I dont know what to read,so can somebody recommend me something?Any comic you thought was good,just preferably something a little shorter?
link to some free golden age comics:
http://digitalcomicmuseum.com/
Ohh man, I've got plenty of great titles I could recommend, but what do you mean by "shorter"? Would, say, a mini-series be what you're after, or would something like, 20-30 issues be okay? Ha, I don't want to overwhelm you with suggestions. Let's see, off the top of my head and something that is definitely short:
=Pulp Characters=
King's Watch: A great mini-series with the King Feature's newspaper characters, The Phantom, Flash Gordon, and Mandrake the Magician. It tells a neat, self-contained story about Ming the Merciless invading Earth and these classic heroes banding together to resist his attack. It is continued in a new set of stories that are debuting now if it grabs you, but the story it tells is complete. I really enjoyed it and found it a good, ripping adventure yarn.
Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist: Oh man, this book was really great. It's another retelling of the Flash Gordon story, but mixed into the backdrop of WWII, with Hitler becoming an agent of Ming. The art is fantastic, the story is good, and the design aesthetic of the book is quite beautiful. They take a lot of inspiration from the classic movie, and the world feels REALLY well realized. This one is totally worth a read, and it's completely self-contained.
The Rockeeter/Spirit: Pulp Friction: Another great pulp tale, this one featuring two very different but equally loveable rogues. These two characters play off of each other in really delightful ways, and the mini-series has a great pace and a good story.
Atomic Robo: Anything and everything Atomic Robo, in fact. You can't go wrong with any given story, but I'd say read them all. They're undoubtedly some of the best comics being written today. They're routinely fun, funny, and exciting. I always get my money's worth from this book. Best of all? It's a series of mini-series, for the most part, and almost everything can be read on its own. I especially recommend anything with Dr. Dinosaur. He's the best!
=Superheroes=
Astro City: See Atomic Robo, ha. Anything and everything from THIS series of mini-series is also worth reading. I absolutely recommend the first two volumes, and the second, Confessions, is one of my favorite comic stories ever. If you don't know about Astro City, effectively it's a set of stories set around a city, rather than a team or a character, and it is really something like a more hopeful, positive version of the Watchmen (I'm actually writing a paper to that effect one of these days). They often tell the stories of average people in a world where the fantastic is possible, and they have created an incredibly well-realized setting, full of a myriad of amazing characters who, all too often, we only get a glimpse of before we're whisked away into another tale.
The Batman Adventures: It might be hard to believe, but this set of kid-accessible Batman comics, based on the near-perfect Batman:TAS, contains some of my favorite Batman stories. They are routinely strong, and occasionally truly great. It's a relatively short run, 36 issues in the first series, 26 in the second (renamed Batman and Robin Adventures). The art may make you think the stories are a bit childish, being in the animated style, but the series constantly rises above its station, and I'm a big fan.
TMNT: It isn't a short series, up to somewhere near 50 issues now, but IDWs new TMNT series is nothing short of fantastic. I'd be willing to defend it as, hands down, the best version of TMNT, period. A good part of that excellence is their willingness to pull anything and everything that is awesome from any version of the Turtle's long and illustrious history, tweak and improve it, and then find a way to integrate it into the story they're telling. Along with Atomic Robo and Larry Hama's G.I. JOE, every month of these books I read some of the best comics I've ever read.
I meant a miniseries or something like 20-30 issues,or at least something finished.
Okey,thanks for all the suggestions,im gonna check them out.
So few dumb questions:
-Is there something like Thunderbolts?Or at least with that good team dynamic?
-Is there a story focusing on Ai Apaec?I mean just him?
-Never really fealt like starting them,but are Authority and Stormwatch good?
I've always enjoyed the original "Stormwatch" series, it's probably the only Image Comics title I've re-read in all the years I've had it. As for the newer versions of the series, I haven't read any of them, so I can't comment there.
One of my all time favorite stories is DC Comics "The Golden Age". It's a 4 issue Elseworlds title, and I can't begin to count how many times I've read it. Definitely worth checking out.
I actually planed on checking out TGE,so If I can find I deffinitly will.
Warren Ellis' Planetary is excellent and at 27 issues it's just the right length to catch one's attention without dragging on interminably.
Brian K. Vaughn's first Runaways run is also great and if your in the mood for something a little longer his Y the Last Man is awesome.
Yeah, Planetary is one of the best comics ever written in my opinion. I found the first trade a bit of a slog, but it lifts up dramatically after that.
