts (19 comments total)

Planetary
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:24 PM on November 16, 2008

Mike Mignola's Hellboy series and its spinoffs. Red 5's Atomic Robo. Matt Fraction's run on Punisher War Journal.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 4:30 PM on November 16, 2008

Preacher
posted by schyler523 at 4:33 PM on November 16, 2008

Also, they're not in TPB yet, but if you dug the Iron Man movie, you'll probably like Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas and the ongoing Invincible Iron Man series.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 4:36 PM on November 16, 2008

I recommend:

Sandman (Everyone recommends it, but there's a reason for that.)

Batman: Year One (Especially if you liked Dark Knight)

Kingdom Come (A gritty future extrapolation of the DC universe with gorgeous painted artwork)

Powers (It's got superheroes, but it's mostly crime stories.)

Anything else from the first few years of the Marvel Ultimate universe (especially Ultimate Spider-Man) (Actually, I hated the Ultimate X-Men stuff, so we'll disagree there)

1602 (Alternate Marvel history where the characters of the Marvel universe begin appearing in the 1600's for reasons that take a long time to become clear.

Upon preview: I also enjoyed Hellboy, though I don't know if you will. It's different from most of the stuff you mentioned.
posted by ErWenn at 4:38 PM on November 16, 2008

Kingdom Come
The New Frontier
Arkham Asylum
posted by SPrintF at 4:41 PM on November 16, 2008

The 30 Days of Night series. A bunch of vampires get the idea to head north of the Arctic Circle and terrorize an Alaskan town. Amazing, unique art by Ben Templesmith, who has done some other great stuff, if you like 30 Days -- particularly Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse.
posted by Rock Steady at 4:51 PM on November 16, 2008

Better link for Wormwood (watch the video).
posted by Rock Steady at 4:54 PM on November 16, 2008

From what you've read and liked before, it sounds like you really enjoy the "smarter" side of superhero stories, so I'm going to recommend that you read the Ex Machina series by Brian Vaughan. It's about a superhero who becomes mayor of New York City.

You might also like Matt Wagner's Grendel series, which ranges from dark superhero material and crime stories in the beginning to post-apocalyptic science fiction.

I'd also recommend a lot of the early Vertigo stuff, especially Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing, the first Books of Magic collection (the mini-series one written by Neil Gaiman), and most of Hellblazer.
posted by infinitywaltz at 5:18 PM on November 16, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I recently have gotten back into comics, too. I've enjoyed the Marvel Civil War storyline, including The Death of Captain America and the Thunderbolts books (Bullseye as a HERO? OMG! No way! He's, like, psychotically evil!). I also liked Warren Ellis' & Darick Robertson's Transmetropolitan, available in trade paperback from DC Vertigo.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 5:39 PM on November 16, 2008

Bill Willingham's Fables is a modernized version of the life of fairy tale characters.

You also can't go wrong with Grant Morrison's reboot of the Doom Patrol and his later masterpiece, The Invisibles.

Someone mentioned Hellblazer already and I'd like to second that and stress that you cannot, absolutely can not, miss the Garth Ennis years.

Yeah, I sound like a Vertigo shill, but I was readin' the DC magic stuff before the imprint was cobbled together ;). My only regret is that I can't also recommend Peter Milligan's Shade, The Changing Man, which broke my heart long before Y tore it to pieces, because there are no TPB's as far as I know.
posted by eyeballkid at 6:21 PM on November 16, 2008

The Authority is another terrific Warren Ellis project and, really, you're never gonna go wrong with Alan Moore. I've been reading nothing but the stories Moore wrote for the America's Best Comics imprint for months now. Top 10 (especially The Forty Niners), Tom Strong, and Promothea are all excellent.
posted by GalaxieFiveHundred at 6:28 PM on November 16, 2008

Walking Dead is quite good, though I've just started reading them. Same author as Invicible, too.
posted by MegoSteve at 6:57 PM on November 16, 2008

Marshall Law: Fear and Loathing
Brat Pack
Seven Soldiers of Victory (the Morrison event)
Elektra: Assassin
Red Son
The Nail
Starman (the run by J. Robinson)
Alias (not the TV series one, the Marvel Comics one)
Global Frequency
Kabuki
posted by Iosephus at 6:57 PM on November 16, 2008

Thank you all. After Wikipedia-ing almost everying you guys suggested, I am aching to read so much. The Invisibles, Preacher, and The Authority seem especially awesome.

On a side note, one thing I forgot to add to my list is Therefore Repent. It is a really great one shot TPB that has a hell of a twist ending.
posted by DrDreidel at 7:19 PM on November 16, 2008

I'm a superhero fan myself. Here's what I recommend broken down thematically (much of which has already been recommended by others).

Alan Moore knows the score:
Miracleman (although you'll most likely have to download this as it is out of print and may never come back thanks to legal shenanigans)
Promethea - more for the beautiful art than anything else

The Wildstorm Universe:
Wildcats 2 and 3.0 as well as the Alan Moore issues of volume 1.
Sleeper
Planetary
The Authority (but only volume 1)
Astro City (not part of the universe, but published by them now. previously published by Image)

Marvel:
Punisher MAX
Immortal Iron Fist
Captain America (the current series by Ed Brubaker. Come to think about it, anything by Ed Brubaker is good)
Four (Marvel Knights Fantastic Four)

Grant Morrison + Frank Quitely = awesome:
We3
All Star Superman
JLA: Earth 2
Flex Mentallo
New X-Men

DC:
JSA (the current and previous volume)
Superman: Birthright
Legion of Superheroes (the Waid-Kitson run that started the current volume)

Others:
Camelot 3000
Animal Man
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 8:00 PM on November 16, 2008

If you loved Y: The Last Man, keep up with Brian K. Vaughan's output. Ex Machina, Runaways, and Pride of Baghdad are all very much worth picking up.

Ones that others have mentioned that I echo:

Kingdom Come
1602
Civil War
Transmetropolitan
The Invisibles
Alias (Marvel Comics)
Astro City
All Star Superman
New X-Men (Grant Morrison, not the later spin-off)

Some additional titles to check out:

Superman: Red Son
Ultimate Spider-Man (This one will keep you reading for a while. I think there's, what, 20 trades now? And the quality rarely dips.)
Ultimate Galactus / Ultimate Vision
Ultimate Fantastic Four (up to issue 32 ONLY, which I think is the first 6 trades)
Marvels
Demo
Scott Pilgrim
Young Avengers
52
Orbiter (little known Warren Ellis / Colleen Doran book, but it's one of my favorite comics ever)
posted by greenland at 9:35 PM on November 16, 2008

Most of the stuff here is good, you might also check out Transmetropolitan.
posted by voltairemodern at 3:28 PM on November 17, 2008

Transmetropolitan.
posted by tzikeh at 2:14 PM on November 18, 2008