Time-sensitive: recommend me some comics/graphic novels!

[Yoda]

I'm going to be on a few long flights in a couple of days, and I'd like to intersperse some comics or graphic novels with the books and music I'll be bringing.

I'll be using an iPad/comiXology, so it has to be something available from their store (https://www.comixology.com/). Probably looking for something fairly involved, but not insanely so. I've read a handful of the really highly praised stuff already, such as:

Watchmen
Sandman
Y: The Last Man
Saga
Sweet Tooth
The Walking Dead
Lots of classic Batmans
I'm open-minded about whether or not I want to read one big story, a handful of shorter ones, or whatever. But I'm looking for self-contained stories, and I like high-concept and/or sci-fi stuff. Highbrow horror is good, too.

I'd need to buy these no later than tomorrow (and ideally tonight), so please let me know ASAP if you guys have any recommendations.

Thanks in advance. :)

[TONGO]

Sandman by Neil Gaiman. It will blow you away. ;)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/85/Sandman_no.1_(Modern_Age).comiccover.jpg

http://www.relatably.com/q/img/sandman-vertigo-quotes/sandman.jpg

[Yoda]

Yeah, read that a couple years back (I'll edit it into the first post).

[genesis_pig]

Try something by Daniel Clowes.

Have you read Legends of the Dark Knight, it's a much dark series than the usual Batman comics. Give the first 20 issues a try.
If you want something printed recently with Batman, give Court of Owls a try.


Have you read Maus? That's an excellent read

Give the last year's Moon Knight by Warren Ellis a try, Also Matt Fraction's Hawkeye.

You could also read some Doctor Strange by Steve Englehart to prepare you for the movie.

Also give Warren Ellis's Fell and Desolation Jones a try.

[genesis_pig]

Yeah, read that a couple years back (I'll edit it into the first post).

I guessed that too, I was certain you might have already Sandman.

Have you read Animal Man or Swamp Thing?

[TONGO]

Oh. Hm.

Dont read Sin City, the movie did do it justice and it wouldnt thrill you as much on just a storywise scale.

......this is a dangerous suggestion, but Cerebus, Cerebus High Society, and Cerebus Church & State I & II. Making up altogether 125 comics. It is the most unique comic series ever made, gets political, and pulls no punches vs religion either. Push thru the first 25 issues which reads like a glib Conan, and then it really gets cookin in High Society, reintroducing all those chartacters in some bizarre truly connected capacity. Dave Sim plays homage to the greats in literature & film, and just tears apart others.

https://d1466nnw0ex81e.cloudfront.net/n_iv/600/613859.jpg

http://a403.idata.over-blog.com/2/37/80/12/entetes-d-article/dave_sim_high_society_cerebus.jpg

https://illustratornate.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/cerebuschurchandstate_gerhard_small.jpg

http://covers.cbrd.info/2197cfa61aff334182ca35a22711fc49_l.jpg

[Yoda]

Have you read Animal Man or Swamp Thing?
I have not.

I'm looking mainly for self-contained stories when possible, and I tend to like high concept stuff. Dunno if that precludes any of the recommendations (thanks, by the way!).

[TONGO]

I have not.

If this makes a difference to any recommendations: I'm looking mainly for self-contained stories when possible, and I tend to like high concept stuff. Dunno if that precludes any of the recommendations (thanks, by the way!).

Dave Sim in Cerebus touches on characters from other comics, movies, tv, and its the most brilliant political AND religious satire ever produced in the comic book world. Again, push thru the first 25 issues then put on your seatbelt when High Society starts. ;)

[Yoda]

Eh, it depends on what "satire" means. Most modern satire is just dressed up disdain. And while I don't mind (and often even seek out) critiques of these things, if it's basically just dumping on religion then it's probably not good fodder for relaxing on a plane.

More importantly, though, I don't think I'll be on there long enough to push through dozens of issues. I need something that'll hook me quick and easy! :)

[Yoda]

Looking up some of the recs in here, and a few others caught my eye. Any one read these/have opinions about them?

Ei8ht
American Werewolves
Wytches
Negative Space

[TONGO]

Eh, it depends on what "satire" means. Most modern satire is just dressed up disdain. And while I don't mind (and often even seek out) critiques of these things, if it's basically just dumping on religion then it's probably not good fodder for relaxing on a plane.

More importantly, though, I don't think I'll be on there long enough to push through dozens of issues. I need something that'll hook me quick and easy! :)
Well I think the only religious sect or figure he didnt pick on was Jesus Christ. He even got a jab in at the muslims in the last issue on the way out (issue 300).

Someone suggested Swamp Thing earlier, but to be more specific, the Alan Moore Swamp Things if you can find TPBs for them.