Also by Ellis, I highly recommend Nextwave. Its quite different, an all out action urine-take of superhero conventions, but with some incredible ideas thrown around. Very very fun.
The Authority is good too, especially once Mark Millar took over. Its not for kids, and full of "Oh my god, are you allowed to do that in a comic?" moments - an incredibly inventive take on superheroes. Stormwatch I found a bit so-so. Ellis had some good ideas, but it often didn't really grab me.
Joss Whedon Astonishing X-men. pretty standalone run, 24 issues. Fits your description
Planetary was great,so thanks guys. :thumbup:
I just read volume 1 of Astro city,it seams interesting.
IDWs TMNT is also pretty good,Old Hob is a nice addition. :)
The Golden age was okey,but it just isnt my cup of tea.Im not a huge Elseworld fan in general.
Not grasping your preferences short of team dynamic. I also see your avatar which indicates a possible interest in horror and maybe the supernatural? Have you ever the Nocturnal's Black Planet TPB? Not really as long as your asking for but I think it may appeal to you. Definitely worth reading as are Brereton's other trades (Giant Killer, The Psycho).
Avatar is cuz I like Helspont,but Iv read everything about him. :)
I generaly just like action,but I like supernatural too.Im also big on mythology(any) and anti-heroes.I hope that describes my tastes a bit better.
Okay, yeah then I think you like Black Planet for sure. I knew that was Helspont, I made a mesh of him. Sorry I should've clearer. I was thinking of the kinds of themes his character represents and how that might relate to what flavor of story you ultimately prefer.
QuoteI meant a miniseries or something like 20-30 issues,or at least something finished.
Here are some random comics that are heavy on action and finished:
* Preacher
* Fear Agent
* Scalped
* 100 Bullets
* Punisher MAX
* Rising Stars
* The Boys
Here are some random comics that are team-based and finished:
* James Robinson / David S Goyer / Geoff Johns run on Justice Society
* Grant Morrison / Mark Waid's run on Justice League
* Power Company
* John Ostrander's Suicide Squad run
* Warren Ellis and Mark Millar's run on The Authority and Stormwatch
* Alan Moore and Joe Casey's run on WILDCats
* Agents of ATLAS
* The Superior Foes of Spiderman
* COPRA
* Strikeforce: Morituri
* Pete Milligan's X-Statix
* Alan Moore's Top Ten
Here are some mini-series:
* Red Ten
* The American Way
* Black Summer
* Deathmatch
* The Fallen
* The Twelve
the mighty the end league and wildguard were all good mini series
Haha, ohh my, so many great books mixed with so many that I dislike. It's rather disconcerting, really. ^_^
I really need to give the rest of Planetary a shot, I suppose. I was really unimpressed by the first trade, though I wonder if my particular literary ethos will be compatible with the whole.
Spade, I'm glad you found Astro City interesting. DEFINITELY give vol. 2 a read, as I'd argue it's the strongest of the bunch (though that's really a hard call). It's definitely the most conventional superhero story. Tarnished Angel is also particularly strong.
How far are you into TMNT? If you've liked the first arc, what comes next is going to blow you away. That series really ramps up as it goes along, and by the late teens/early 20s, it is really great!
In terms of further recommendations, I can't believe I didn't think of this before, but I've got another one for you:
Justice: If you haven't read this mini-series yet, you definitely need to. It is just great, classic superhero fun. If you're a DC fan, this book, which features the Satellite Era JLA taking on the Legion of Doom, is a must. The art is by Alex Ross, so it is breathtakingly gorgeous, and the story is by Jim Krueger. It's got some great twists and turns and is in my top three favorite JLA stories.
Punisher MAX and WildCAT Iv read,most of the others I didnt.
Im around #16 TMNT issue.Microseries,Villans and Secret history of the Foot clan were great.
Also,from AC,Astra miniseries was fun.It really capitalised on a good idea from Youngbloods thats superheroes would be treated as celebrities.
And Benton,you should really check out Planetary.At first glance its about 3 people investigation mysteries,but its really anything but.And the way everything comes together in the end is just amazing.
Looking at Starman's list I would say Preacher is an essential read for every comic book enthusiast.
The Boys, while a well done story and at times especially later on and in some of the side stories is poignant and multi-layered stuff but one should be warned it can represent the uppermost echelon of Garth's well known lack of tact and sensitivity to issues and at times surprise one with borderline pornography as some of his other works are known to do (The Pro), so mind that step if considering the option. The content is not for everyone.
After The Slavers storyline,almost nothing can suprise me any more...
