Tell me what you suggest Hubski. Ill start
Chew is incredible, it's a story about varied food related clairvoyance and physic abilities and how they relate to a world where chicken is illegal due to millions of people dieing to the avian flu. The main character is an FDA agent who can bite something and instantly know everything about it. If he bites an apple he knows where it's picked, and the pesticides used on it. If eats beef he flashes to the cows whole life including it being butchered, and if he bites a human he can know what crimes they have committed. The art is great, story is engaging, and writing varies between intense to humorous.
Alan Moore's Swamp Thing is a story of a man changed into a monster and his struggle to maintain his humanity as the true horror of the world begins to show itself. I think it's Alan Moore's best work and I truly suggest it if you're a fan of horror.
So! I wasn't even going to click on this thread at first but then I did and I'm glad. First I see that a lot of people are mentioning Watchmen. not to pull a thenewgreen but Did you know, Hubski has a book club? #hubskibookclub And better yet, we all read Watchmen together and discussed it! If you're interested in what we said, or if you want to talk it over or think we've missed something, please totally pick it up in the thread wherever it's appropriate. On Hubski good threads never die. Part 1 - Watchmen Part 2 - Watchmen I'm going to go out on a limb and shout-out to new users who recommended Watchmen just in case y'all aren't watching this thread and might be interested. Reynard_Austin havires rob05c exNihilo Second off OMG SWAMP THING. I'm really glad to see so many people like Swamp Thing...I've actually...ahem...gotten very enthusiastic about it here on Hubski. In fact it gets better I talk about Swamp Thing in the aforementioned Book Club Watchmen thread. Any time any of you wanna talk Swamp Thing I'm down, although I've only read through the 3rd or 4th book. (I hear it's crap after that though.) I also second rob's suggestion of Blankets and insom's suggestion of V for Vendetta - totally different from the movie, btw. And if you like/d Blankets check out Stitches - it's in a similar vein.
I just followed the #hubskibookclub and will keep an eye out for any discussion or suggestion to jump in on. And I'm always done to talk swamp thing! I'm actually reading Hellblazer now which is a spin off of Swamp Thing starring the one and only John Constantine. It's written by a different writer, but it's still excellent. The first trade paper back is 20 bucks and quite large, and I can't suggest it enough.
Yeah I know there's a book club, but procuring some of the books mentioned (I've looked at one or two of the previous ones) is going to be a tad difficult since I don't have the funds. Yeah I'd totally be down to read and jump into that conversation, I wasn't aware that it had been read and discussed, so thanks for that link. I've never actually read V though, but I was assuming that it was as good as the movie was (I personally enjoyed it).
What I had meant was, say they were going to read Blade Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep) and I didn't have it (I do, the book and movie aren't comparable, because they're both excellent for what they did), then I would just skip over it. Maybe tossing in a vote for something like Nueromancer by William Gibson (which I do have). It's been about three years since I read Watchmen, so that's why I'm piggy backing posts in the second half of the conversation, once again thanks for the link.
I can't say enough about American Born Chinese by Gene Yuen Wang. I read it aloud with an Asian comedian who did all the voices. The ending is not obvious. It brilliantly brings all the threads together.
That's really cool, and Ill keep an eye for it.
Building Stories by Chris Ware is incredible. It isn't exactly a graphic novel, in the traditional sense. It is a collection of different pieces, including graphic novels the size of newspapers. The story explores different themes like abortion, giving up on your dreams, body image, and marriage. I found it very engrossing and moving.
I have been trying to remember the name of that comic for so long. I had an image saved on my phone forever (well since From 10/31/2011) from it but couldn't remmeber the name! That was really good. I wasn't a massive fan of the art though. It was alright - nothing spectacular.Y: The Last Man
I will come back to this conversation later for more details, but if you are not interested in Superman (I am not) I suggest Superman: Red Son. So Superman: Red Son is basically a re-imagining of if Superman if he were in Communist Russia instead of Kansas. It is a great deconstruction of Superman. Next suggestion: She-Hulk. At least get your feet wet with She-Hulk Vol. 1: Single Green Female
I am a huge Daredevil Fan, so I'd be remiss without mentioning Hell's Kitchen's defender. The Bendis/Maleev/Mack run is pretty epic and creates a great noir atmosphere (See Daredevil by Brian Michael Bendis & Alex Maleev Ultimate Collection for a trade paperback). BUT for an opener I try to suggest Guardian Devil which is a nice closed story line written by Kevin Smith (Clerks, Mallrats, Red State) which gives those unfamiliar an introduction into the Universe. After either of these series, pick up any of the new Daredevils by Waid. If you want something current: Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky's "Sex Criminals" is pretty moving and well written. The covers are often very satirical and fun also. I specifically didn't suggest some other comic books/graphic novels because I feel like they are suggsted EVERYWHERE. Basically you can read things by Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, or Frank Miller. Then be covered by most "Must read" lists. (Editing to add a few more...) Preacher
Kabuki Persepolis
Maus: A Survivor's Tale There is a great comic with a bunch of stories of scientists, I can't seem to find it right now though, I'll update if I find it. One thing you SHOULD do: Go to a comic book store, a real comic book store and talk to the people. Let them know what kind of stories you like. If they are not cool, then leave. Most of the time they are VERY accommodating and will WANT to get you involved. If you can't find anything you know you will like, find a locally created comic book and take it home.
