More comics you might like. After 30+ years of collecting, these are the collections that I think either make good entry points, if you’re trying to see if comics are good reading, or just plain stand out above the rest:
THE CROW James O’Barr’s revenge story is based in real life; the tragedy that surrounded the filmed version only heightens the emotional impact. It’s a classic “alternative” comic, black and white and VERY adult oriented. It’s tough to read, at times, but damned well worth the effort.
ALL-STAR SUPERMAN You’ll hear writers say that writing Superman, after seventy-plus years of publication, is harder and harder to do; after all, what stories are left to be told? Grant Morrison makes it that much harder for them with this collection of 12 issues that perfectly melds the insanity of the Silver Age with modern storytelling. If ever there was a perfect celebration of perhaps the most iconic comic-book hero ever, this is it.
SANDMAN Neil Gaiman writes quite possibly the most literate comic book ever. Don’t let the fact that this long-running but finite series is worshipped by goth kids and Tori Amos fans frighten you away; there’s a lot here to love, almost a modern-day mythology in it’s own right.
THE AUTHORITY From fairy-tale to the ultimate summer popcorn action movie… Warren Ellis takes the spandex field, deconstructs it, puts it back together and presents quite possibly the most realistic (in a dystopian sort of way) look at a world with super-heroes. If you strip comics of their innocence, replacing them with the bleak reality of a world filled with greed and violence, this is what you’d get. And on top of it all, the situations are as epic as you would hope a team possessing this much power would face.
TRANSMETROPOLITAN Another Ellis entry; what if Hunter S. Thompson had written science fiction? As someone who doesn’t enjoy overly political fiction, I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book — I’ll credit Ellis’s excellent writing and the voice he gave protagonist Spider Jerusalem for all of it.
ASTONISHING X-MEN This is not the best gateway book — even if you’ve seen all the X-movies, there’s still a lot of continuity assumed on the reader’s part. But it is, quite possibly, the best arc in the history of the team. Joss Whedon — Mr. Cancelled In Spite of Excellence TV — finds all the individual voices and — despite a shaky second-of-four arc — crafts an excellent story with twists and a bitter, bitter ending (at least for those of us that are long time readers).
PREACHER Sixty issues that seem made for Spike TV– a little supernatural, a little action, a little horror, a little wild-west. This, to me, defines the idea of a “guy’s” comic — it practically radiates testosterone. And strangely, it’s incredibly popular with girls, too — probably because Jesse Custer is very handsome to go along with his hard-drinking, ass-kicking ways. Or something. Writer Garth Ennis hit a true home run with this story of one man’s literal hunt for God.