[TheUsualSuspect]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/04/Y_-_The_Last_Man_23_-_Widow%27s_Pass_03_-_00_-_FC.jpg/250px-Y_-_The_Last_Man_23_-_Widow%27s_Pass_03_-_00_-_FC.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/43/Transmetropolitan_2.jpg/250px-Transmetropolitan_2.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d9/Fables.png/250px-Fables.png

[Yoda]

Also read Y: The Last Man. Apparently I really suck at remembering this stuff. Will go edit that into the first post, too. Oh, and I really liked it. :up:

Thanks for the other recommendations. Checking them out.

[TONGO]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/43/Transmetropolitan_2.jpg/250px-Transmetropolitan_2.jpg




I havent read this. Is it as good as Warren Ellis's Planetary?

[TheUsualSuspect]

https://comicrevolution.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/daytripper.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2c/Mattkindtsrevolver.JPG/250px-Mattkindtsrevolver.JPG

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bb/Warren_Elliis_Ocean_1_cover.jpg/250px-Warren_Elliis_Ocean_1_cover.jpg

[TheUsualSuspect]

I havent read this. Is it as good as Warren Ellis's Planetary?

I consider it his best work.

[TheUsualSuspect]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7f/I_Kill_Giants_01_cover.jpg/250px-I_Kill_Giants_01_cover.jpg

[TheUsualSuspect]

Good luck, let us know what you choose and what you thought of it.

[Yoda]

Awesome, thanks man. :up:

So far I've decided to buy Ei8ht, because it seems high-concept and it's already done. There's a free trial thing with a "borrow" feature for the first week, so I downloaded Severed and part of East of West, and the first two volumes of The Sixth Gun, which I read one issue of awhile back and liked well enough, but didn't get around to continuing.

I'll be checking out all these other recommendations soon though. Hoping to have a nice bunch all ready to go by tonight.

[Yoda]

I consider it his best work.
Recommended, then, too?

[The Rodent]

http://www.movieforums.com/lists/movie_forums_comic_book_movies/edit.html


:D

[Camo]

Anyone suggested Preacher? It is on that site - https://www.comixology.com/Preacher/comics-series/2724?ref=c2VhcmNoL2luZGV4L2Rlc2t0b3Avc2xpZGVyTGlzdC9zZXJpZXNTbGlkZXI

[Holden Pike]

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=26809&stc=1&d=1472575502

John Lewis' March (https://www.comixology.com/March/comics-series/11313?ref=c2VhcmNoL2luZGV4L2Rlc2t0b3Avc2xpZGVyTGlzdC9zZXJpZXNTbGlkZXI).


..

[ashdoc]

savita bhabhi---adventures of horny indian married woman with men other than her husband:D

http://st1.bollywoodlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/savita-bhabhi-the-movie_poster300413.jpg

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81eRgYxL5uL.png

https://lh4.ggpht.com/-LC3g8SrOv0I/VRAkgQFW5XI/AAAAAAAAADI/Ltqje7tYP28/s1600/sb50_eng_000.jpg

https://www.kirtu.com/tag/free-savita-bhabhi/

[Swan]

Yoda would love that, ashdoc.

[Yoda]

Oh yeah, I'm all over that. I'm particularly looking forward to the person sitting next to me for five hours being able to see it.

[Swan]

This thread reminds me I need to seek out more graphic novels/manga. My friend lent me Ghost in the Shell, which I need to start.

Have you read Black Hole by Charles Burns? That's a good one if you like weird horror type stuff. My favorite of all-time though is Junji Ito's Uzumaki, a three-part weird horror manga series about spirals! Anyway, sounds like you got some stuff and not sure if you'd like those, but Uzumaki is always what I recommend to people in these cases because I had a lot of fun reading it. And, other than that, I haven't read a whole lot.

Look forward to reading what you thought of the ones you end up reading. If you like them, maybe I will give 'em a shot.

[Swan]

On my mission to read more graphic novels I went ahead and bought Swallow Me Whole by Nate Powell. I wanted something about real stuff, something I could relate to, and also I'm curious to see how the graphic novel medium tackles mental illness because it seems like a good way to capture how it feels. This seems to be a pretty well-acclaimed story about schizophrenia. I hope it's good.

I have this, Ghost in the Shell, and Preacher vol. 1 to read. So a good variety of stuff!

http://i65.tinypic.com/k1ri52.jpg

[CosmicRunaway]

It doesn't appear to be on comiXology, but Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley is a quick, easy read. Maybe you can find it somewhere else?

It's about a chef in the process of opening her own restaurant who realizes that she has the opportunity to fix her past mistakes by taking advantage of these magic mushrooms growing under the restaurant she currently works at/rents a room over.

http://www.nerdlikeyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Seconds-Media-Kit6.jpg

[Thursday Next]

I'm not a comic expert, but I read Nimona by Noelle Stevenson earlier this year and it was a whole lot of fun. Standalone and you could easily read the whole thing in a flight.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51niH6CC-pL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

[Friendly Mushroom!]

