Board 8 > Comics Suggestions

(+) Yeah! (+)

I recently realized that my local library network has a good collection of comics so I am now looking to read some. I enjoy comics but find them to expensive/difficult to really get into. I just finished Immortal Iron Fist and really enjoyed it, so now I'm trying to decide what to read next. I know there are a lot of comic readers here so I figure I will open it up to get some suggestions from you guys.

I tend to lean Marvel but am not loyal or anything. Some things I have read (and liked) are: Runaways, Astonishing X-Men, Planet Hulk, the Firefly comics, Green Lantern Rebirth, War of the Yellow Lanterns, Blackest Night, Red Son Superman, and 52.

I am mainly looking for collections like Immortal Iron Fist where I can check out one thing and get the whole story.

I have a giant list of Batman stuff to read but I have no idea where to start on that.

I expect that after this topic I will have a really good list of stuff to get.
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@scarletspeed7 @Eddv @Snake5555555555

I know there are a ton of other comic book fans here but you three pop into my head first/I've talked with you about comics before.
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Exiles
Bendis's Daredevil
Ultimate Spiderman
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I read a fair amount of Ultimate universe Spider-man back in college.

Mostly I remember him dating Kitty and body swapping with Wolverine, but I also remember it being good.
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Nextwave
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My go to reply always is to read Jeff Smith's Bone.
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Gundammike posted...

My go to reply always is to read Jeff Smith's Bone.

I've never even heard of that one. What is it about?
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Preacher is always my first recommendation, and everyone I know who's checked it out has been satisfied.

Since you mentioned Batman, both Morrison and Snyder's runs are worth reading. Also, The Long Halloween, No Man's Land, Knightfall are some great classic stories off the top of my head.

I have read and loved No Man's Land and Knightfall.

Here's the giant list my friend gave me for Batman stuff (excluding stuff I had already read):

Hush
Identity Crisis
Birth of the Demon
Bruce Wayne: Murderer and Bruce Wayne: Fugitive
Batman: Year One
Batman: The Long Halloween
Batman: Dark Victory
Batman: Mad Love
Robin II: Joker's Wild
Batman and Robin (Grant Morrison)
Batman Inc. (Both runs)
Batman: Arkham Asylum (Graphic novel)
Dark Knight, Dark City
Batman and the Monster Men
Gothic (from Legends of the Dark Knight)
Batman Annual #14
Strange Apparitions
Batman: Death and the Maidens
Batman #663
Joker: Devil's Advocate

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Oh good, you already read No Man's Land. That's always my first suggestion. Seems you got a good Batman list there anyhow.

Sooo, how about Cosmic Marvel? If you haven't touched that yet, it starts with Annihilation and it is utterly fantastic. Probably my favorite series of comics Marvel has ever done.

Although if you want some good Captain America as well, look for Brubaker's run. That way you'll also get the comic version of Winter Soldier.

And, if you feel like trying something other than superheroes, read Saga. You won't regret it.
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From that Batman list, I recommend starting with Batman: Year One, then The Long Halloween, followed by Dark Victory.

I highly recommend Greg Rucka's Punisher and Garth Ennis' Punisher Max. Kurt Busiek's Astro City is also a top notch read.
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My favourite comics, aside from some of the ones you've already listed, are Jason Aaron's Thor: God of Thunder run about Gorr the God Butcher, and Dan Slott's Superior Spider Man.

Superior Foes of Spider Man was a really fun deconstruction of villains.
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OH! You just read Immortal Iron Fist, so I bet you would like Fraction's Hawkeye as well. It's real real good.

Aja must be one of my favorite artists
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I have Saga Vol 1 on hold at the Library.

For those mentioning certain people's run's with characters are there specific collection names/numbers I should look for?

I'll start looking to see which suggestions the library has in the next day or two.

For the Batman fans, any suggestions on where to start in that list? Or any that I need to read in a certain order for best effect?
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Rucka's Punisher starts with Punisher By Greg Rucka Vol. 1 and consists of 3 volumes all together.

Punisher Max may be listed under Punisher Max: The Complete Collection or if they're the older prints just Punisher MAX.
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ClyTheCool posted...

My favourite comics, aside from some of the ones you've already listed, are Jason Aaron's Thor: God of Thunder run about Gorr the God Butcher, and Dan Slott's Superior Spider Man.

Superior Foes of Spider Man was a really fun deconstruction of villains.

I highly recommend these too.

Also, Nextwave was mentioned too and that's great.

But I would say that all of Dan Slott's Spider-Man run was great. It should be called Big Time.

Grayson is awesome too, as well as Aquaman by Geoff Johns.

And speaking of Geoff Johns... His Teen Titans and Green Lantern runs are legendary.

Mark Waid has an awesome run of Daredevil too, but I'd read that after his other stuff.