I'm not sure what you're referencing with the scientists, but I'd suggest that maybe you're thinking of Atomic Robo, which basically relates to science in the same way the Indiana Jones relates to archeology. Alternatively, maybe you're thinking of The Manhattan Projects, which (I haven't read much of but I'm told) is basically an alternate end to WWII, where science became Beatlemania levels of popular.
I loved Red Son, Mark Miller is an excellent writer and also did one of my favorite graphic novels Old Man Logan. also Ive always wanted to check out Daredevil and now I'm sold, and Ill keep an eye out for Guardian Devil. Ive read Kevin's Cacophony and really liked it. Thank you for all the suggestions!
Alan Moore's Watchmen is pretty much mandatory for anyone who wants to read sequential art. Grant Morrison is a fantastic writer and everything he has written is absolutely brilliant, but I would recommend We3, one of his lesser known works. It's pretty sad and quite violent but a very poignant examination of animal experimentation. You really can't read anything by Morrison and not be left thinking about it for hours afterword. Halcyon by Marc Guggenheim. Basically, what happens when Superheroes aren't needed anymore? No comic list is complete without a Batman recommendation but I will eschew plugging The Dark Knight Returns and instead suggest Batman: Hush. This was Jeph Loeb in his heyday. Probably his finest work. Coupled with Jim Lee's artwork and this is a comic you wont forget. Uzumaki by Junji Ito. I've never been a huge fan of manga, but this one stands alone. A lonely ocean-front village is haunted by a recurring symbol, a spiral, in a series of linked stories. The artwork is highly detailed and the story is reminiscent of the cosmic dread that Lovecraft evokes. Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. from Warren Ellis. This comic is pure silly fun from beginning to end. It takes a bunch of obscure C-list heroes from the Marvel universe, mixes them up in an absurd plot, strips out everything but explosions and swearing with a Nick Fury parody with a severe existential crisis and Oedipus complex. The intro song describes it best: "It's like Shakespeare, but with a lot more punching!"
The Silver Cord. Digital. Kickstarted and completely free. Kind of neo-noir angels-and-death, in the spirit of Constantine. The Phoenix Requiem. Also digital and free. Victorian fantasy. The Wormworld Saga. Also digital and free. Wonderland-style Hero's Journey of a young boy overcoming tragedy and fear. Blankets. An autobiographical coming-of-age story. The Shepherd's Tale. The backstory of Shepherd Book that Firefly never got to tell. Absolutely fantastic if you're a Firefly fan. More of a graphic novella. Watchmen. The Sandman. Death. A collection of stories about Death, a character in The Sandman.
I would like to strongly second Blankets. I'm not much of a comic book/graphic novel reader, but very few stories have had such a strong emotional impact on me as Blankets did. Edit: this is especially good if you're interested in or can empathize with growing up in and growing out of an evangelical Christian community
I've never heard of some of these stories, and and love that most of them are digital.
I'm a pretty big fan of Transmetropolitan. It's a 60 issue series written by Warren Ellis, an arguably insane British man, about a futuristic Hunter S. Thompson, political corruption, transhumanism, body modification, and fecal matter. I feel like there's some bit of description I usually use that I'm forgetting, but hopefully that's enough of a sell. Also, I maintain that anyone remotely interested in comics as a medium should read Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud.
I didn't see it mentioned here so I'll chime in with Grant Morrison's run of Animal Man. I'm not usually a superhero guy, but Animal Man was one of the best comic books that I have ever read. He really turns the whole format onto it's head and really dissects medium.
I know its been suggested numerous times in this thread, but The Watchmen is an excellent book. It is the one of the only books that I have sat down and read through completely in one sitting. It is incredible (and contrary to most fans of the comic's opinions, I think that the movie is perfectly acceptable if you have a severe aversion to comics.) I haven't read too many other comics, but I do have a suggestion for finding comics if you're new: find one based on something you already like. Buffy/Angel, Dr. Who, Start Trek are all great TV shows that have good-great comics, and if you like any particular comicbook movie, that's a good place to start too. That's what I did with The Watchman, and later various Batman and Catwoman comics.
Sin City 300 Batman (anything by Frank Miller - one of his Batman comics was the basis for TDKR with Christian Bale) Watchmen (unabridged, mandatory) V For Vendetta (previously mentioned) Spawn (all of it) Hellblazer (all of it / Constantine [movie]) The Walking Dead (don't dismiss it because of the show, in fact read it because it's almost a completely different story) Neon Genesis Evangelion [manga] (easier to understand than the anime) Rurouni Kenshin [manga] Johnny The Homicidal Maniac (never read this myself, but i've heard a lot of chatter about how good it is) Alien/Predator/AvP (all Dark Horse) Those are all the came to mind right now. Will edit as needed with more suggestions.
It was one of Miller's other Batman comics. TDKR was based on The Dark Knight Returns, which is great.
I really like the "Paul" series by Michel Rabagliari because it's set in Montreal, my city. It's nice because it goes back and forth between the Montreal of today and flashbacks from the seventies, when the author was a kid. Also, I really like Guy Deslisle. His novel "Burma" is pretty good as well as one about Israel and other conflict zones. It's his impressions while traveling and background history that he tries to give as objectivey as possible. It's a nice contrast with his subjective experience of the country. I'm surprised nobody mentionned "Maus". It's a son's retelling of his father's experience of the holocaust. The format is what makes this story so good. The Jews are represented as mice and the Germans as cats.