Some of my recs. I'm not super familiar with comics so -

The Scrooge McDuck Comics of Carl Barks and Don Rosa (Reading these with my Grandma in elementary school, along with Paper Mario TTYD and Spongebob WERE my childhood. Oh and Rugrats.)
V for Vendetta (Since you read Watchmen)
The Hawkeye Comics of Matt Fraction (Slice of life Superhero)
The Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Manga (Miyazaki only adapted the first two volumes for his film.)
If you are familiar with A:TLA, you can read the comics (http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Avatar:_The_Last_Airbender_comics)
Sonic Archie (http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/archie-sonic-comics) (I only read a little bit, but I am really interested in reading more. You can read them here. Sorry if its an illegal link. (http://en.sonicscanf.org/comics/archie/)

I'm also reading the Akira Magna and an obscure one named Psyren currently. Both are cool so far.

[christine]

I'm seconding Transmetropolitan. I'm not even much of a comic reader but this is great.
Love Preacher too

[Clazor]

I don't know if I'd call it high-concept and it's probably to late anyways, but Mark Millar's 'Wanted'. The basic idea is simply this: What would the world look like if one day the superheroes of the world vanished and the supervillains ruled the world from behind the scene?

http://static7.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_medium/5/52086/1163759-wantedtpb.jpg

[Clazor]

Some of my recs. I'm not super familiar with comics so -

The Scrooge McDuck Comics of Carl Barks and Don Rosa

Still good as f***!

[TONGO]

Some of my recs. I'm not super familiar with comics so -

The Scrooge McDuck Comics of Carl Barks

I have a buddy that collected Golden Age comics, and specifically focused on Barks Donald Duck. It truly is beautiful stuff, I love Donald Duck :)

[Friendly Mushroom!]

I have been rereading alot of those Duck Comics recent and I just couldn't believe how wonderful they are. My memories were true! :)

[Clazor]

I have been rereading alot of those Duck Comics recent and I just couldn't believe how wonderful they are. My memories were true! :)

My brother and I are huge don rosa fans. Whenever a new rosa story would appear in the comics it would be a brawl for the right to read it first.

Now I'm in the middle of collecting all the barks/rosa comics in a hardback suite that Fantagraphic books are releasing as we speak.

[linespalsy]

Tales Designed to Thrizzle by Michael Kupperman - there are two collected volumes, but they're each self-contained (consisting of short humor pieces.) The first volume is the better of the two.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/cmx-images-prod/DigitalPage/1699810/bb9fe5459454c2be5e701c157a98bac3._SX640_QL80_TTD_.jpg

Battle Lines: A Graphic History of the Civil War by Ari Kelman and Jonathan Fetter-Vorm - Short stories about different aspects of the civil war, with chapters structured around different objects (a bullet, a mosquito, a pair of opera-glasses... there's a particularly great chapter about staging a post-battle photograph). The author is an academic historian but this clearly has a general audience in mind.

http://comicsalliance.com/files/2015/05/top.jpg?w=630&h=420&zc=1&s=0&a=t&q=89

Uncle Scrooge: Only a Poor Old Man by Carl Barks

Really any volume of the Carl Barks (Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge) Library will do - they all have multiple self-contained stories - but this one is my favorite. Ducktales captures the boys-adventure feel of these but doesn't really do justice to the social/political commentary/satire (and I mean satire in "your" sense).

http://www.michaelbarrier.com/Essays/Scrooge/Scrooge0003.jpg

I Killed Adolph Hitler, by Jason. An original take on the time-travel genre with some surprisingly poignant twists and anthropomorphized animals. This fits your criteria of self-contained in one volume, high-concept cleverness, and relative lightness.

http://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1410392326i/11101159.jpg

Uzumaki - Weird horror with an absurd sense of humor, good draughtsmanship, and there's a recent one-volume collection. Has some gore and might have some nudity.

http://www.78magazine.com/graphics/issues/03-01/junji3.jpg

Elektra: Assassin by Frank Miller and Bill Scienkiewicz - Not sure how widely available this is but it's my favorite Frank Miller comic. Definitely up there with Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns for 80s superhero stuff.

https://bigotherbigother.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/elektra-assassin-01-pages-6-7.jpg

Nausicaa is great but I don't think there's a single volume edition and it's pretty long (I think around a thousand pages).

[Yoda]

Great stuff, thanks guys. :up:

Sadly some of the most intriguing ones don't seem to be on comiXology, and I don't have much more time to go looking around elsewhere, but I'll see if I can find a couple of them (I Shot Adolph Hitler looks like a good fit, in particular).

[Yoda]

Actually, it is, but it's called I Killed Adolph Hitler (I guess comiXology's search is pretty literal/crappy).