I also recommend Dark Avengers and the minis with the Ms Marvel series, Hawkeye series, and the Ares series that went with it.

Batman New 52 with Scott Snyder is also really fun stuff.

That's all I got off the top of my head though.
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Fables is so good. Come for the fairy tale characters, stay for the intense political intrigue.
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muddersmilk posted...

For the Batman fans, any suggestions on where to start in that list? Or any that I need to read in a certain order for best effect?

As already pointed out, start with Year One, Long Halloween, then Dark Victory. Those stories kind of lead into one another and they're the perfect starting point for Batman. Other than that, there's not really a specific order you need to read in, just base it off what dates they were published. Or just read whatever you feel in the mood for. Most of those stories are self-contained, but there will still be things from continuity that won't really click with you. Shouldn't ruin the stories though.

Hush is a really good one to read whenever you feel like it. Then read Heart of Hush afterward, because it's arguably a much better story with a way way better writer (you may have heard of Paul Dini). I also like Nguyen's art more than Jim Lee's but I think that's just me.
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And for Fraction's Hawkeye, I'm not sure how you would find it at your library since it's just called Hawkeye, but here's the first volume on amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Hawkeye-Vol-Life-Weapon-Marvel/dp/0785165622

So maybe that helps, at least to see what you're looking for.
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I am here to offer some non conventional choices and some more conventional ones, mostly pretty recebt ones.

I think that literally everyone should read the new Flintstones comic (Russell/Pugh)its got a lot of really poignant criticism for modern society, religion, consumerism, etc.

If you like swords and sorcery, and as I recall you do,
Red Sonja both the three volume run by Gail Simone and the run that followed it by Marguerite Bennett are solid gold. Fun writing abounds here and really modernizes Red Sonja without robbing her of what makes her iconic.

For Marvel, unless you're into jokey books starring teenage girls theres not a lot for you lately aside from Dan Slott's run on Spiderman in particular you should read the Spiderverse stuff and if you dig Gwen Stacy as Spiderwoman, Spider-gwen has been one of the best things ever and features the wonderful art of Robbi Rodriguez.

Finally, read Saga just do it. Everyone should be reading Saga. If you find you desperately need more after that read Paper Girls, which is basically Stranger Things meets every 80s movies about girls.

Other recent stuff I really enjoy:
All of the Red Hood and the Outlaws comics - classic sort of 90s superheroics with 2010s art.
Dan Abnetts run on He-Man - a fresh, epic take on He-Man.
All of New52 Batman.
The Omega Men - Kyle Raynor stars in the Watchmen is about the most comprensible way to describe this one.
Prez - more wonderful satire from Russell/Pugh

And for classics:
Alan Moore's Swamp Thing
New 52 Swamp Thing/Animal Man (best read together Until the end of rotworld)
The Claremont X-men stories
Allred's X-Force/X-Statix
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muddersmilk posted...

For the Batman fans, any suggestions on where to start in that list? Or any that I need to read in a certain order for best effect?

I noticed that list only has part of Grant Morrison's run on it, which is a no-no. The order for that goes:

Batman & Son
The Black Glove
Batman R.I.P.
Time and the Batman (and Final Crisis first, but optional)
Batman & Robin (3 volumes)
Return of Bruce Wayne
Batman Inc (post-crisis, then New 52)

I would save this run until after you read the other Batman suggestions itt, arguably 52 and Rucka Batwoman
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The "New Riverdale" stuff has been pretty good, especially Mark Waid's Archie and Chip Zdarsky's Jughead.

And I'll always recommend the Mickey Mouse newspaper strips from the 1930s to anyone, especially the Seven Ghosts, Phantom Blot, and Blaggard Castle stories.
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muddersmilk posted...

Gundammike posted...

My go to reply always is to read Jeff Smith's Bone.

I've never even heard of that one. What is it about?

I'll let wiki handle it...

The series centers on the Bone cousins, white, bald cartoon caricatures. In the opening pages of “Out from Boneville” the three Bone cousins, an avaricious and greedy Phoncible P. "Phoney" Bone, a goofy cigar-smoking Smiley Bone, and an everyman character Fone Bone, have been run out of their hometown of Boneville after Phoney's campaign for mayor went awry. After crossing a desert, the cousins are separated by a sea of locusts and individually ending up in the mysterious Valley and must make their way across the fantasy landscape pursued by rat creatures (Fone Bone uses a mysterious hand-drawn map that Smiley had found). They joyously reunite at a local tavern called Barrelhaven, where they are taken in by a mysterious girl named Thorn and her even more enigmatic grandmother. Fone Bone instantly develops a crush on Thorn when he meets her, and repeatedly attempts to express his love through poetry. As they stay longer in the valley, they encounter humans and other creatures who are threatened by a dark entity, the Lord of the Locusts. The Bones, trying to escape to Boneville, are quickly drawn into the events around them, compelling them on a hero's journey to help free the Valley.