I had to Google that. Someone sent a page of it and I ended up avoiding it because...YEEESH! So probably. The again The Boys: Herogasm is...well judge a book it's cover I'll say that for it. No false advertizing there though maybe it needed a fold out barf bag or Surgeon Generals Warning in addition.
Though it was mentioned earlier in the thread, since you're such a huge Thunderbolts fan, I would recommend Superior Foes of Spider-Man. Very short run, very entertaining book. Some overlap with T-Bolts due to the appearances of Speed Demon, Boomerang, Shocker and Mach.
Ai Apaec first appeared in the mini series Osborne, so if you haven't read that, you might want to check it out. I haven't read it myself, so I can't speak to the quality.
I didnt read Superior Spiderman,so will I be missing something in Superior Foes?
Heck no, it's mostly a marketing based title. That iteration of the Sinister Six (the titular "foes") appear in the first issue of Superior and that's it. It does explain why they're one member short (the sixth member was The Living Brain, a robot, but Doctor Octopus stole it and kept it for himself). Other than that the only other tie-in that I can recall is a short story during the fil-in issues.
Foes get's my vote as well. One of the best series I read by Marvel recently. And the funny moments were so genuine I was literally on the floor. Like Silver Shocker said it's self contained and only mentions Superior in bits and even then only in the frame of it's own story.
QuoteThe Boys, while a well done story and at times especially later on and in some of the side stories is poignant and multi-layered stuff but one should be warned it can represent the uppermost echelon of Garth's well known lack of tact and sensitivity to issues and at times surprise one with borderline pornography as some of his other works are known to do
SickAlice, have you read Crossed? THAT is Ennis just thinking up the craziest, most depressing stuff possible without the subtext or politics that he usually injects into his work ;)
QuoteI had to Google that. Someone sent a page of it and I ended up avoiding it because...YEEESH! So probably.
Garth Ennis' run on Punisher MAX is one of the best action comics I've ever read, one of Ennis' most well executed comics and easily the best Punisher run. Don't avoid it! You should check it out! Start with the trade paperback "From First To Last", then read them in order. "The Slavers" has a single disturbing piece of art otherwise it's just The Punisher doing his thing to the worst of the worst (human slave trading is, IMO, one of the most straight-up inhumanly evil criminal enterprises).
^Nobody cried for Punisher enemies,thats sure.But that was probably darkest storyline in a mainstream comic.
Little update:
-After watching Wolverine and X-men it was easy to pick up Astonishing.Similar line-up and feel.
-Stormwatch volume 1 is very 90's.Bulging muscles,impossible female figures,boxy weopons and names like Killgore...kinda cute,actually.Also,Fuji is VERY,VERY Japanese.
@Starman: Kinda veering OT but I think you misunderstood me. I looked up Crossed and don't think I would like it. I don't actually like reading a bunch of nasty things despite the writing being good. I think peoples like Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis, Mark Millar and such actually show their best writing when they avoid the over the edge tropes usually associated with them. Like for Ennis my favorite is Hulk Smash, a story about a solider who is confronted by a rampaging Hulk. As a Marvel book it's dialed back yet this gives Garth more rope with which to work the actual emotion and meaning of the story in. Likewise for me with Ellis it's Frankenstein's Womb which is more an intellectual and poetic tribute to Mary Shelley than anything else (though the reasonably graphic Supergod is close to my tops for him). Oddly for Bendis it was Scarlet for me though more for the political landscape and grit. A bit of exploitative gore can be fun I think but too much can detract from strong story telling (using the examples I gave for contrast). Also I get physically ill when I read or watch about defile. Not a denial of it's existence but I could fare better with it not being in my entertainment or at least left as far of panel as possible and only alluded to. I can get the picture through the emotions shown over the act without having the act shown (The Hills Have Eyes remake comes to mind). Not to knock anyone's preference but this is just how mine sums up. I have a line drawn for the level of " maturity " I will find entertaining and how much of it I can absorb in a single work.
@SickAlice, what I meant was that Crossed represents "the uppermost echelon of Garth's well known lack of tact and sensitivity to issues and at times surprise one with borderline pornography" more so than The Boys. I'd never recommend Crossed to anyone ... it is way too extreme and pretty boring and repetitive in terms of plot.
I'm the opposite ... I think Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis, Mark Millar, Grant Morrison, etc produce good work for mainstream comic publishers but a lot of it is more shallow than their creator-owned stuff or their work for publishers like Avatar Press and mature imprint labels like Marvel MAX and Vertigo.