[Wolfsbane]

Love the artwork in these pieces.

[linespalsy]

Actually, it is, but it's called I Killed Adolph Hitler (I guess comiXology's search is pretty literal/crappy).

Yeah, sorry, I was writing those titles from memory. I noticed when searching for images for that post that the correct title was "Killed", but I forgot to fix my mistake.

[Yoda]

No worries, found it all the same, and seems like exactly the kind of thing I was looking for.

I often overestimate how much reading I get done while traveling (too anxious or tired, usually), but I should be able to get through at least a few of these, though I topped out at more than I'll need before getting to check all of them. I'll be sure to let you know what I think of what I do finish, though.

Thanks everyone. :)

[genesis_pig]

I highly recommend Cerebus as well, it's a very good read.

But I am guessing you want something easy, light and short. So I'll try recommend something not more than 10-12 issues.

I recommend stuff Clowes; Ghost World, Pussey, Patience, Death Ray, David Boring etc.. All in graphic novel format. They're bizarre and offbeat.

Warren Ellis' Fell and Desolation Jones.
Someone mentioned Planetary, I recommend it highly too.
If you want something recent, try his last year's run on Moon Knight. Moon Knight is an interesting character, imagine a psychotic/schizo Batman.

Someone recommended Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley. Highly recommended.
This is from the guy who wrote and draw Scott Pilgrim. I recommend Scott Pilgrim too. He has an excellent sense of humor. His storylines are absurd, almost bordering on magic realism, but using that term won't just work for it. His works are sort of fantasies for any Young Adult, they're grounded to reality but somehow manage to seep in bizarre stuff.

His Seconds is something I can see working as an offbeat RomCom, along the lines of Groundhog Day or Ruby Sparks, or something directed by Michel Gondry or Spike Jonze.

There's a guy called Jason. He does excellent books. Someone here already recommended his I Killed Adolf Hitler. They are fun to read, with very little text, but the imagery is enough to absorb you into the story. Definitely go for his works, at least at some point in your life.

Read the first 5 or 10 issues of Legends of the Dark Knight if you are in the mood for some dark Batman stuff. LotDK are self contained stories that last 3-5 issues with new artists and writers for each arcs.

[JayDee]

Seems I'm a bit late for this but I'll mention a few anyway.

Most of the big non-superhero ones have been mentioned already (Preacher, V for Vendetta, Y: The Last Man, Sandman etc) and outside of that all I really know are Marvel. Unsurprisingly I'm a Marvel guy! :D.

So I'd echo the mentions of Warren Ellis' Moon Knight and Matt Fraction's Hawkeye. I absolutely loved Thor: God of Thunder by Jason Aaron. It was 25 issues of pure epicness. On a much lighter note is Nick Spencer's Superior Foes of Spider-Man (17 issues) which was an insane amount of fun. Other great recent runs were Mark Waid's Daredevil, G Willow Wilson's ongoing Ms Marvel, Dan Slott's Silver Surfer (also ongoing) and the current Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. Some recently started runs that are showing promise are Black Widow, Doctor Strange and Ta-Nehisi Coates' Black Panther.

Also the current Vision series by Tom King is astonishing. It's like the superhero equivalent of American Beauty and is both beautiful and utterly heartbreaking, tackling issues such as suburban life, marriage, family, what it means to be human and how far we'll go to protect those that we love. There have been 10 issues so far and it is ending at 12 so that one isn't a big commitment and I'd recommend it to anyone.

[TONGO]

I absolutely loved Thor: God of Thunder by Jason Aaron. It was 25 issues of pure epicness.

Wasnt it though?! :yup: :up: TBPH that run and Jonathan Hickmans run on Fantastic Four were the best things Marvel Comics has put out the last 20 years.

[Mr Minio]

Where were you, Guap, when we needed you?!

[genesis_pig]

Where were you, Guap, when we needed you?!

Who's Guap?

Wasnt it though?! :yup: :up: TBPH that run and Jonathan Hickmans run on Fantastic Four were the best things Marvel Comics has put out the last 20 years.

I just started reading this 2 weeks ago.. and WOW!
How did that recent movie miss this one? There's good cinema written all over it.. They could have slayed Marvel Studios & WB DC with this.

I am guessing the writers just went ahead and read the basic series, which was Ultimate Fantastic Four. I am guessing they thought it was best to avoid everything else cos they total up to over 600 issues. I don't get why people don't get that sometimes it's okay to read comics in betwen without having started from issue #1, some writers do a great job retconning the past history and make sure their storylines are as independent as possible to follow.

Yoda, buddy! If you are into classic sci-fi. Multiple dimensions, time travel, mind boggling absurd science.. Then give Hickman's Fantastic Four a try and also his FF.

They should now adapt this into a TV Show, I can totally see it work.

Jonathan Hickman should try writing The Flash.