You can find the series either in 9 volumes, or in the one-volume edition.
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I feel like I missed out on this topic completely, but I would happily provide some recommendations if you still need them.
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Never hurts.
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Here's what I currently have to look for:
Exiles
Bendis's Daredevil
Nextwave
Bone by Jeff Smith
Preacher
Batman: Year One -> The Long Halloween -> Dark Victory
Annihilation (and other Cosmic Marvel that follows)
Captain America by Brubaker
Punisher by Greg Rucka's
Punisher Max by Garth Ennis
Astro City by Kurt Busiek
Thor: God of Thunder by Jason Aaron's
Superior Spider Man by Dan Slott
Superior Foes of Spider Man
Hawkeye by Fraction
Grayson
Aquaman by Geoff Johns
Teen Titans by Geoff Johns
Daredevil by Mark Waid
Dark Avengers
Batman New 52 by Scott Snyder
Saga
Fables
Batman: Hush -> Batman: Heart of Hush
Red Sonja by Gail Simone (and then Marguerite Bennett)
The Omega Men
Swamp Thing by Alan Moore
X-Force/X-Statix by Allred
More Batman stuff added to the end of my list.
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Well, you seem interested in runs, so I'm going to offer you those for now. I could do stories as well, and I find it really easy when people just provide characters or creators they like, but I'll start with these runs and see what you think:

Neil Gaiman's Sandman
Grant Morrison's JLA
Garth Ennis' Preacher
Scott Snyder's Batman
James Robinson's Starman
Jonathan Hickman's Fantastic Four
Warren Ellis' Planetary
Brian Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man
Keith Giffen's Justice League International
Kurt Busiek's Astro City
Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol
John Ostrander's Suicide Squad
Bill Willingham's Fables
Warren Ellis' Transmetropolitan
Kurt Busiek's Avengers
Geoff Johns' JSA
Joe Locke's Locke and Key
Robert Kirkman's Invincible
Peter Milligan's X-Force (which becomes X-Statix)
Grant Morrison's Invisibles
Greg Rucka's Gotham Central
Brian Azzarello's 100 Bullets
Peter Milligan's Shade the Changing Man
Alan Moore's Promethea
Brian Azzarello's Wonder Woman
Warren Ellis' Nextwave
Kieron Gillen's The Wicked and the Divine
Mike Mignola's Hellboy
John Ostrander's Spectre
Peter David's X-Factor
Christopher Priest's Black Panther
Warren Ellis' Authority
Chuck Dixon's Nightwing
Brian K. Vaughan's Ex Machina
Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers of Victory
J Michael Stracyznski's Supreme Power
Matt Wagner's Sandman Mystery Theatre
Peter Milligan's Unwritten
Grant Morrison's Zenith

There's a few runs to start yourself out with. I always recommend my personal favorite comic of all time, Kingdom Come by Mark Waid, as great non-run to start with, too.
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scarletspeed7 posted...

There's a few runs to start yourself out with.

I think that qualifies as just a bit more than "a few"
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Power Girl Vol 2 by Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Justin Gray
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scarletspeed7 posted...

I always recommend my personal favorite comic of all time, Kingdom Come by Mark Waid, as great non-run to start with, too.

Yeah, this is a fantastic read.

TMNT stuff is good, both old (Mirage) and new (IDW). The modern Mirage collections skip over a lot of the shitty guest comics with shoehorned guest appearances and nonsensical tonal shifts so that's an added bonus

The Wicked + The Divine is good
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I just remembered that I have digital copies of a bunch of comics including Kingdom Come. Maybe I should start with those >_>

I just prefer having the physical copy to read.
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Kingdom Come is a great read as a new reader and then a great read again after you have a better understanding of the DC Universe. It rewards rereads a lot. There's a great surface story, great depth underneath that, and tons of hidden gems in it that all work in service to enhance the story.
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The recent run of The Vision, recent run of Doctor Strange, last two runs of Moon Knight (especially Warren Ellis's 1-6 of the previous run), Transmetropolitan, and Age of Apocalypse if you want a crossover that basically defines the best of 90's X-Men.

Also, based on what some of the others have suggested... pick up something by Warren Ellis. At least 4 of us have recommended at least one thing he wrote.
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Oh, and no one mentioned Watchmen or V For Vendetta. I guess typically they don't need to be said, but if you haven't read them you should.
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For Marvel stuff, I enjoyed the Deconnick run of Captain Marvel.

For non-Marvel, The Boys is pretty good. Dark comedy parody of pretty much every mainstream superhero and one of the characters is based on Simon Pegg.
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JMS' Thor
Walt Simonson's Thor
Aaron's Thor is worth mentioning again.
Kieron Gillen's Journey Into Mystery (Kid Loki's adventures basically)
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