Oh okay, then you read me loud and clear. I feel the same with most of them. Occasionally they get gems in with the big two though. I feel it a lot with Bendis though. I think he works much better when creating a world based in his style as opposed to trying to inject his style into an already established one.
Oh and I'll toss in a second for X-Static as well, didn't noticed that there before. Solid book all the way.
Small update:
-Kings Watch was great :thumbup:
I agree with SA, and that is part of what I meant about books I dislike. Many of those folks are pretty talented writers, when they work within some boundaries, but they produce some fairly nasty and/or despicable stuff when left to their own devices. I have zero interest in their excesses, but when they are forced to actually tell a story, they can produce some pretty good work.
Spade: Ohh, you're getting into the best stuff of the TMNT! Yeah, the micro and mini series are really great. I'm very happy to hear you're enjoying it! I think my favorite bit so far has been the recent Turtles in Time mini-series, but most of them are great.
I'm glad you enjoyed King's Watch! I thought it was a great re-imagining of those characters, and I'm looking forward to reading the spin-offs, especially the one about Flash Gordon by Jeff Parker (I've become a big fan of his!).
I read tmnt up to #23,and sadly that all I could find...
Kings Watch had a great artwork.Thats what I liked most about it.
ACs Local Heroes is a very great,touching miniseries.
QuoteOh okay, then you read me loud and clear. I feel the same with most of them. Occasionally they get gems in with the big two though. I feel it a lot with Bendis though. I think he works much better when creating a world based in his style as opposed to trying to inject his style into an already established one.
Yeah, Bendis doesn't really hit his mark when he has to deal with a lot of pre-existing continuity and softer themes. But if you let him have his own sandbox, he can turn out amazing stuff. It's like comparing Alias on Marvel MAX, which I own the omnibus of because it's amazing, to The Pulse on the mainstream Marvel imprint, which was really disappointing.
You can really say the same for most of those writers you mentioned. It's only the writers like Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Scott Snyder, Jonathan Hickman, etc who really work really easily within mainstream comics AND create great creator-owned comics. Alan Moore is actually writing Crossed at the moment!
Quote
Oh and I'll toss in a second for X-Static as well, didn't noticed that there before. Solid book all the way.
Yeah, I'm just adding stuff as I think of it. Pete Milligan is great. Mike Allred is great. You can't go wrong with that book.
-Justice was okay,a little confusing thou."Realistic" artwork was an interesting touch.And Aquaman can basicly regenerate anything?
-Osborn is a new perpective on...guess who?Basicly its all one of Normans crazy awessome moments.I liked it,others may,or may not...
-1/4 into Stormwatch V1.I liked Winter,hes slightly less generic then others.And Fuji is still very japanese...
-Superior Foes is fun.I just started it.
-Nocturnals are kind of weird,Im not sure what to think about it.
Sub-Mariner: The Depths
Silver Surfer: Requiem
Superman: Red Son
All short and all good.
Iv read Red Son...and Im not that big on Elseworld.
Spade, what did you find confusing about Justice? Yeah, I LOVE the art. The strength of Aquaman's regenerative abilities have generally not been shown to be of that degree, but yes, he is quick healing. I like their take on the character, and I think it should feed back into the main DCU.
I've heard that SS: Requiem was good.
Red Son is so good!
The whole finale was a little confusing,Brainiac and Luthors schemes I found kinda tangled and hard to follow.On a general note,I liked Justice.
-The Batman adventure-I just started it,and it seems ok.I carries some nostalgia,for sure.
I recently picked up the trades of the Milestone Comics series from the 90s.
Icon is absolutely brilliant! There are two of these available, both very much worth getting and they form a fairly complete story, even though the series continued.
What really shines here is the character dynamics between Icon himself and his teenage sidekick Rocket. He's a stuffy old Republican lawyer (really a centuries old alien), and rather naive about race issues in modern day America, she's a spunky kid from the street. The art by MD Bright is high quality but nothing special, like a decent 90s X-Men style.
It's political, it examines the black American experience from the 1800's to today, but manages to do so in a very natural way without ever getting preachy. Its incredibly funny in places as it does so. The final issue in the second trade is a retrospective of black superheroes that manages to be genuinely touching and hilarious at the same time.
"A well told adventure story that achieves genuine political depth" - Alan Moore said that.
Static was pretty cool too, very much a Spiderman style story with a geeky young hero who develops superpowers. This one had a great sense of dropping you into a whole universe of characters - Blood Syndicate, HEROES, Icon, Rocket and Hardware and everyone else are introduced just enough for you to pick up and run with them. Static himself and his supporting cast are really endearing. Lovely inky art from Jean Paul Leon.
