Adult (mature, not pornographic) comic books review sites?

February 27, 2007 7:32 AM

I have just run across several good comic book series, in particular Chadwick's Concrete , Azzarello's 100 Bullets and the Sin City graphic novels. Its an area that I am unfamiliar with, and there does seem to be a lot of literate writing out there. I would love to find a site that could help me separate the wheat from the chaff and that would keep me posted of new good material. Any suggestions?
posted by UncleJoe to Writing & Language (19 answers total)

iFanboy is one of many such websites. I find I enjoy their weekly podcast. For some individual recomendations here are a quick few items:
* Queen and Country by Greg Rucka
* DMR by Brian Wood
* Invincible by Robert Kirkman
* The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman
posted by cm at 7:47 AM on February 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

The Watchmen by Alan Moore, The Sandman by Neil Gaiman, Preacher by Garth Ennis, Cerebus the Aardvark by Dave Sim, although I haven't finished yet and Sim seems to go off the deep end after a while.

On preview I just started The Walking Dead and enjoy it so far.
posted by beowulf573 at 7:48 AM on February 27, 2007

I've been reading Scott McCloud's Understand/Reinventing/Making Comics and I'm wondering about this same thing, so thanks for asking.
posted by DU at 7:50 AM on February 27, 2007

Leviathan by Jens Harder is a great book.

http://www.nbmpub.com/fantasysf/harder/harderhome.html
posted by outsider at 7:54 AM on February 27, 2007

Give Chris Ware a try. It's not the brooding action stuff that you've mentioned, but rather more in depth character studies and are based around themes of lost childhood.

Specifically, check out Jimmy Corrigan and Rusty Brown.
posted by Pastabagel at 7:54 AM on February 27, 2007

Previous Mefi thread about recommending comics:

1

2

3

4
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:58 AM on February 27, 2007

There's a lot of good comics blogs out there. Many people really like Johanna Draper Carlson's Comics Worth Reading, and I think that once you get a handle on how your taste and hers might align, you get a real sense of what will work for you.

John Jakala's been doing Sporadic Sequential for a while now and while he focuses on manga, he provides really valuable insight on comics as a whole.

I second the nomination for DMZ - Brian Wood's created what amounts basically to an HBO series on paper concerning a civil war centered around New York City.

Garth Ennis's Hellblazer trade paperbacks and his Preacher may appeal to you as well, considering what you've said you enjoy so far.

Fantagraphics has just started printing new editions of the Hernandez Brothers' Love And Rockets series, one of the seminal black-and-white books of the 80s and a standard-setter for "mature" comics culture.

(About comics blogs: I've got one too, but that's to be expected. I review whatever I feel like reviewing.)
posted by beaucoupkevin at 8:02 AM on February 27, 2007

Y: The Last Man and Fables are great too.
posted by sbrollins at 8:03 AM on February 27, 2007

iFanboy is OK, but casts a pretty wide net. I would avoid "Comics Worth Reading"; Draper's arrogance is offputting and she is incapable of separating her politics from her criticism.
posted by solid-one-love at 8:36 AM on February 27, 2007

READ THE QUESTION. The poster is asking for recommendation sites, not Yet Another Litany of "my favorite stuff".

I, for one, would love to hear some good answers as well. The Fourth Rail used to do it for me, but they closed down last year, and iFanboy is a bit too broad.
posted by mkultra at 8:50 AM on February 27, 2007

The Invincible Super-Blog has helped guide me towards a slew of new comics. Much of the site touches on Totally Awesome Scenes of the Punisher punching out a bear and so on, but there are frequently some Serious Comic Reviews that have been pretty informative.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 9:08 AM on February 27, 2007

I get the most helpful suggestions from the owner of my local comic book store, and I buy my books there to help support indie comic shops.
posted by junkbox at 9:27 AM on February 27, 2007

It's no longer updated, but Artbomb.net has an excellent listing of quality titles, generally non-superhero and literate in nature.
posted by logovisual at 9:53 AM on February 27, 2007

Also, welcome to comics, and thank you for paying my salary!
posted by logovisual at 9:54 AM on February 27, 2007

You might want to check the Isotope Comic Lounge blog. The Isotope's an SF Comic Lounge that's nothing like your typical comic book shop, and quite often they link to previews and recommendations for books that might be off your radar. I know I would've probably overlooked fantastic books like Sea of Red, The Scribbler, or AdHouse's Project: trilogy had I not seen the online previews first.
posted by one.louder.ash! at 11:27 AM on February 27, 2007

Johanna Draper Carlson is terrible; comics are worth reading, but her blog isn't.

I like Chris Mautner's Panels and Pixels.
posted by MegoSteve at 12:11 PM on February 27, 2007

Oh, and Tom Spurgeon's excellent The Comics Reporter.
posted by MegoSteve at 12:18 PM on February 27, 2007

If you like crime stories, try Criminal. Although the first trade paperback is not out yet.
posted by martinrebas at 1:18 PM on February 27, 2007

Try the "I Read Comics" blog (and associated podcast). Laine has a different perspective and recommends some good mature comics.

linky
posted by monarch75 at 5:24 PM on April 5, 2007