Anybody who gets their kicks reading Batman Completion (or even stumbling onto it via nude searching for Xbox unrelated Hilton internet florist keywords hentai) has probably read several of these, but I'm sure you'll find something new here to enjoy. Without further ado:
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Start with the tools to understand what you're reading:
Understanding Comics
Reinventing Comics
Making Comics
Those are three books by Scott McCloud--discussions on the past, future, and present (respectively) of the art form, in the form of comics themselves. They are highly entertaining in addition to being eye-opening.
From there, there are several places you can branch off into.
There are the artistic and commercial giants of the field:
Frank Miller (Ronin, Sin City, The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One, 300)
Alan Moore (Watchmen, V for Vendetta, From Hell, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Killing Joke)
Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Books of Magic [others soon took over, but the whole thing is worthwhile])
Grant Morrison (Arkham Asylum, All-Star Superman, The Invisibles, Flex Mentallo, WE3)
The "indie" types:
Brian Wood (Demo, Local)
David Mazzucchelli (Asterios Polyp)
Bryan Lee O'Malley (Scott Pilgrim)
Daniel Clowes (Ghost World)
Chris Ware (Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth)
The true to life, biographical types:
Art Spiegelman (Maus 1&2)
Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis 1&2)
Craig Thompson (Blankets)
And then there are guys currently writing just well-told, awesome stories:
Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan, Planetary, Fell, N.E.X.T.W.A.V.E., Global Frequency)
Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, Pride of Baghdad)
Ed Brubaker (Sleeper, GCPD)
Mike Carey (Lucifer [after Sandman], Crossing Midnight, The Unwritten)
Garth Ennis (Hitman, Preacher, The Boys)
Brian Michael Bendis (Powers, Ultimate Spider-Man)
J. Michael Straczynski (Rising Stars, Supreme Power)
Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead)
Mike Mignola (Hellboy)
Gerard Wey (The Umbrella Academy)
(and many more)
There're foreign comics (Tintin, by Herge, being the most famous), and manga, of which I know little (but I enjoy the trippy horror mangas by Junji Ito).
There are classic comics worth reading, particularly Little Nemo in Slumberland and Krazy Kat (and others from the same time period, when a single newspaper strip would take up an entire sheet of newspaper), and stuff by Will Eisner (the father of graphic novels, also did The Spirit), and of course there's plenty of Marvel and DC superhero stuff that's probably worth delving into, but who has the time? (ha ha)
There are current newspaper strips, which are all pretty much terrible, although I recommend finding an archive of Calvin and Hobbes and The Far Side, the last best strips of the past twenty years.
Finally there are webcomics, narrative (start at the beginning and give it some time):
Sluggy Freelance - Nerds, aliens, a bunny with a switch-blade. Starts out gag-a-day, and quickly becomes epic and dramatic. A decade and a half and counting.
Schlock Mercenary - Hard military s-f, highly entertaining, the author hasn't missed a day in ten years.
1/0 - Fascinating strip with no "4th wall". Complete.
Bear Quest - It's a comic! It's a videogame! Well it's mostly a comic.
Axe Cop - Written by a six year old. Drawn by his adult brother.
Alien vs Pooh - Should I feel bad for finding this hilarious?
Bad Machinery - Cheeky British children are funny.
A Lesson is Learned But the Damage is Irreversible - Not really a narrative, but an "art strip" of unsurpassed beauty and depth; read it in order for full effect.
Gunnerkrigg Court - Magic, science, and children mix in this beautiful, well-written strip.
Minus - Lyrical, ended-far-too-soon Calvin-and-Hobbes-ish look at childhood imagination.
and Great (same author) - Bitingly satirical tale of failure and ramen.
Questionable Content - Danger; you'll read long after it's good.
Dr. McNinja - He heals with one hand, kills with the other, and vanishes, unseen, into the night.
Dresden Codak - Spiritual successor to the now-defunct "A Lesson is Learned...."
Rice Boy, Order of Tales, and the now in-progress Vattu - Epic, completely original fantasies all by the same incredibly talented guy.
And webcomics, gag-a-day (check the latest few, see if you like them):
XKCD - Math, nerd culture, stick figures.
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Single-panel cruelty.
Chopping Block - Corny jokes, serial killing, beautiful sooty art.
The Parking Lot is Full - Long dead, but brilliant.
A Softer World - Like eating koan-flavored ice-cream.
Hark! A Vagrant - Historical comics from Canada!
Nedroid - He's a bear shaped like a potato. He's a bird shaped like a Reginald. Together they're in a comic.