Hardware I wouldn't recommend. It hasn't aged well, it feels like a good premise but then its trying too hard to be edgy and fails. And Denys Cowan's art was a bit disappointing. He does great splash images and pin ups, but his sequential work is a lot weaker her. (And it doesn't help that Hardware has one of the worse costume designs ever).
In short, if you havent read Icon, give it a go. You're in for a treat.
-Done with the first volume of Stormwatch,Wasnt that great IMO.
-New 52 version of Stormwatch I like a lott better. :thumbup:
-Superior foes where crazy fun.Also very quotable. :thumbup:
-I want you to draw Doom...like one of those French girls
-So,yeah, this guy,right?
-Is this some kinda sex thing?
I tottaly felt sorry for Inspector :( .
-AC v2 was very good.First two Dark ages books I also liked.
-Joss Whedons run on Astonishing X-men was also good.Is there something I missed before Ellises run?What depowered everyone before the Ghost box storyline?
-Suicide Squad(1987) shows promise. :)
One of my all-time favorite series was Marvel's Exiles. The first two or three years is amazing! Mimic is the greatest X-Man to have ever graced the pages of a comic book.
(http://i1115.photobucket.com/albums/k542/xstream616/Exiles1_cover_zpskyf0f9h6.jpg)
Quote from: Spade on February 21, 2015, 06:59:32 AM
-Done with the first volume of Stormwatch,Wasnt that great IMO.
-New 52 version of Stormwatch I like a lott better. :thumbup:
I actually have a bunch of Stormwatch trades I bought a few years ago on the cheap (including one that reprints the Wildcats/Aliens crossover by Warren Ellis that kills off a bunch of them), but sadly I fell way out of the book and never really got back into it.
Quote-Superior foes where crazy fun.Also very quotable. :thumbup:
-I want you to draw Doom...like one of those French girls
-So,yeah, this guy,right?
-Is this some kinda sex thing?
"Total Heisenberg moment." Man that was a fun book. I think that book's the moment where
everybody reading it like Boomerang more.
Quote-Joss Whedons run on Astonishing X-men was also good.Is there something I missed before Ellises run?What depowered everyone before the Ghost box storyline?
Ah, yes, that would be House of M/Decimation. Spoilers just in case you want to read for yourself:
Spoiler
A very big status quo shake up in the X-Men books for many years until Avengers Vs X-Men started to undo it. In Bendis's run on the Avengers books the Scarlet Witch went crazy and lost control of her powers. In House of M she was able to warp reality and in the end caused all but 200-ish mutants to lose their powers (Marvel was notoriously wishy-washy and just how many mutants still had their powers, and a few new ones were made after the fact).
I never finished the original volume of Exiles but that was a really good book with a great cast. Highly recommended. King Hyperion was a beast.
-Like I said,Stormwatch v1 is just too...90s.With kinda generic cast,terrorists,Balkan wars and so on.Warren Ellis run is an improvment,but still...
-Superior foes have so many funny stuff.
Where did Walt and Jesse go?
Charmeleon playing a couple.
If you want to convince somebody to help you,dont show him a video of a bull @@@ his wife!!!
Why is it always Dormammu with you?
And his costume looks like something your wife says she doesnt own.
In general,making fun of Shocker.
-Read Rockeeter/Spirit: Pulp Friction.It was awessome,I really liked it.
Since it was never collected,Power company was VERY HARD to find.And one-shots are pretty much lost forever.
-Finished everything I had of Astro City.Great stuff really.Broken Man was cool.I cant wait for the rest of volume 3.
-Power Company was great,Very nostalgic in a way.
Quote-Power Company was great,Very nostalgic in a way.
Why?
I dont know,It reminded me on some older superhero stories.In a good way,ofc. :)
QuoteI dont know,It reminded me on some older superhero stories.
Oh, which ones?
Quote from: SickAlice on February 13, 2015, 01:37:55 PM
Looking at Starman's list I would say Preacher is an essential read for every comic book enthusiast.
The Boys, while a well done story and at times especially later on and in some of the side stories is poignant and multi-layered stuff but one should be warned it can represent the uppermost echelon of Garth's well known lack of tact and sensitivity to issues and at times surprise one with borderline pornography as some of his other works are known to do (The Pro), so mind that step if considering the option. The content is not for everyone.
I know its a bit late to continue the topic,but I forgot to mention it the first time-as far as Garth Ennis goes,nothing can top Hellblazer Son of Man.IMO definitely his most ''colorful'' story.And by that I mean bat**it insane.