Dinosaur Comics - The art never changes. The writing is always hilarious.
--
So! If you have any recommendations for ME, based on my taste as suggested above, please comment here and let me know. I'll toss a link to this up on the main page, so it doesn't get buried here in the winter of 1941, and update it as my readings expand.
Frank Miller (Ronin, Sin City, The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One, 300)
Alan Moore (Watchmen, V for Vendetta, From Hell, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Killing Joke)
Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Books of Magic [others soon took over, but the whole thing is worthwhile])
Grant Morrison (Arkham Asylum, All-Star Superman, The Invisibles, Flex Mentallo, WE3)
The "indie" types:
Brian Wood (Demo, Local)
David Mazzucchelli (Asterios Polyp)
Bryan Lee O'Malley (Scott Pilgrim)
Daniel Clowes (Ghost World)
Chris Ware (Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth)
The true to life, biographical types:
Art Spiegelman (Maus 1&2)
Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis 1&2)
Craig Thompson (Blankets)
And then there are guys currently writing just well-told, awesome stories:
Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan, Planetary, Fell, N.E.X.T.W.A.V.E., Global Frequency)
Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, Pride of Baghdad)
Ed Brubaker (Sleeper, GCPD)
Mike Carey (Lucifer [after Sandman], Crossing Midnight, The Unwritten)
Garth Ennis (Hitman, Preacher, The Boys)
Brian Michael Bendis (Powers, Ultimate Spider-Man)
J. Michael Straczynski (Rising Stars, Supreme Power)
Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead)
Mike Mignola (Hellboy)
Gerard Wey (The Umbrella Academy)
(and many more)
There're foreign comics (Tintin, by Herge, being the most famous), and manga, of which I know little (but I enjoy the trippy horror mangas by Junji Ito).
There are classic comics worth reading, particularly Little Nemo in Slumberland and Krazy Kat (and others from the same time period, when a single newspaper strip would take up an entire sheet of newspaper), and stuff by Will Eisner (the father of graphic novels, also did The Spirit), and of course there's plenty of Marvel and DC superhero stuff that's probably worth delving into, but who has the time? (ha ha)
There are current newspaper strips, which are all pretty much terrible, although I recommend finding an archive of Calvin and Hobbes and The Far Side, the last best strips of the past twenty years.
Finally there are webcomics, narrative (start at the beginning and give it some time):
Sluggy Freelance - Nerds, aliens, a bunny with a switch-blade. Starts out gag-a-day, and quickly becomes epic and dramatic. A decade and a half and counting.
Schlock Mercenary - Hard military s-f, highly entertaining, the author hasn't missed a day in ten years.
1/0 - Fascinating strip with no "4th wall". Complete.
Bear Quest - It's a comic! It's a videogame! Well it's mostly a comic.
Axe Cop - Written by a six year old. Drawn by his adult brother.
Alien vs Pooh - Should I feel bad for finding this hilarious?
Bad Machinery - Cheeky British children are funny.
A Lesson is Learned But the Damage is Irreversible - Not really a narrative, but an "art strip" of unsurpassed beauty and depth; read it in order for full effect.
Gunnerkrigg Court - Magic, science, and children mix in this beautiful, well-written strip.
Minus - Lyrical, ended-far-too-soon Calvin-and-Hobbes-ish look at childhood imagination.
and Great (same author) - Bitingly satirical tale of failure and ramen.
Questionable Content - Danger; you'll read long after it's good.
Dr. McNinja - He heals with one hand, kills with the other, and vanishes, unseen, into the night.
Dresden Codak - Spiritual successor to the now-defunct "A Lesson is Learned...."
Rice Boy, Order of Tales, and the now in-progress Vattu - Epic, completely original fantasies all by the same incredibly talented guy.
And webcomics, gag-a-day (check the latest few, see if you like them):
XKCD - Math, nerd culture, stick figures.
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Single-panel cruelty.
Chopping Block - Corny jokes, serial killing, beautiful sooty art.
The Parking Lot is Full - Long dead, but brilliant.
A Softer World - Like eating koan-flavored ice-cream.
Hark! A Vagrant - Historical comics from Canada!
Nedroid - He's a bear shaped like a potato. He's a bird shaped like a Reginald. Together they're in a comic.
Dinosaur Comics - The art never changes. The writing is always hilarious.
--
So! If you have any recommendations for ME, based on my taste as suggested above, please comment here and let me know. I'll toss a link to this up on the main page, so it doesn't get buried here in the winter of 1941, and update it as my readings expand.
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